Privacy violations and personal attributes

Policy details

CHANGE LOG
Privacy violations and personal attributes
Ads must comply with the Community Standard on Privacy Violations. Ads must not contain content that shares or asks for private information about users. In addition, ads must not contain content that asserts or implies personal attributes. This includes direct or indirect assertions or implications about a person's race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, age, sexual orientation or practices, gender identity, disability, physical or mental health (including medical conditions), vulnerable financial status, voting status, membership in a trade union, criminal record or name.
Overview
At Meta, we want people in our community to have a positive experience when they see ads. Ads that make assumptions about people could be perceived as intrusive, unsettling or inaccurate. For this reason, we don't allow advertisers to run ads that assert or imply the personal attributes of their audience. Instead, ads should focus on the benefits of the product or service being advertised.
Additional guidelines for ads
In addition to the requirements in our Community Standard on privacy violations, which prohibits soliciting or sharing certain personal information, ads can't:
  • Share or ask for personal attributes of a user or user's family
  • Imply that the advertiser is aware of someone's personal attributes or the personal attributes of their family
  • Imply knowledge of personal or organisational financial information of a user or user's family
  • Imply that the advertiser is aware of someone's personally identifiable information, such as their name
  • Imply knowledge of Medical information of a user or user's family
Ads can:
  • Broadly reference personal attributes that aren't listed above, such as calling someone "American" or "New Yorker" to reference where they live.
  • Contain passing reference to a personal attribute. This includes gender, age groups or age ranges.
  • Include names of celebrities or fictional characters.
  • Use "you/your" language without a personal attribute.
  • Make public service announcements that inform the public about issues related to personal health attributes, as long as they don't assert someone or their family has a health condition.
For more information, visit the Business Help Centre.
GENERAL GUIDANCE
✅ Ad creative that describes or shows the promoted product or service
✅ Using the words such as "you/other" without referencing a personal attribute
❌ Text referencing or alluding to personal attributes or characteristics of the targeted group or individual
❌ Using the word "you/your/other" to reference a personal attribute
RACE OR ETHNICITY
✅ "Meet Hispanic men online now!"
✅ "Find black singles today".
❌ "Meet other black singles near you!"
RELIGION
✅ "Date Christian singles!"
✅ "Meet Hindu singles online now!"
❌ "Are you Christian?"
❌ "Meet other Buddhists"
AGE
✅ "Meet seniors"
✅ "A service for teens"
✅ "Our new lotion and creams fight wrinkles like never before!"
✅ "Age is just a number. Anyone can now learn coding with our C program."
✅ "Join us this summer at Nature Camp. Open to all teenagers."
❌ "Meet other seniors"
❌ "Are you 18 years old?"
❌ "Ready to upgrade your skin to look younger?"
SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR PRACTICES
✅ "Atlantis gay cruises"
✅ "Gay dating online now!"
❌ "Are you gay?"
❌ "Meet other lesbians now!"
GENDER IDENTITY
✅ "Come meet transgender singles"
✅ "A monthly meet-up for trans persons and trans allies"
❌ "Questioning your gender identity?"
❌ "Meet other transgender singles at our monthly meet-up"
PHYSICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH AND DISABILITY
✅ "Bulimia counselling available"
✅ "Depression counselling"
✅ "New diabetes treatment available"
❌ "Do you have diabetes?"
❌ "Depression getting you down? Get help now."
❌ "Don't wait!! Get your spouse treated for cancer today with help from our medical experts."
VULNERABLE FINANCIAL STATUS
✅ "Don't wait!! Get your spouse treated for cancer today with help from our medical experts."
❌ Are you bankrupt? Take a look at our services."
VOTING STATUS
✅ "Learn about voter registration"
✅ "I voted"
❌ "Your ballot hasn't been received yet"
❌ "Records show that your voter registration is incomplete"
MEMBERSHIP IN A TRADE UNION
✅ "Be a part of our union today"
❌ "Dislike your union rep? Join our union today."
CRIMINAL RECORD
✅ "Services to clean up any previous offences"
❌ "Are you a convicted felon?"
NAME OR IDENTIFICATION
✅ "We print customisable t-shirts and stickers with your name."
✅ "Have a driving licence?"
❌ "Billy Taylor, get this t-shirt with your name in print!"
❌ "It's a Billy thing" (if their name is Billy).
❌ "What is your driving licence number?"
Enforcement
We have the same policies around the world, for everyone on Facebook.
Review teams
Our global team of over 15,000 reviewers work every day to keep people on Facebook safe.
Stakeholder engagement
Outside experts, academics, NGOs and policymakers help inform the Facebook Community Standards.