Maybe you knew this or maybe not, but under Facebook ad preferences you’ll see a list of traits and interests the platform associates with you (via Pew Research Center).
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Facebook Ad Preferences
These traits and interests of course are there for targeted advertising. Pew found that 74% of Facebook users weren’t aware of this. 59% of users say the categories accurately reflect them, while 27% say it isn’t accurate. 51% of users also found Facebook assigned them a political affinity.
Dan Goldstein, president and owner of Page 1 solutions, a digital marketing agency, commented:
Ultimately, Facebook users bear a responsibility as well: It is up to them to educate themselves on how the social network uses their data for advertising. It is troubling to me that three-fourths of the surveyed users did not know that Facebook gathers their data and categorizes their interests for use in the ad network.
You can change your Facebook ad preferences and interests, but whether it actually removes them or it’s just a placebo is unknown.
[How to Take Control of Your Facebook Privacy Settings]
Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash