Meta Platforms Inc announced on Thursday that it is now implementing a long-promised system for advertisers to control where their ads appear.
This rollout is in response to customer requests to distance their marketing from controversial Facebook and Instagram posts.
Advertisers can choose between three risk levels for their ad placements, with the most conservative option excluding placements above or below posts with sensitive content such as weapon depictions, sexual innuendo, and political debates.
Meta will also provide a report to Facebook advertisers via the advertising measurement firm Zefr detailing the specific content that appeared near their ads and how it was classified.
Marketers have long argued for more control over where their ads appear online, claiming that large social media companies do too little to prevent ads from appearing alongside hate speech, fake news, and other offensive content.
In July 2020, thousands of brands joined a boycott of Facebook in response to anti-racism protests in the United States.
The controls will initially be available in English and Spanish-speaking markets, with plans to expand them to other regions – as well as the company’s Reels, Stories, and video ad formats – later this year.
