Facebook is ending its partnership with data providers that allow advertisers to send segmented ads to specific target audiences. In Brazil, the partner company was Serasa Experian, responsible for the largest database in Latin America and active in the national market for 50 years. The social media giant's move comes in response to the recent scandal involving the leak of personal data from 50 million users to political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. This information was used by the company to distribute content for candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 elections.
How does Facebook's ad targeting work?
Facebook offers its advertisers the option of segmenting ads based on data collected by companies like Serasa Experian, which combine data present on the network with their own information about consumer behavior. This way, by combining the data, it's possible to send ads to different audiences, segmented by income bracket, occupation, consumption patterns, among others.
So what now, Facebook?
Mark Zuckerberg's social network had its credibility shaken. Despite admitting that his team failed to dedicate the attention it should have to users' data, the CEO states that, since March, he has been coordinating measures aimed at protecting the privacy of Facebook account holders, as well as the transparency of the processes involved. Let's keep an eye on the next steps in this story, which almost sounds like an American fiction series, but is actually real life. "Black Mirror" better watch out.
