"Businesses often share information about people's activity on their sites with us to make ads more relevant," Meta said in a statement.
Meta expands use of off‑site business data beyond targeted ads
Meta announced Tuesday that it will begin using information shared by other businesses not only to tailor ads, but also to personalize content in users' Feed and responses from its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. The company said it already uses off‑site signals — "like games you play or purchases you make on other websites" — to make ads more relevant, and that the policy change extends those same signals to non‑advertising personalization across its platforms.
Users remain "in the driver's seat" — and controls are being consolidated
Meta emphasized that it is not collecting any new data as part of the update and that users will decide how the information is used for personalization. To give users control, the company is consolidating settings: it will expand the "Activity from other businesses" control (previously called "Activity information from ad partners") and discontinue the "Your activity off Meta technologies" setting. Meta characterized the change as a streamlined option that lets people manage how business‑shared data is used to serve both ads and non‑ad content.
Examples and mechanics: what off‑site signals will influence
Meta gave concrete examples to illustrate the change. If a user has recently purchased a tent online, the company said, that person "might see more Reels about camping." Conversely, if a user does not permit Meta to use off‑site data for personalization, the content shown will be based on other on‑platform activity such as liking a Reel or a post. The announcement also noted that businesses can share customer lists with Meta — for example, lists of people who have signed up to receive emails — and those customers may be served relevant ads.
Rollout: where and when the change will begin
Meta said the new option will go into effect in the United States and a number of other countries starting next month. The company named the additional countries that will be included at launch: the United Kingdom, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, Turkey, South Korea, Ecuador, Nigeria, and Kenya.
What this means for end users, businesses that share data, and advertisers
- End users: The company says people will be able to decide whether off‑site business data is used to personalize not only ads but also Feed content and AI responses, through the expanded "Activity from other businesses" control. If users opt out, Meta will rely on on‑platform signals such as likes to determine what they see.
- Businesses that share data: Companies that already share activity signals or customer lists with Meta will see those same inputs applied more broadly to influence Feed content and AI answers, not just ad delivery, if users permit it.
- Advertisers and marketers: Meta framed the change as an expansion of the relevance of both ads and other content — "If you allow us to use this data to show you personalized content, the ads and other content you see will be more relevant," the company said — which preserves the existing pathway for business data to shape ad targeting while extending its influence into non‑advertising personalization.
The immediate enactment of the policy is clear: a consolidated control will appear and the change will begin in the named countries starting next month. Users will face a single, expanded toggle — "Activity from other businesses" — that governs whether data businesses already send to Meta can be used across ads, Feed content and AI responses. How quickly people notice differences in the content they see will depend on whether they opt in or out when the control appears.
