Facebook Removes 5,000 Targeting Options to Prevent Discriminatory Advertising
It is noticed that recently -specifically after the Cambridge Analytica data scandal- the Facebook security team has been working hard to enhance the Facebook global image, which received a painful blow.
Accordingly, Facebook is continuing its ongoing efforts to prevent abusive content, hate spreading, fake news, and misuse of their ad platform. Hence, a few days ago, Facebook announced on its official blog the launch of some updates and features to its ad targeting tools and advertiser education that serves its advertising principles.
Facebook shows that these new features and updates will empower its policies and security system, that’s why Facebook is:
Removing some targeting options
One of Facebook’s latest updates is removing over 5,000 targeting options to help prevent misuse. This step is based on Facebook’s desire to avoid discriminatory advertising on its platforms.
Removing over 5,000 targeting options means that the advertisers’ ability to exclude audiences that relate to attributes such as ethnicity or religion; will be limited. Commenting on this new step, Facebook says that despite they developed these removed options to reach people interested in a certain product or service, but they see that reducing the risk of abuse is the most important thing in their ongoing work.
Expanding advertiser education
Alongside removing over 5,000 Ad targeting options, Facebook also provides sessions, workshops, and methods to help educate advertisers about their obligations under the Facebook advertisement policies.
As explained by Facebook:
“We’ve designed this education in consultation with outside experts to underscore the difference between acceptable ad targeting and ad discrimination.”
In the same announcement, Facebook also states its intention to expand this to advertisers using its other tools and APIs and those in additional countries, over time.
Finally, it should be mentioned that these efforts aren’t Facebook’s only actions since the Cambridge Analytic data scandal. On the 2nd of August, Facebook cut off API access for hundreds of thousands of inactive apps that have not submitted for Facebook’s app review process, in addition, on 22nd of August, its security team has removed multiple Pages, groups, and accounts -which originated in Iran and Russia- for coordinated inauthentic behavior on Facebook and Instagram, and these reported examples aren’t all of Facebook’s actions to make amends with its users.
