Microtargeting practices raise privacy concerns ahead of snap election
Investigation reveals political parties continue using personal data for targeted ads despite legal questions.
Political parties across Germany continue employing sophisticated microtargeting techniques on social media platforms for voter outreach, despite pending complaints alleging violations of European privacy laws. The practice has drawn renewed scrutiny as Germany approaches its February 24, 2025 snap election, with privacy advocates warning that data protection authorities have failed to address complaints filed nearly two years ago.
The controversy stems from a September 2021 investigation by ZDF Magazin Royale that documented extensive use of Facebook's targeting capabilities by major political parties. The investigation, which analyzed 134,000 advertisements shown to 17,451 users between April and September 2021, revealed that all parties represented in the Bundestag employed microtargeting strategies to deliver customized political messages to specific voter segments.
According to data from the European privacy advocacy organization noyb, complaints filed in March 2023 against six major German political parties - CDU, AfD, SPD, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, Die Linke, and the Ecological Democratic Party - remain unresolved by German Data Protection Authorities (DPAs). The complaints allege illegal use of sensitive personal data, including political views, for advertising purposes.
The technical implementation of these targeting operations involved sophisticated data analysis techniques. Documents reveal that the CDU Mecklenburg-Vorpommern collaborated with Vienna-based PR agency "Campaigning Bureau" for their targeting strategy. The firm's founder, Philipp Maderthaner, had previously sought cooperation with Cambridge Analytica in 2017 - the company notorious for misusing personal data from 87 million Facebook users.
The investigation uncovered multiple instances of parties delivering contradictory messages to different audience segments. The FDP, for example, simultaneously promoted opposing positions on climate policy. Users identified with "green" interests received advertisements emphasizing the party's commitment to climate protection through state-mandated CO2 limits. Meanwhile, advertisements targeting "frequent travelers" stressed opposition to "state measures, restrictions, or bans" regarding climate challenges.
Government bodies also engaged in questionable targeting practices. The Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) directed Facebook advertisements specifically to users interested in the Social Democratic Party. When confronted, the SPD-led ministry acknowledged this as an "error." Similarly, the Climate Protection Ministry in Rhineland-Palatinate targeted ads to users interested in the Green Party.
Privacy experts point to Article 9 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which provides special protection for political opinions. According to legal analysis, there is no clear legal basis permitting the use of such sensitive personal data for advertising purposes. Critics argue the practice undermines democratic processes by enabling manipulation of distinct voter groups with tailored, potentially contradictory messages.
Facebook's transparency measures have proven inadequate. The platform's Ad Library, launched for the 2019 European elections, contains significant gaps. The investigation demonstrated that thousands of advertisements, including those from political parties and government ministries, were missing from the database. When questioned about these discrepancies, Facebook responded that "no system is perfect."
Simon Kruschinski, a political communication researcher involved in analyzing the targeting data, emphasizes the fundamental challenge to democratic discourse: "Political microtargeting is inherently anti-democratic because it operates on the principle of excluding certain demographic groups, creating separate information environments for different voters."
Timeline of Key Events
- April-September 2021: ZDF Magazin Royale collects data on 134,000 Facebook political advertisements
- September 24, 2021: Initial investigation findings published
- March 2023: noyb files complaints with Berlin and Bavarian Data Protection Authorities
- February 2025: German DPAs have yet to reach decisions on the complaints
- February 24, 2025: Upcoming federal election, with microtargeting practices continuing
The continued use of microtargeting techniques, despite pending regulatory challenges, raises significant concerns about electoral transparency and voter manipulation in German democracy. As another federal election approaches, the practice of tailoring political messages to specific voter segments based on personal data continues without regulatory intervention.