Oversight of political advertising
The National Audit Office of Finland oversees political advertising in Finland. The oversight is based on the EU regulation on political advertising, which aims to establish common rules for political advertising in the EU.
Citizens have the right to know when they are being influenced by political advertising. Political advertisements must be recognisable as political advertisements, and information must be provided on who has financed them and by what amounts.
The political advertisement must clearly indicate that it is political advertising. The advertisement must also indicate who the sponsor of the advertisement is and which election, referendum or legislative process the advertisement is linked to.
If the advertisement is online advertising targeted to specific groups of people, the advertisement must include information about the targeting method used. Depending on the means of communication used, the advertisement must also include a website address, link or QR code to a transparency notice that provides more information on the funding and background of the advertisement.
Sponsors of political advertising must provide the required background information to the service providers. Service providers that produce, publish, display or distribute political advertising must, in turn, ensure that the necessary information is visible and available in the advertisement.
Political advertising
Political advertising refers to communication carried out by a political actor or an actor acting on their behalf. Political advertising is also considered to include communication intended to influence the outcome of an election or referendum, voting behaviour or a legislative or regulatory process.
Political advertising means political communication in any media. Political advertising can appear online, on social media, on television, on the radio, as outdoor advertising or in printed newspapers. Political advertising is normally provided for remuneration.
Purely private or commercial messages are not political advertising. Journalistic content or political opinions expressed by individuals are also not considered political advertising. However, if a third party pays for the content displayed in the above situations, it may be considered political advertising.
Oversight of political advertising in the EU and in Finland
The oversight of political advertising in all EU countries is governed by the Regulation on Political Advertising. The purpose of the regulation is to improve the transparency of political advertising and to establish clear rules for the targeting of political advertising online. In Finland, the EU regulation is supplemented by national legislation on the supervision of the regulation.
The National Audit Office oversees compliance with the Regulation on Political Advertising in Finland and cooperates with other authorities responsible for oversight: the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) and the Data Protection Ombudsman. In addition, the National Audit Office cooperates with the oversight authorities monitoring compliance with the regulation in other EU member states.
The National Audit Office of Finland
- oversees compliance with the Regulation on Political Advertising within the scope of its powers and, where necessary, obliges actors to correct their activities
- provides guidance and advice on questions related to the identification and labelling of political advertising
- notifies and publishes the dates of the Finnish elections and referendums in the Commission’s election portal
- maintains a register of legal representatives in Finland representing political advertising service providers that are not established in the EU
- acts as the national contact point, i.e. the main supervisor of compliance with the Regulation on Political Advertising in Finland, and is part of the EU network of national contact points.