Social Media Transparency
OverviewAd libraries

Ad libraries · Global comparison

Ad libraries: EU vs globally

Article 39 forces every very large platform to keep a public, searchable archive of every ad it shows in the EU (who paid, how it was targeted, whom it reached) for a year. Of the 30 non-EU jurisdictions we scored, including the United States, 0 require anything equivalent.

27 member states share one enforceable rule. Outside that border: voluntary tools, political scraps, or a total void. Zero statutory protection.

Platform by platformEU vs US checklist
27EU member states under one Art. 39 mandatePublic, searchable library of every commercial ad (who paid, targeting, reach), kept for a year.
0 / 30non-EU jurisdictions with the same dutyIncluding the United States: no federal ad-library law, no year-long archive, no enforceable right to see who paid or who was reached.

Source: 30 non-EU jurisdictions scored against Art. 39. Voluntary platform tools do not count as a mandate.

The gold standard

What the EU requires, and the US does not

Nine fields. In the EU, the law names every one. Outside it (including the United States) commercial ads face none of these duties.

Art. 39 requiresEUUS
The ad itselfArt. 39(2)(a)RequiredNot required
Who advertisedArt. 39(2)(b)RequiredNot required
Who paidArt. 39(2)(c)RequiredNot required
When it ranArt. 39(2)(d)RequiredNot required
How it was targetedArt. 39(2)(e)RequiredNot required
Who it reachedArt. 39(2)(g)RequiredNot required
Searchable & reliableArt. 39(1)RequiredNot required
API accessArt. 39(1)RequiredNot required
One-year archiveArt. 39(1)RequiredNot required
Statutory protectionFullZero

The map

Where the law exists

Green is the EU: the only place with a DSA-style public ad-library mandate. Red means we assessed the country and found no such duty. Grey means not tracked.

Andorra: Not trackedUnited Arab Emirates: No public ad-library mandateAfghanistan: Not trackedAntigua and Barbuda: Not trackedAnguilla: Not trackedAlbania: Not trackedArmenia: Not trackedAngola: Not trackedArgentina: No public ad-library mandateAmerican Samoa: Not trackedAustria: Public ad library mandatedAustralia: No public ad-library mandateAruba: Not trackedAland Islands: Not trackedAzerbaijan: Not trackedBosnia and Herzegovina: Not trackedBarbados: Not trackedBangladesh: Not trackedBelgium: Public ad library mandatedBurkina Faso: Not trackedBulgaria: Public ad library mandatedBahrain: No public ad-library mandateBurundi: Not trackedBenin: Not trackedSaint Barthelemy: Not trackedBrunei Darussalam: Not trackedBolivia: Not trackedBermuda: Not trackedBonaire, Saint Eustachius and Saba: Not trackedBrazil: No public ad-library mandateBahamas: Not trackedBhutan: Not trackedBouvet Island: Not trackedBotswana: Not trackedBelarus: Not trackedBelize: Not trackedCanada: No public ad-library mandateCocos (Keeling) Islands: Not trackedDemocratic Republic of Congo: Not trackedCentral African Republic: Not trackedRepublic of Congo: Not trackedSwitzerland: Not trackedCôte d'Ivoire: Not trackedCook Islands: Not trackedChile: No public ad-library mandateCameroon: Not trackedChina: Not trackedColombia: No public ad-library mandateCosta Rica: Not trackedCuba: Not trackedCape Verde: Not trackedCuraçao: Not trackedChristmas Island: Not trackedCyprus: Public ad library mandatedCzech Republic: Public ad library mandatedGermany: Public ad library mandatedDjibouti: Not trackedDenmark: Public ad library mandatedDominica: Not trackedDominican Republic: Not trackedAlgeria: Not trackedEcuador: Not trackedEgypt: No public ad-library mandateEstonia: Public ad library mandatedWestern Sahara: Not trackedEritrea: Not trackedSpain: Public ad library mandatedEthiopia: Not trackedFinland: Public ad library mandatedFiji: Not trackedFalkland Islands: Not trackedFederated States of Micronesia: Not trackedFaroe Islands: Not trackedFrance: Public ad library mandatedGabon: Not trackedUnited Kingdom: No public ad-library mandateGeorgia: Not trackedGrenada: Not trackedFrench Guiana: Not trackedGuernsey: Not trackedGhana: Not trackedGibraltar: Not trackedGreenland: Not trackedGambia: Not trackedGuinea: Not trackedGlorioso Islands: Not trackedGuadeloupe: Not trackedEquatorial Guinea: Not trackedGreece: Public ad library mandatedSouth Georgia and South Sandwich Islands: Not trackedGuatemala: Not trackedGuam: Not trackedGuinea-Bissau: Not trackedGuyana: Not trackedHong Kong: Not trackedHeard Island and McDonald Islands: Not trackedHonduras: Not trackedCroatia: Public ad library mandatedHaiti: Not trackedHungary: Public ad library mandatedIndonesia: No public ad-library mandateIreland: Public ad library mandatedIsrael: No public ad-library mandateIsle of Man: Not trackedIndia: No public ad-library mandateBritish Indian Ocean Territory: Not trackedIraq: Not trackedIran: Not trackedIceland: Not trackedItaly: Public ad library mandatedJersey: Not trackedJamaica: Not trackedJordan: No public ad-library mandateJapan: No public ad-library mandateJuan De Nova Island: Not trackedKenya: Not trackedKyrgyzstan: Not trackedCambodia: Not trackedKiribati: Not trackedComoros: Not trackedSaint Kitts and Nevis: Not trackedNorth Korea: Not trackedSouth Korea: No public ad-library mandateKosovo: Not trackedKuwait: No public ad-library mandateCayman Islands: Not trackedKazakhstan: Not trackedLao People's Democratic Republic: Not trackedLebanon: Not trackedSaint Lucia: Not trackedLiechtenstein: Not trackedSri Lanka: Not trackedLiberia: Not trackedLesotho: Not trackedLithuania: Public ad library mandatedLuxembourg: Public ad library mandatedLatvia: Public ad library mandatedLibya: Not trackedMorocco: Not trackedMonaco: Not trackedMoldova: Not trackedMadagascar: Not trackedMontenegro: Not trackedSaint Martin: Not trackedMarshall Islands: Not trackedMacedonia: Not trackedMali: Not trackedMacau: Not trackedMyanmar: Not trackedMongolia: Not trackedNorthern Mariana Islands: Not trackedMartinique: Not trackedMauritania: Not trackedMontserrat: Not trackedMalta: Public ad library mandatedMauritius: Not trackedMaldives: Not trackedMalawi: Not trackedMexico: No public ad-library mandateMalaysia: No public ad-library mandateMozambique: Not trackedNamibia: Not trackedNew Caledonia: Not trackedNiger: Not trackedNorfolk Island: Not trackedNigeria: Not trackedNicaragua: Not trackedNetherlands: Public ad library mandatedNorway: Not trackedNepal: Not trackedNauru: Not trackedNiue: Not trackedNew Zealand: Not trackedOman: No public ad-library mandatePanama: Not trackedPeru: No public ad-library mandateFrench Polynesia: Not trackedPapua New Guinea: Not trackedPhilippines: No public ad-library mandatePakistan: Not trackedPoland: Public ad library mandatedSaint Pierre and Miquelon: Not trackedPitcairn Islands: Not trackedPuerto Rico: Not trackedPalestinian Territories: Not trackedPortugal: Public ad library mandatedPalau: Not trackedParaguay: Not trackedQatar: No public ad-library mandateReunion: Not trackedRomania: Public ad library mandatedSerbia: Not trackedRussia: Not trackedRwanda: Not trackedSaudi Arabia: No public ad-library mandateSolomon Islands: Not trackedSeychelles: Not trackedSudan: Not trackedSweden: Public ad library mandatedSingapore: No public ad-library mandateSaint Helena: Not trackedSlovenia: Public ad library mandatedSvalbard and Jan Mayen: Not trackedSlovakia: Public ad library mandatedSierra Leone: Not trackedSan Marino: Not trackedSenegal: Not trackedSomalia: Not trackedSuriname: Not trackedSouth Sudan: Not trackedSao Tome and Principe: Not trackedEl Salvador: Not trackedSaint Martin: Not trackedSyria: Not trackedSwaziland: Not trackedTurks and Caicos Islands: Not trackedChad: Not trackedFrench Southern and Antarctic Lands: Not trackedTogo: Not trackedThailand: No public ad-library mandateTajikistan: Not trackedTokelau: Not trackedTimor-Leste: Not trackedTurkmenistan: Not trackedTunisia: Not trackedTonga: Not trackedTurkey: No public ad-library mandateTrinidad and Tobago: Not trackedTuvalu: Not trackedTaiwan: Partial — duties without a public archiveTanzania: Not trackedUkraine: Not trackedUganda: Not trackedJarvis Island: Not trackedBaker Island: Not trackedHowland Island: Not trackedJohnston Atoll: Not trackedMidway Islands: Not trackedWake Island: Not trackedUnited States: No public ad-library mandateUruguay: Not trackedUzbekistan: Not trackedVatican City: Not trackedSaint Vincent and the Grenadines: Not trackedVenezuela: Not trackedBritish Virgin Islands: Not trackedUS Virgin Islands: Not trackedVietnam: No public ad-library mandateVanuatu: Not trackedWallis and Futuna: Not trackedSamoa: Not trackedYemen: Not trackedMayotte: Not trackedSouth Africa: Not trackedZambia: Not trackedZimbabwe: Not tracked
  • Mandated — EU (27 states, DSA Art. 39)
  • Partial — advertiser duties without a public archive
  • No mandate — assessed
  • Not tracked

Graded only on a statutory public ad-library duty. Voluntary platform tools do not count. Base map: @svg-maps/world (CC BY 4.0).

Same platforms, two regimes

In the EU: a library. Outside: nothing you can rely on.

Four companies. One continent with an enforceable archive. In the US and most of the world: voluntary tools, political-only scraps, or a total void.

  • Meta

    EURequired

    Every ad logged for a year: content, payer, targeting, reach.

    • 1-year archive
    • Who paid
    • Targeting
    • Reach
    USVanishes

    Commercial ads disappear when the campaign ends. No law says otherwise.

    • 1-year archive
    • Who paid
    • Targeting
    • Reach

  • X

    EUEnforced · €120M

    First DSA fine confirmed an Art. 39 breach. Fix ordered; still not delivered.

    • Art. 39 applies
    • Fined €120M
    • Fix ordered
    • Library works
    USNone

    No statutory commercial-ad archive after a campaign ends. Nothing to enforce.

    • Legal duty
    • Regulator fine
    • Forced fix
    • Public archive

  • TikTok

    EUEnforced

    Binding commitments: full content, 24h updates, targeting, search filters.

    • Public library
    • 24h updates
    • Targeting shown
    • Binding fix
    USVoid

    No US ad library exists at all. Zero.

    • US ad library
    • Statutory archive
    • Enforceable API
    • Year retention

  • Google & YouTube

    EURequired

    Art. 39 applies to Search and YouTube ads. No DSA case has tested the library yet.

    • 1-year archive
    • Reach required
    • Targeting required
    • Formally tested
    USGrey box

    No federal all-ads library. Reach and commercial history stay incomplete.

    • Federal mandate
    • All-ads archive
    • Full reach data
    • Full history

Four platforms. One continent with a law. Everywhere else: zero protection.

How each EU repository scores against Art. 39, and what the US black box looks like in practice.

Article 39 Scoreboard · The US Black Box

Social Media Transparency

Go deeper

See the full 11-obligation scoreboard across all jurisdictions, or how each EU repository scores against Art. 39 itself.

The full comparisonThe Article 39 ScoreboardHow the EU keeps the record