In a continuing effort to crack down on advertisers looking to employ mass phone targeting and email targeting, Facebook has explicitly stated permission from consumers is non-negotiable.

Watching the ad men

To avoid future privacy scandals, Facebook has added new accountability and transparency conditions for businesses using its Custom Audiences tool for phone and email based ads.

As of July 2, marketers must declare how contact info of perspective users was collected, and whether they used avenues provided by Facebook, one of its partners, or both.

The agency of ads

Third-party data brokers like Datalogix and Acxiom have already been blocked from uploading data sets to Partner Categories, for failing to adhere to the new guidelines and safeguards.

Facebook’s Custom Audiences tool is one of their most valuable generators of revenue because it encourages repeat businesses with existing or overlapping customers.

Facebook will now share “Original Data Source” fields stating who collected customer info. Users in turn can click the “Why Am I Seeing This Ad?” button in the drop down menu to understand how they were targeted.

Some may not be happy with the ‘why’ but they’ll at least appreciate the ‘how.’ 

What are your thoughts on the extra transparency demanded of Facebook advertisers? Give us your opinion in the comment section.