In an age where digital advertising wields a significant influence, government agencies and law enforcement bodies have turned to hyper-targeted social media campaigns to disseminate messages pertaining to migration, employment, and crime. Evidently, many of these ads are meticulously tailored using data tied to protected attributes such as race, religious beliefs, and sexual orientation. Strikingly, even stereotypes encompassing preferences like music choices and hair types are widely employed.
A comprehensive analysis encompassing over 12,000 advertisements broadcasted on Facebook and Instagram between late 2020 and 2023 has unveiled the extent of this “microtargeting.” Supplied to academic circles by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, this data provides a rare glimpse into the utilization of personalized advertising by governments, rooted in profiling facilitated by the social media giant.
Influence and Ethics in Ad Targeting
Although Facebook had declared a ban in 2021 on targeting based on race, religion, and sexual orientation due to concerns about discriminatory practices, the present analysis suggests that interest labels assigned by the platform, contingent on users’ browsing and social media habits, are consistently exploited as proxies. These labels, ranging from gastronomic tastes to celebrated religious festivals, are often amalgamated with demographic indicators like age, gender, education level, and residential area to achieve a more precise targeting.
Such targeting practices have drawn both intrigue and criticism. While some campaigns appear designed to enhance diversity and promote public safety, such as encouraging COVID-19 vaccination and reporting of criminal activities, others have raised eyebrows due to their seemingly invasive profiling of minority groups.
Balancing Act between Relevance and Privacy
Stakeholders in these campaigns, including government bodies and law enforcement agencies, assert that targeted advertising is an invaluable tool for ensuring effective communication with key demographics, thereby delivering value for taxpayers’ money. However, this practice is not without its skeptics. Experts like Ben Collier, a digital methods lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, have raised concerns over the ethical implications of some aspects of this targeted strategy, highlighting instances where the ethics behind such practices might have been overlooked.
As governments continue to navigate the delicate balance between relevance and privacy, the discourse around the ethics of microtargeting in the realm of digital advertising remains ever relevant, mirroring wider conversations about the responsibilities entailed in wielding data-driven strategies to shape public narratives.