Facebook Can Use Your Likeness in Advertisements Unless You Disable It

Did you know that Facebook could use your name and picture in advertisements shown to your friends?  They can (and already are) unless you’ve dug through several layers of settings and manually disabled it.

Facebook explains:

Facebook occasionally pairs advertisements with relevant social actions from a user’s friends to create Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads make advertisements more interesting and more tailored to you and your friends. These respect all privacy rules.

So what does that mean?  Well, if I was to add “amateur science” to my interests, you could legitimately see something like this on your main page:

Ok, so this isn't a real advertisement. But you get my point, right?
Ok, so this isn't a real advertisement. But you get my point, right?

While there isn’t anything particularly harmful about this type of advertising, it is making you an unknowing spokesperson for something you might not want to publicly support.  Even worse, this feature is enabled by default and hidden deep within your privacy settings.

Here’s how to prevent your likeness from being used in Facebook ads:

  1. Click Settings –>  Privacy –> News Feed and Wall
  2. Click the easily-neglected Facebook Ads tab at the top of this page
  3. facebook_advertisements_ads_tabSet the Appearance in Facebook Ads field to ‘No one’
    facebook_advertisements_ads_disable

You’ll now be free of any accidental or unknown participation in Facebook advertisements.

What are your thoughts about Facebook’s decision to include you in advertisements by default?  Share them in the comments.


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8 responses to “Facebook Can Use Your Likeness in Advertisements Unless You Disable It”

  1. Reis Pritchard Avatar
    Reis Pritchard

    I think Mark Zuckerberg likes money like every other person on earth, and found a slick way to make some more. At least there's the (somewhat) hidden option to disable it.

  2. Reis Pritchard Avatar
    Reis Pritchard

    I think Mark Zuckerberg likes money like every other person on earth, and found a slick way to make some more. At least there's the (somewhat) hidden option to disable it.

  3. Jonathan_Paul Avatar

    Thanks for the heads up. I agree with Reis, at least they allow you to disable it, this time. . .

    jon

  4. Jonathan_Paul Avatar

    Thanks for the heads up. I agree with Reis, at least they allow you to disable it, this time. . .

    jon

  5. Harry Avatar
    Harry

    Thanks for the post. If someone clicks on an ad with my face in it, i think I should get some sort of compensation.

  6. Harry Avatar
    Harry

    Thanks for the post. If someone clicks on an ad with my face in it, i think I should get some sort of compensation.

  7. Jacob_K Avatar

    if you read this, your on facebook WAY too much… LOL

  8. Jacob_K Avatar

    if you read this, your on facebook WAY too much… LOL

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