Now that changes. Note that you have the option off opting out of ads, irrespective of whether you’re a Facebook user or not.
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While you may have resigned yourself to the fact that using Facebook means that the social network will try to show you ads based on your preferences and internet usage, the fact that these tailored ads can follow you to non-Facebook sites irks many people, particularly those with a keen interest in privacy.
The company will use cookie tracking, its own “like” buttons and plugins to identify non-users on third-party websites.
Facebook hasn’t made a great deal of fuss about it, but the social network has introduced not only a new cookies policy, but also made changes to ads.
“For example, we don’t permit ads that include sound unless you interact with them and we prohibit deceptive ads and ads for unsafe products and services”, said Andrew Bosworth, Facebook’s VP of ads and business platform.
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that non-users can opt out via the Digital Advertising Alliance site (the links can be found on Facebook’s site here) or, if you’re on a phone or tablet, you can prevent it through your device settings. The company’s advertising revenue last year was more than $17 billion, while the sales on Audience Network suggested $1 billion in the fourth-quarter last year.
“Advertising may be here to stay, but bad advertising like this doesn’t have to”, Bosworth says. “That’s why we’re working to provide a better online advertising experience for everyone: people, publishers, and advertisers”, he wrote in a blog post.
This move could be hugely pivotal for Facebook.
Facebook Audience Network was launched two years ago, allowing advertisers to tap into third-party apps and mobile sites with the same highly-personalised targeting available on the network itself.
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Facebook has been fairly aggressively reworking its advertising options in order to offer both end users and marketers the best value and experience. Scarcity would mean these spots are more valuable to advertisers and, potentially, more relevant and less intrusive for users.
