PoliDashboard Unveils 25 New Country-Specific Dashboards, Advancing Global Transparency in Political Advertising on Meta Platform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2026

Toronto, Ontario — In the wake of recent reports highlighting the prevalence of fraudulent advertisements on Meta-owned platforms (Tech Transparency Project) and perennial concerns about the influence of political advertising on digital platforms more broadly, the Social Media Lab is pleased to announce the addition of 25 new country-specific dashboards to PoliDashboard.org. 

Developed by the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University, PoliDashboard is an open-source app designed to increase transparency around paid political advertisements on Meta’s platforms and empower users to recognize and resist manipulation by both foreign and domestic actors. 

“Our goal with Polidashboard is to make political ad data more accessible and meaningful, not just for researchers and journalists, said Philip Mai, Executive Director and Senior Researcher of the Social Media Lab, but for anyone who wants to see how digital platforms are being used to shape public opinion. Transparency is the first step toward accountability.”

The addition of 25 new countries underscores our commitment to analyzing political and social issues in advertising across diverse global contexts. These countries span a wide range of political systems, social norms, and cultural environments—from high-income democracies to emerging economies, and from collectivist to individualistic societies. This expanded scope allows PoliDashboard to explore how local values, regulations, and cultural dynamics shape the content and messaging of paid ads on Meta’s platforms. By examining ad performance in these varied contexts, we gain deeper insights into cultural sensitivities, linguistic nuances, and political climates, enabling more accurate, localized, and contextually informed analysis of advertising campaigns.

Click on any of the countries listed below to view the country-specific dashboard.

Media Contact:

[Philip Mai]

[[email protected]]

[Social Media Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University]