Facebook places new restrictions on ad targeting

The platform will limit targeting based on users' interactions with content related to health, race and other sensitive areas.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced on Tuesday that it would place further limits on ad targeting on its platform, eliminating the ability to target based on users' interactions with content related to health, race and ethnicity, political affiliation, religion and sexual orientation.

The changes will go into effect on Jan. 19, 2022, when it will no longer allow new ads to use those additional targeting tools. The change will be fully implemented by March 17, 2022, at which point ads that were already running using those targets will no longer be allowed.

In a blog post, Meta acknowledged that the decision "may negatively impact some businesses and organizations," but the company argued that the move would limit "negative experiences for people in underrepresented groups."

More broadly, Facebook has come under intense scrutiny for its failure to curb disinformation on its platforms, as well as for allowing companies to target users with discriminatory posts and ads. Some digital political strategists have criticized Facebook for failing to address organic disinformation on its platforms, instead going after political parties and campaigns that advertise with the company.

Facebook's on-again, off-again approach to digital advertising before and after the 2020 election frustrated campaigns in both parties, who argued that Facebook's decision threatened their ability to reach millions of voters.

Facebook — which drew billions of dollars in campaign spending during the 2020 cycle — instituted a political and issue-advocacy ad ban before and after the general election in an effort to prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation. But the bans stretched well into the beginning of the Biden administration's tenure, and they were only lifted after several months of pressure from officials in both parties.