Google Erases 7 Years of EU Political Ad History Google has removed its political ad archive for the European Union, wiping out seven years of political advertisements, spending, messaging, and targeting data on platforms like YouTube, Search, and display ads for elections across 27 countries. What Was Lost? The Google Ad Archive, available at Google Ads Transparency, once allowed searches of political ads in EU countries dating back to 2018. Users could browse ads by date range, keywords, candidates, and parties. Detailed information included videos, images, targeting data, and spending amounts. Current Situation Political ad archive links now redirect to a country selection page with only a few countries listed (US, UK, India, Australia, Brazil, Israel) — no EU countries are included. Searching for prominent EU political advertisers like "Sinn Féin" yields zero results, despite significant ad spending during recent elections. This removal is not linked to Google's new political ad ban but is an unexpected deletion of historical data. Importance of the Archive The ad archives were introduced about seven years ago, in response to concerns about manipulation during major political events like Brexit, the 2016 US elections, and Ireland’s 2018 referendum on the Eighth Amendment. They enabled public scrutiny of political campaigns, transparency of spending, and served as a historical record for accountability. Loss of this archive threatens democratic oversight, enforcement of rules, and the collective memory of political advertising strategies. Broader Context and Resources Discussions about political ad bans emphasize the ongoing influence of platform algorithms on campaigning. The archive deletion reduces transparency precisely when oversight is crucial. Related reading includes analyses of digital campaign strategies, impacts of ad bans, and profiles of political ad spending on YouTube. Recommended Reads Campaign round up: Irish Freedom Party dominating YouTube ad spend Campaigning likes it 1999 (when it feels like it’s 1938) The first #Aras25 ads are out Musk’s profoundly ignorant and dangerous intervention in #Aras25 --- The sudden erasure of this political history by Google represents a significant loss for transparency, democratic accountability, and the ability to understand political influence through advertising in the EU.