Social networks are currently the most popular means of communication, and especially entertainment, and are widely present in the daily lives of most people who have access to the internet, computers, and smartphones.  

These media are considered informative and recreational, generating connections between friends, family, and acquaintances, and have become spaces for work, advertising, and... e-commerce. 

On social media, specifically Facebook, its tools make users' information, data, and, in a way, privacy "exposed," either by the users' own choice (through the terms of use present in their registration and during other shortcut functionalities), indirectly, in which they "accept" the terms of exposure, or through information that they share on their pages but do not have a complete understanding of the data that is, or is not, exposed and used for the management of the Facebook network.  

It is clear that the tools and functionalities that utilize data and privacy from social networks are not exposed; it is not clear to most users, who usually do not have a complete understanding that they are part of this environment, even though it is available to them with any click.  

This data and information acts as a filter for the advertising In e-commerce, a filter can help advertising reach its target audience and, consequently, generate better results. However, there are individuals and affiliated companies that disagree with this "exposure." 

How can you protect customer privacy in Facebook ads? 

Currently, the privacy protection The responsibility for customer data has become increasingly stringent for marketing professionals. With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), there is a requirement that customer data and private information be requested in a way that the customer approves and is aware of its "exposure," in addition to providing the option to delete the customer's data upon request. 

In this way, it is a great commitment to the law that companies have, even those affiliated with Facebook, in which the latter sets out terms for collecting and using data, always to generate authorization (or not) from users, who inform what the data they provide when authorizing these terms will be used for, and where it will be directed. 

Therefore, it is already a guarantee established and authorized by the users themselves to use their data for advertising purposes. An explicitly visible way to receive authorization for the use of data is to promote advertisements, benefits, and personalized treatment for users who register (and authorize the use of their data for advertising purposes). In this way, they have a complete understanding of their "privacy being exposed" and do not feel harmed or violated.  

To ensure better and more efficient protection of customer data, many companies invest in software that focuses on... We offer a wide variety of programming services, with customer data protection being one of those services. 

In turn, they guarantee extreme protection and offer security for users and the company itself. A popular, more effective, and higher-quality method used by many companies today. 

However, when it comes to protecting customer privacy in Facebook ads and advertisements, the company has recently invested in two categories of user protection services. These are: 

• First, a notice to users about the privacy settings options;
• Secondly, this is a protection specifically for ads, which will allow users to delete data and information sent by other companies to Facebook. 

The companies themselves, and Facebook itself, always guarantee that user data is secure.  

Why has Facebook become such a powerful communication tool for marketing? 

Marketing, in its independent form, requires communication; after all, communication is the main link between the company/brand and its target audience, future consumers. 

A communication It is capable of presenting the brand, informing about its attributes, advantages, benefits, and information, and through this, working on psychological and subconscious aspects to drive need, desire, and consumption. 

Facebook, as previously mentioned, is a means of communication and entertainment that is extremely present in consumers' daily lives, as they use this platform every day. 

According to data from a survey presented on the website "Folha de S.Paulo," Facebook has approximately 120 million active users in Brazil and 1,5 billion in the rest of the world, numbers that include 65% of the population aged 10 or older. 

In other words, it's a communication channel that has become more popular than television itself, offering a sea of ​​options for advertising and... company marketing.  

As it grew and became increasingly popular, companies noticed its potential, as did the platform's owner, Mark Zuckerberg. 

Being an attractive, effective, and interactive advertising medium, in addition to being beneficial for Facebook itself (as it has become an investment for companies and brands), it is more accessible and results in higher profits for entrepreneurs and professionals. 

How does marketing and advertising work through Facebook ads? 

First, it's important to know that there are paid and free advertisements. Free advertisements, in turn, focus on the brand/company's own page (profile), where they have free space to showcase their products, services, content, and contact information for their customers and audiences. 

However, all promotions, interactions, and posts are done independently, meaning by the management of the professionals representing the company. It's also important to clarify that the page is not driven by data; this functionality requires investment. 

For paid advertising, Facebook has targeted tools that are made available through an investment by the company requesting them. It is in this part that the data, information, and in a way, the privacy of users, become "exposed" for use in the marketing of these companies.  

The data is collected through Facebook's own tools (or even games, shortcuts, avatars, among others), and information (often entered by the users themselves, such as location, "likes," groups joined, posts and saved publications, among others). With this information, users are organized as the target audience of companies on the platform. 

Subsequently, these audiences are converted to receive ads, advertisements, marketplaces (offers from merchants and independent sellers), and marketing in general. 

This type of marketing focuses on delivering company advertising based on user data and information; in other words, offering only what interests, matches, searches for, and "likes" of these users, potentially resulting in better sales and traffic for companies and brands. 

This content was developed by Sabrina Costa, content creator at Webtrends Agency.