Why a complaint mechanism exists
Art. 15 of EU Regulation 2024/900 requires that sponsors of political advertising provide a way for the public to report concerns about transparency notices. If someone believes a notice is inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading, they should be able to flag it.
The Taurus implements this requirement directly. Every published transparency notice on ttad.eu includes a complaint form, and every organization has a dashboard for receiving and managing those complaints.
This article covers both sides: how the public files complaints and how notice owners handle them.
For the public: Filing a complaint
Who can file a complaint
Anyone can file a complaint against a published transparency notice. You do not need an account on The Taurus. You do not need to identify yourself -- anonymous complaints are accepted.
How to file a complaint
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Visit the notice page. Navigate to the published transparency notice on ttad.eu. You can reach it by scanning the QR code on the advertisement or by following a direct link.
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Open the complaint form. On the notice page, you will find an option to file a complaint. Click it to open the form.
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Fill in the form. The form asks for:
- Your name (optional) -- You may provide your name, but this is not required.
- Your email address (optional) -- If you provide an email, you will receive a receipt confirming your complaint was submitted. Without an email, the complaint is still accepted but you will not receive confirmation.
- Explanation -- Describe your concern. Explain what you believe is inaccurate, incomplete, or problematic about the transparency notice.
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Submit. Once you submit the form, the complaint is recorded and the relevant parties are notified.
What happens after you file
If you provided an email address, you will receive a receipt email confirming your complaint was submitted. The complaint is then forwarded to the people responsible for the notice.
Rate limiting
To prevent abuse, the system limits the number of complaints that can be filed:
- 3 complaints per IP address per notice per 24 hours. This means you can submit up to three complaints about the same notice within a day from the same network.
- 50 complaints total per notice per 24 hours. This overall cap prevents mass-complaint campaigns against a single notice.
These limits balance accessibility with protection against misuse.
For notice owners: Receiving complaints
Who gets notified
When someone files a complaint against one of your notices, email notifications are sent to:
- The notice sponsor -- The individual or organization listed as the sponsor on the transparency notice.
- Organization owners -- All users with the owner role in the organization that published the notice.
- Linked chapter -- If the notice is associated with a chapter that has a ComplianceLink to another organization, that linked chapter is also notified.
This ensures that complaints reach the people who can act on them, even in organizations with distributed responsibilities.
Where to find complaints
Complaints are managed through your organization's complaint dashboard. Navigate to your organization and look for the complaints section. Here you will see all complaints filed against notices published by your organization, along with their current status.
Managing complaints: The status workflow
Each complaint follows a defined status workflow. Moving through these stages helps you document your response process, which is important for demonstrating compliance with Art. 15.
Received
This is the initial status when a complaint is first submitted. It means the complaint has been recorded but no action has been taken yet.
Acknowledged
When you review a complaint and confirm that you have seen it, move it to "acknowledged." This signals that your organization is aware of the complaint and has begun considering it.
Investigating
If the complaint requires further review -- for example, you need to verify the accuracy of a field in the notice or consult with the person who created it -- move the status to "investigating." This indicates active work is underway.
Resolved
If you determine that the complaint was valid and you have taken corrective action (such as updating the notice), mark it as "resolved." This closes the complaint as addressed.
Rejected
If you determine that the complaint is unfounded -- for example, the information in the notice is accurate and complete -- mark it as "rejected." This closes the complaint without changes.
Best practices for handling complaints
Respond promptly
While the regulation does not specify a response deadline for individual complaints, demonstrating timely attention to complaints is part of good compliance practice. Acknowledge complaints quickly, even if the investigation takes longer.
Document your reasoning
When you resolve or reject a complaint, make a note of why. If a regulator later asks about your complaint handling, having clear reasoning on record strengthens your position.
Update notices when warranted
If a complaint reveals a genuine error or omission in your transparency notice, update the notice. The Taurus allows you to edit and republish notices, and the audit log will record the change.
Monitor patterns
If you receive multiple complaints about the same issue, it may indicate a systematic problem in how your notices are created. Review your templates or defaults to address the root cause.
How this connects to other features
The complaint mechanism works alongside several other features on The Taurus:
- Public notice viewer -- The complaint form is accessed through the public notice page on ttad.eu.
- Audit log -- Complaint status changes are tracked in your organization's audit trail, providing a complete record of how complaints were handled.
- TTPA Check -- If a complaint alleges that a notice is incomplete, you can use the TTPA Check to audit the notice and identify any gaps.
Together, these tools support a complete compliance workflow that covers notice creation, public accessibility, complaint handling, and internal accountability.