Facebook to Remove Certain Targeted Ads, Expand Ad Control Features

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Facebook will remove certain forms of targeted advertisement and expand individual advertisement control features, Facebook Vice President of Product Marketing and Ads Graham Mudd said.

“Starting January 19, 2022 we will remove Detailed Targeting options that relate to topics people may perceive as sensitive, such as options referencing causes, organizations, or public figures that relate to health, race or ethnicity, political affiliation, religion, or sexual orientation,” Mudd said in a statement on Tuesday.

Example topics that will be removed include health causes, sexual orientation, and religious and political matters, Mudd said. The decision was not an easy one, and Facebook is aware that it may negatively impact some businesses and organizations, Mudd said.

Facebook is also expanding ad control features for people to select what sort of ad content they want to see starting today, Mudd also said.

“Even after we update our targeting options, people may still see ad content they aren’t interested in, which is why we are also working to expand the control that allows people to choose to see fewer ads about certain types of content. Today, people can opt to see fewer ads related to politics, parenting, alcohol, and pets,” Mudd said.

Early next year, people will be able to control more types of ad content that they see, including gambling and weight loss ads among others, Mudd said. Facebook will continue to evaluate and evolve its ad system, he added.