Through its FORT program, the social media company will make this data available to “vetted academic researchers.”
By the end of May, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, will begin sharing more information about advertisers’ “targeting choices” when running social issues, electoral, and political advertisements.
Through its Facebook Open Research and Transparency (FORT) platform, the social media company will make this data available to “vetted academic researchers.”
“This data will be provided for each individual ad and will include information such as the interest categories selected by advertisers,” said Jeff King, Meta’s vice president of Business Integrity, in a blog post.
“We’ve heard from people who rely on our transparency tools that more information about advertisers’ targeting choices is critical to understanding the impact of digital advertising on elections and social discourse.”
Jeff King, vice president of Business Integrity at Meta
Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal and accusations that fake news and misinformation influenced the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, Meta came under scrutiny.
A whistleblower recently accused the company of allowing political manipulation in 25 countries, including India.
Will You Have Access To This Information?
The detailed data for each individual ad will only be shared with “vetted” researchers via the FORT platform, which was designed to allow Meta to grant sensitive information access in a controlled environment.
The data will be available in all countries where Meta has ad authorization and disclaimer tools, including India.
FORT includes privacy safeguards that allow Meta to share data with independent researchers to study the company’s impact on society.
