Facebook has made an update to its “ Advanced Mobile Measurements ” program as part of the well-known Marketing Partner Program . But in practical terms, what do the updates entail and how will they impact companies’ marketing activities and user privacy ?
First of all, remember that Facebook Marketing Partners are privileged partners , that is, they have exclusive access to resources, tools and training courses offered by the giant of social platforms. Consequently, the changes made apply only and exclusively to this category.
Facebook has, in fact, deactivated a data source that made available to marketers – and therefore, consequently, to brands – a series of information relating to the devices used by users . This data was exploited in the targeting and analysis of advertising campaigns, and made it possible to link the ads to specific devices, such as a single smartphone. In this sense we therefore mean a particular mobile device connected to a single user .
A useful tool for marketers but risky for user privacy
It is easy to understand how this function was immensely useful for targeting campaigns in an extremely precise way, since it allowed to interpret the performance of an Adv on a particular user by monitoring his actions and any clicks. In terms of relevance, planning, frequency assessment and strategic analysis , it was therefore a very valuable tool.
From the point of view of privacy , however, such a precise function could entail a non-negligible series of risks from the point of view of the protection and processing of sensitive user data , since it delivered very detailed information regarding the ID of the various devices , ready to be associated with other monitoring data coming from planned campaigns on Facebook. In words fear, the Advanced Mobile Measurements of the Marketing Partner Program of the giant of Menlo Park made online users potentially “transparent” for companies even outside the social network.
It should be noted that the control systems that Facebook has always reserved for its privileged partners are detailed and careful . However, the risk was far too high and it was virtually impossible to predict or supervise the use that companies would make of such sensitive information. This would therefore be the reason for the latest updates to the program .
And now?
Now, Facebook Marketing Partners continue to access data related to users’ devices, but they can no longer share it with companies and brands, much less use it on applications outside the social network.
