How GDPR Will Impact Your Facebook Ads (In Short)
What GDPR meant for Facebook advertisers in May 2018: the pixel, Lead Ads and Custom Audiences in short, plus what has changed since.
Afshana Diya·
· 2 min read
Let’s find out what you need to take care of to make sure you’re playing by the rules.
The topic of the month is without doubt the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the new EU law that becomes enforceable on May 25, 2018. By now you’ve probably received dozens of emails with a subject line like “Updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.” If you’re a digital marketer, every ad platform is reminding you too, from Facebook Business Manager to Google AdWords and AdRoll.
Not Another “What GDPR Means for Business” Post
I won’t repeat what GDPR means for businesses. You’ve likely seen the long articles and guides already. There’s so much to read that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
Let’s keep it practical. Say you have a business page on Facebook and run paid campaigns from it, or you use Business Manager to handle a few pages. You’ve seen the notices Facebook has been sending for weeks. It has also published a useful guide for advertisers.
Facebook says its GDPR preparation rests on three commitments: control, transparency and accountability. Here’s what that means for your pages, in short.
Facebook Pixel
If the Facebook pixel is on your website or app, you need to comply with GDPR. It doesn’t matter if your company is outside Europe. If you have visitors from the EU, the law applies to you.
Lead Ads
For serious business pages, Lead Ads are a powerful tool. With them, you and Facebook are both data controllers. That means you’re both responsible for telling people exactly what data you collect and what you’ll use it for. No more hide and seek.
Custom Audiences Get Tricky
Facebook can be a data controller or a data processor depending on the situation. Custom Audiences change the picture. When you collect data on your website and use it to retarget people on Facebook, you are the data controller. It’s your responsibility to tell visitors that you use cookies and exactly where that data goes. To handle personal data in a compliant way, update your website’s privacy policy and terms now.
For the full details, read Facebook’s GDPR guide and FAQs for advertisers.
By the way, in the middle of all this GDPR chaos in my inbox, ad accounts and newsfeed, I watched The Circle with Tom Hanks and Emma Watson last night. If you’ve seen it, tell me: was it just a coincidence to watch it during GDPR week, or what? 😜
A lot has changed since I wrote this.
- Meta: Facebook’s company became Meta in 2021.
- Apple: App Tracking Transparency on iPhones (2021) sharply cut how much advertisers can track.
- Consent: in the EU, the safe practice today is to ask for consent before the pixel loads, not just to mention it in your terms.
- Conversions API: many advertisers now pair the pixel with Meta’s Conversions API.
- The fine: in 2023, Meta itself was fined €1.2 billion in the EU over moving user data to the US.
This isn’t legal advice, so check current guidance before you change your setup.
Co-founder of xCloud, CMO of Startise and Local President of JCI Dhaka Founders. 55 countries with a Bangladeshi passport.
