Facebook beefs up political ad rules ahead of EU election

Facebook said Friday it’s further tightening up requirements for European Union political advertising, in its latest efforts to prevent foreign interference and increase transparency ahead of bloc-wide voting in May.

The social media giant said it will require political advertisers to confirm they are located in an EU country. That’s on top of a previously announced requirement that ad buyers must confirm their identities.

Ads that don’t comply will be blocked starting in mid-April.

Silicon Valley tech companies are facing rising pressure from EU authorities to do more to prevent their platforms being used by outside groups to meddle in elections.