Facebook To Crack Down On Email-Based Ad Targeting

• Facebook implements new certification tool for email-based ad targeting.
• The new permission tool will require advertisers to pledge that they will ask users' permission before using their email addresses to target ads.
• This new policy to protect users from advertisers and data scavengers is one more step among many which the social media company has taken after the Cambridge Analytica Scandal. 

Facebook, the company which was always notorious for mishandling user data has finally learned its lesson, after the Cambridge Analytica data harvesting scandal. The social media company is actively engaged in strengthening their policies to protect any such future catastrophe.

In recent activities, Facebook has implemented a certification tool which will require advertisers to assure that they have taken users permission before using their email addresses for ad targeting. In light of this announcement, Elisabeth Diana, a Facebook spokesperson has stated that the company "always had [such] terms in place," but now they are trying to make it “more prominent.” She has also informed that they will try and "educate advertisers" in regards to how to use these data.

The only question that remains to be asked is regarding how this new permission tool is going to work. Surprisingly, Facebook has declined to comment on that matter. It should also be noted that the company hasn’t explicitly mentioned whether or not there were any compromising email-based ad targeting incidents. However, the company did state that this was not in response to the Cambridge Analytica situation. And so, current speculation is on whether this new implementation is to re-enforce its email requirements or just a PR stunt.

Image Courtesy of Digibagg

However, Facebook has taken some other important steps which do show that they are trying to close all possible doors to prevent any future mishaps.

For example, Facebook is currently expecting to re-examine their involvement with third party data measurement partners to make sure user info is being handled responsibly. On top of this, the company has also imposed many restrictions on developers’ access to account data and has given its users a much more transparent view of where their data is going.