Meta upgrades ad transparency tool

Tech giant Meta is launching a new iteration of its “why am I seeing this ad?” tool which was launched about a decade ago to help people find out more about why certain ads were being targeted towards them. According to a blog post by the brand’s global director of ads and monetisation privacy, Pedro Pavón, the tool will now be relaunched to provide more transparency about how a user’s online activity informs machine learning to shape and deliver relevant ads to the right people.

As of today, the tool will include information summarised into topics about how a user’s activity both on and off Meta’s technologies may inform the machine learning models used to shape and deliver the ads users see. The revamped tool will also provide new examples and illustrations explaining how its machine learning models connect various topics to show users relevant ads.  

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Finally, users will have more control with new access to an ads preference page within the “Why am I seeing this ad?” tool. To create the tool, Meta worked closely with external privacy experts and policy stakeholders from around the world to get input on what transparency changes they want to see in its ads system. “A consistent answer was that we should increase our transparency around how our machine learning models contribute to the ads people see on our services,” wrote Pavón.

He added that Meta is committed to using machine learning models responsibly and being transparent about how it uses machine learning to ensure that people are aware of the technology that is part of its ads system and that they know the types of information it is using.

“By stepping up our transparency around how our machine learning models work to deliver ads, we aim to help people feel more secure and increase our accountability,” continued Pavón. He added that Meta will continuously work to improve its ad transparency offerings and search for new ways to provide people with a better understanding of how it uses data and technology to show them ads.

The tool is rolling out globally on Facebook first and Meta plans to expand it to Instagram in the future.

The news comes just days after it was announced that Meta’s chief business officer Marne Levine will be stepping down from her role in the tech company after 13 years. Levine has held multiple leadership roles in her time in the company and stepped into the role of chief business officer in 2021, according to her LinkedIn page. In her role, she oversaw the company’s advertising and business partnerships.

Moving forward, Nicola Mendelsohn, the VP of the global business group and Justin Osofsky, the VP of Meta, will take on expanded roles and will represent the company when it comes to advertisers and partners. They will report to COO Javier Olivan.

“From running global policy, to growing our Instagram business as the first COO, to leading our ads and business partnerships teams, Levine has been an incredible leader at Meta over the last 13 years. I’m grateful for our partnership, her commitment to Meta, and the energy she brought to the company every day,” Olivan said.

He added that Mendelsohn is highly reputable in the ad industry while Osofsky has a unique combination of product, operations and business experience that will serve him well in his new role. “They’re both proven leaders, and we’re fortunate to have them leading this important work and representing the company with our advertisers and partners.”

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