Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Monday 16 april 2018

How Facebook ads target you

By BARBARA ORTUTAY book, which said it is con-
NEW YORK (AP) — If you ducting an audit of how
want to tailor a Facebook the feature can be mis-
ad to a single user out of its used, did not say when it
universe of 2.2 billion, you would lift the block.
could. While some advertisers
Trying to pitch your bou- want to reach large swaths
tique bed and breakfast to of people, others like more
a 44-year-old "trendy mom" specific targeting. As Face-
who lives in Seattle, leans book explains in a guide
conservative and is cur- for advertisers, it's possible
rently traveling in the Toron- to refine an ad's audience
to area but hasn't booked on things like what people
a hotel for the night yet? post on their timelines, apps
Go right ahead. Interested they use, ads they click, de-
in mail-ordering pet treats mographics such as age,
to a 32-year-old cat owner gender and location, and
in Madison, Wisconsin who even the mobile device
enjoys Japanese food, they use or their network
doesn't like pizza and has connection. Based on
an anniversary coming up this information, advertis-
in the next two months? ers can either include or
Not a problem. In this March 29, 2018, file photo the logo for Facebook appears on screens at the Nasdaq Mar- exclude categories such
Targeting ads, it turns out, ketSite in New York's Times Square. as homeowners, "trendy
is almost infinitely custom- Associated Press moms," people who moved
izable — sometimes in sur- recently, conservatives, or
prising ways. The ads you BMW, even if you've never help advertisers target ads categorizes users into an people interested in cook-
might see can be tailored expressed interest in doing based on things like offline "ethnic affinity" based on ing, for example.
to you down to the most so yourself. purchases or credit history, what it thinks might be That said, Facebook warns
granular details — not just Facebook made $40 bil- this number is expected to their ethnicity or ethnic in- advertisers not to narrow
where you live and what lion in advertising revenue grow sharply this year. fluence. It might guess this their audience too much
websites you visited recent- last year, second only to Here are some ways ad- through TV shows or music by being overly specific,
ly, but whether you've got- Google when it comes vertisers can target you you've liked. Often, Face- which can make the ads
ten engaged in the past six to its share of the global through Facebook: book is wrong — and while less effective — since fewer
months, are interested in digital advertising market. — MONITORING YOUR it's possible to remove it, people will see them.
organic food or share char- Even with a recent deci- FACEBOOK ACTIVITY you can't change it. There — FOLLOWING YOU OFF
acteristics with people who sion to stop working with By now you've probably is also no "ethnic affinity" FACEBOOK
have recently bought a outside data brokers to gathered that Facebook option for whites. An ad offering called "cus-
uses things like your inter- While there are plenty of tom audiences" lets adver-
est, age and other demo- good reasons advertisers tisers target anyone who
graphic and geograph- may want to target people has already bought stuff
ic information to help of a particular ethnicity, from them or has visited
advertisers reach you. Then this became a problem for their websites. They can
there's the stuff your friends Facebook in 2016, when also target anyone who has
do and like — the idea be- ProPublica found that it let shared an email address or
ing that it's a good indica- advertisers exclude specific downloaded their app. So,
tor for what you might do ethnic groups from seeing if you use Netflix, you may
and like. So, if you have a their ads. When it comes to see an ad on Facebook for
friend who has liked the housing and employment a new TV show that might
New Yorker's Facebook ads, this is illegal. interest you. Or, if you gave
page, you might see ads In late 2017, Facebook said your email address when
for the magazine on your it was temporarily blocking you bought a pair of slip-
Facebook feed. advertisers' ability to tar- pers from Land's End, you
But that's just the tip of the get based on ethnic affin- might get an ad for an up-
iceberg. Facebook and ity, along with other things coming slipper sale, since
advertisers can also infer such as religious or LGBT Facebook has your email
stuff about you based on affinity. Advertisers can still address too.
things you share willingly. target those groups — just Then there are "lookalike
For example, Facebook not exclude them. Face- audiences." q