What you NEED to know!
Facebook has released prominent new changes to comply with a strict new European privacy law. As part of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Facebook has laid out new privacy controls and will be asking every Facebook user to review important information about how Facebook uses their personal data.
These global changes follow the recent introduction of the GDPR privacy policies in the EU, which were announced by Facebook on April 17. But Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has broadcasted, “We intend to make all the same controls available everywhere, not just in Europe.” The privacy policies are expected to become effective as of May 25 this year.
What exactly will happen?
With a strong focus around trust and consent, Facebook will share how they use personal data obtained through Internet activities to target users with adverts and marketing schemes. Facebook will then ask users to review their personal information and require them to make choices about their privacy on the social network.
Users will also have some rights to erase their personal data, or they can choose whether or not they wish to see ads from partners, if they would like to continue sharing particular personal information (such as political views, religion and relationship status) and whether they want to use/continue to use facial recognition technology. Users will also be able to request a free copy of their personal information.
It has also been reported that Facebook plans to implement a ‘Custom Audiences Certification Tool’, which will require all businesses and advertisers to confirm they gained consent to use any email addresses or phone numbers that they upload to Facebook for advert targeting.
What does this mean for you and your business?
Of course, if you use Facebook advertising as part of your marketing plan, you might be hearing some alarm bells ringing. Data is everything in marketing and the thought of losing such valuable records may make you want to, well, cry.
But, it’s really not all that bad! As we said before, it’s all about trust and compliance …
One can only assume these changes have derived from Facebook’s angst to regain the trust of its users after the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. So before you freak out, this is basically Facebook now politely asking their users, “Hey, we have all this data about you, pretty please can we use it?”
Experts have suggested marketers and advertisers should expect very little effect from these privacy changes. Senior director of IT security at First National Technology Solutions (FNTS) says, “As long as marketers are following the regulations and taking the security of the customer data they have seriously, there should be little to no impact.”
So firstly, you need to play by the rules. That means abiding by the new Custom Audiences Certification Tool and actually gaining consent for user data. This should be retrieved rightfully, recorded and stored, and the user has the right to withdraw their information for future usage. This process caused by the GDPR can come as a positive for advertisers – it builds greater trust between businesses and consumers.
Secondly, giving users the clear right to ‘opt out’ of your future ads essentially narrows down your target market to people who are actually interested in your product or service, making for more focused, cost-effective marketing. Businesses can expect higher engagement and open rate responses, and consumers can enjoy an over all improved marketing experience.
If you have any questions regarding Facebook’s new GDPR changes, please do not hesitate to contact us on 07 3274 0469.
