Meta (formally Facebook) is changing ad targeting across its platforms (including Facebook and Instagram). This means businesses will no longer be able to direct ads to users of a specific race, political affiliation, or sexual orientation. The move comes following years of criticism concerning the company’s advertising algorithms. In a blog post on Tuesday (November 9th), Meta noted the “difficult decision” was driven by feedback from civil rights experts and policymakers, and will take effect on January 19th, 2022. Meta’s ad options will no longer offer Detailed Targeting concerning topics which “people may perceive as sensitive.” Examples include topics relating to health, race, politics, religion, or sexuality. Meta noted this change doesn’t mean all targeted ads will be removed, as advertisers can still choose to target potential customers via their age, gender, location, inclusion on customer lists, and whether users have engaged with the advertiser’s posts in the past.