Meta announced Tuesday that it will remove thousands of ad targeting categories that refer to “sensitive” topics. The changes will take effect on January 19 and will affect social networks Facebook, Instagram and Messenger . They will also impact the platform's network of external audiences.
The advertising platform of the company formerly known as Facebook has been questioned for offering targeted ads options based on types of audiences and interests. Now, categories such as “chemotherapy”, “LGTB culture”, “Jewish holidays”, “religious beliefs”, “political orientations” or “social problems” will no longer be available.
“We've heard concerns from experts that targeting options like these could be used in ways that lead to negative experiences for people in underrepresented groups,” says Graham Mudd, vice president of product marketing for Meta on the company's website. The firm indicates that this change “may negatively affect some companies and organizations.” This is due to changes in the advertising platform. Because targeting options will be limited, some advertisers may be forced to rethink their strategies.
Meta, changes in its entire advertising platform
Meta relies heavily on advertising to guarantee its huge monthly income. Personalized ads have allowed advertisers to reach highly targeted audiences. However, these tools have also been used to discriminate against people, send them spam or influence political issues .
Twitter ended political ads in 2019, but Meta has missed this opportunity to take a similar stance. While you will restrict targeting of political topics, you will not ban advertisements of this type.
As a partial solution to the issue, it will expand the control options that users of your social networks have to see fewer ads on topics related to politics and alcohol.
“As we have done for the past several years, we will continue to evaluate and evolve our ad system. At the same time, we will ensure that we provide our partners with the tools they need to reach their customers and increase their performance on our platform.”
Goal This change comes shortly after Facebook changed its name to Meta, a move that seeks to defuse the spate of internal scandals that followed the allegations of former employee Frances Haugen and strengthen its focus on the metaverse Mark Zuckerberg has talked about so much.
