Avoid Having Your Pictures Shown in Facebook Ads

Logging birthdays, playing Scrabble against your friends, or checking out the classifieds are some of the many things that you can do with Facebook. But what you may not realize is what Facebook can do with you. Depending upon your privacy settings, both Facebook and third-party advertisers may be able to use your picture in display ads that are shown to your friends. Read on to learn how to take control of the way your images may be used in advertisements on Facebook.

Steps

Third Party Ads

When you install Third-party applications on Facebook, you provide those third-party applications with access to your profile information. While all developers are expected to comply with Facebook policies regarding how they use your information, not all do so. Recently, some applications and ad networks caused controversy by using some Facebook users' images in ads without their permission in violation of Facebook's rules.[1] These ads have since been banned. However, if you would like to minimize the likelihood of your image showing up in future ads of this sort, you may wish to take the following steps.

  1. Carefully read the privacy policy of any applications you choose to install. These policies should detail what information the application uses and how it may be used.
  2. Use your application settings controls to manage your apps. Application settings are found under the main settings controls in Facebook.

    • Each application has individual settings that allow you some control over your personal information.
  3. Evaluate applications carefully before installing them. Look at the applications' feedback, learn about the developer, and check with friends who use the app to get their feedback on the experience.
  4. Uninstall applications if you do not approve of their privacy policies.

Facebook Ads

For more than a year, Facebook has run advertisements that let your friends know if you have a direct connection to a product or service. However, Facebook does not show your image in ads for anything to which you lack a direct connection. However, if you would like to prevent Facebook from doing so, you may disable these ads using the following steps.

  1. Log into your Facebook account and go to your home page.
  2. Click on the "Settings" tab in the right hand corner. Scroll down to "Privacy Settings".
  3. Click on the "News Feed and Wall" link.
  4. Notice at the top, there will be two tabs: "Actions within Facebook" and "Facebook Ads". Click on the "Facebook Ads".
  5. A message will pop up telling you that your photos are safe. Read this message if you want to. Click the "close" button in the bottom-right corner of the message.
  6. Use the drop down menu and choose the "No One" option.

Tips

  • Some browser add-ons, such as Adblock Plus for Firefox, will prevent the "Facebook Ads" tab from displaying content. If this happens, try disabling any such add-ons and repeating the process.
  • Remember that when you play games, the information retrieved is not used by third-party sources.
  • If you think that a Facebook ad is inappropriate, you can click "thumbs-down" down to report it.
  • Make sure to check out the "actions within Facebook" tab just to make sure there isn't anything else you don't approve of.

Warnings

  • Be aware that Facebook cannot always protect its users from unscrupulous developers and ad networks. Be thoughtful about the information you share.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/ad_guidelines.php
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