Meta Improves Automated Targeting without Violating User Privacy. How?

Probably the greatest power of Facebook was its ability to offer personalized ads to its users. After Apple implemented ATT data privacy policy, and many countries are doing the same at the government level, playing with user data like this is impossible. Yet Meta has come up with the way that is designed to recompense the losses and make targeting personalized again.

After losing about $10M of revenue, Meta had to find the way to exist and prosper in the world where no Cambridge Analytica stuff would be tolerated. And it seems to have found the new approach which would require no usage of user data without their permission, as well as no data transfer to any third party. This ad policy will heavily utilize “custom audiences”.
According to Meta, a “custom audience” is a group of users who have interacted with certain brands and companies and allowed them to use their personal data. From these customers, a Custom Audience list is formed. Then, meta creates a list of users similar to this Custom Audience by key parameters, a so-called Lookalike Audience. This Lookalike Audience becomes the target for advertising.

As you see, with this method all the user data remains within Meta, and all the users from custom audiences have provided their data themselves, by interacting with the merchant’s sites or apps, or by being enlisted in Customer Lists by companies. Reversing the personal data flow this way, Meta hopes to reach the previously achieved level of efficiency in advertising. Another ad format by Meta is meant to direct customers to Messenger. In addition, Meta makes some change in its privacy solutions, implementing new code design and exploring how offsite data influences ads personalization.

Do you think this method will allow Meta to make more relevant ads? What do you expect from ads on Facebook or Instagram: becoming more relevant or remaining the same as they were? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments if you please!