There has been growing interest in — and sometimes concern about — how online advertising affects the privacy of social media users, with the growing belief that personalization and privacy are at odds.
Users are becoming more and more concerned about privacy issues and how their data is being protected from being mined by a third-party such as that of advertisers.
With privacy being the defining social and technological issues of the era, tech giants, even electronic and smartphone manufacturers, have taken steps in ensuring protection of user data and information safety.
For example, Apple now requires all developers to submit new information about its data practices, including around advertising.
However, social media and tech giant Meta, which has also been heavily focused on formulating policies and taking steps in ensuring data privacy and safety, unlike that of Apple, do not think personalized advertising and privacy are at odds.
Instead, the tech giant thinks personalized advertising helps users discover new products and brands, and even enables businesses of all sizes, not just the ones with the biggest budgets, to reach people who are likely to be interested in what they offer.
In that regard, Meta’s approach has been about being clear about how its apps work and giving users control over their experience, by working with policymakers, regulators, academics, civil society, businesses and other stakeholders to build tools that show you how individuals’ information is used and lets them manage it.
“We’ve built products that lead the industry in transparency and offer settings and controls to help people manage their privacy. Our products and data policies remain the best resources to understand our data practices,” Airanne Jimenez, Privacy Policy Manager at Meta in Asia Pacific, told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday.
According to the tech giant, when a user takes an action on Facebook, such as following a Page or liking a post, Meta uses that information to personalize their experience, including the ads they see.
This also helps enable small businesses to use their modest ad budgets most effectively to connect with customers and grow, as without personalized advertising, many new products and services would never get off the ground or would cost more, and users would see ads that are less relevant, less timely and, therefore, lose interest.
“There is a misconception amongst users that we are listening or eavesdropping on conversations and that’s why the ads they face are so relevant to them, but it's just personalized experience,” Shehzeen Choudhury, Communications Manager of Meta for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, told Dhaka Tribune in response to an enquiry of how ads of products show up on Facebook that have been discussed by users over conversations.
Chowdhury also said that awareness outreach and digital literacy programs are crucial to ensure that the general masses know that they have been provided with tools that enable them to do every aspect of data control possible.
Meta is already using pop ups, news verification tools, literacy programs and other forms of awareness, to educate people about its data practices, and how to protect their data.
Apart from that, in a bid to protect user data and privacy, the tech giant has been adding new features based on research to give people greater control over the activity that apps and websites share with Facebook going forward.
In 2019 the tech giant added manage activity tool for bulk content management in Facebook and a filter as well that gives users control of their
old posts and audience as well as Privacy Checkup and ways to view and download a user’s information, so that they can easily customize the overall experience on Facebook based on what’s right for them.
Earlier this year, the tech giant also rolled out Privacy Center as a place where people can learn more about Meta’s approach to privacy across its apps and technologies.
Privacy Center is now available to everyone who uses Facebook on desktop and mobile and connects directly to its updated Privacy Policy. It has even rewritten and re-designed its Privacy Policy to make it easier to understand and clearer about how information is used.
