It seems there is no escaping Facebook ads after the company launched a new online tracking scheme which will display ads to all web users – whether they are members of the site or not.
The move, designed to expand Facebook’s ad network, will see the firm use cookies, “like” buttons, and other plug-ins embedded on third-party sites to track members and non-members alike.
The company insists it will be able to better target non-Facebook users and serve relevant ads to them, though its practices have come under criticism from regulators in Europe over privacy concerns.
Facebook began displaying a banner notification at the top of its News Feed for users in Europe last week, alerting them to its use of cookies as mandated under an EU directive.
“Publishers and app developers have some users who aren’t Facebook users,” Andrew Bosworth, vice-president of Facebook’s ads and business platform, told the Journal. “We think we can do a better job powering those ads.”
Facebook believes it can more accurately target non-members using the vast amounts of data it already has on the 1.7 billion people who use the site.
However, the move has sparked criticism about whether it is providing an adequate opt-out mechanism.
Users with a Facebook account can opt out of the ad scheme by adjusting their settings, while non-Facebook members can only opt out by signing up through the Digital Advertising Alliance in the US, the Digital Advertising Alliance in Canada, and the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance in Europe.
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