Upcoming Requirements for Usage and Sharing of Custom Audiences

Addendum - June 29, 2018

Earlier we stated that:

• Users will not be able to edit Custom Audiences with customer_file_source set to NOT_APPLICABLE after July 2, 2018.
• After July 2, 2018, to edit an audience where customer_file_source is set to NOT_APPLICABLE, you should to change the value for the parameter to a supported value.

These two requirements will not be enforced as a part of the update scheduled for July 2, 2018. This enables you to update audiences where customer_file_source=NOT_APPLICABLE. This applies to both audience composition as well as audience metadata, such as the audience name. Additionally, please note that updates planned for July 2, 2018 and communicated on June 13, 2018 apply only for customer file custom audiences with Sub_type=CUSTOM.

Update - Initiating Custom Audience Sharing Request - June 28, 2018

As a part of the new Custom Audience sharing logic scheduled for July 2, 2018, we will introduce an additional required parameter, RELATIONSHIP_TYPE. This parameter will be required to initiate the request for audience sharing relationships. Developers need to provide it as a part of the initial audience sharing API call to initiate the request:

POST <CUSTOM_AUDIENCE>/adaccounts?adaccounts=[<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>]&Relationship_Type= ['<RELATIONSHIP_TYPE>']

Supported RELATIONSHIP_TYPE values are:

• AUDIENCE_INFO_PROVIDER = 'Audience Info Provider';
• INFO_MANAGER = 'Information Manager';
• AD_OPTIMIZER = 'Ad Optimizer';
• AGENCY = 'Agency';

We will update our Marketing API docs with this information on July 2, 2018.

Requirements for Usage and Sharing of Custom Audiences

As we continue to improve usage of Custom Audiences from a customer file on our platform, we want to provide details on upcoming changes.

We are making these changes because we want to provide additional transparency to our users, further remind advertisers and partners of their obligation to comply with our Custom Audience terms, and to enable more direct and defined relationships between Business Managers that are sharing audiences.

As of July 2, 2018, we will introduce a new upload and sharing flow within Ads Manager and the Ads API. All Custom Audiences created from a customer file will be required to go through these new flows starting on this date, whether through Ads Manager of the API.

• Terms acceptance and reminders: After July 2, 2018, when uploading or creating a Custom Audience, every Business Manager user must accept our Custom Audiences Terms as part of this new flow. They will see a notification to do so upon first uploading an audience, and will receive subsequent reminders about our terms every 90 days.
• Sharing Custom Audiences: Business Manager admins will need to initiate and accept an audience sharing relationship & existing Custom Audience Terms when establishing the relationship for the first time.
  • Once established, a sharing relationship enables a business to share audiences with another Business Manager. However, audiences can only be shared in one direction (e.g. from business #1 to business #2). Business #2 will not be able to share audiences back to business #1 unless a separate sharing relationship from business #2 to #1 is established.
  • All new shared Custom Audiences, including those uploaded by data providers (previously known as managed Custom Audiences) will need to adopt this new sharing process on July 2nd.
• Indication of data origin: When uploading a customer file Custom Audience, the uploader will need to provide detail on the data origin of the customer file - noting if data was collected directly from users (first-party data), provided by partners (third-party data), or a combination of the two.
• “Why am I seeing this?” updates: To provide more transparency to people on our platform, we will begin surfacing additional details around Custom Audiences in the “Why Am I seeing this?” module on an ad. Specifically, in addition to the advertiser's name (which already exists), we will show new information around the data origin highlighting if the customer file was provided by partners, from the advertiser or a combination of the two. Additionally, we will show whether a person was matched to the audience by their phone number or email address.

These changes will all be taking place in Facebook interfaces, but we wanted to clarify next steps for our marketing partners. To that end, the below logic will be enforced starting from July 2, 2018.

Mandatory Source Information for Customer File Custom Audiences

First, we are planning to provide more transparency to our users around what information advertisers are using to reach them (e.g., email address or phone number) and the source of that information (e.g., the advertiser or a partner).

To support this logic, on June 13, 2018, we'll introduce a new required parameter on the CUSTOM_AUDIENCE node - customer_file_source. While creating a customer file Custom Audience from a customer file, API users will be required to provide a customer_file_source parameter.

• The customer_file_source parameter supports the following values: USER_PROVIDED_ONLY, PARTNER_PROVIDED_ONLY, BOTH_USER_AND_PARTNER_PROVIDED.
• Audiences created prior to the update will have this parameter defaulted to NOT_APPLICABLE.
• You can modify the customer_file_source field value to change it to one of the supported values above.

User-Level Terms of Services

Advertisers, or an entity the advertiser has granted permission to (such as an agency or marketing partner), will have to represent that their use of a Custom Audience from a customer file is in compliance with our existing Custom Audience Terms. They will have to accept the Custom Audience Terms the first time each user of the Business Manager is uploading a customer file Custom Audience to an ad account, or the first time an advertiser uses a Custom Audience in an ad. Also, they will be reminded of this once every 90 days when using or uploading a Custom Audience.

During the implementation period (starting from June 13, 2018)

Starting from early July 2018, each individual user will need to accept our Custom Audience Terms. You can also accept the Terms at https://www.facebook.com/ads/manage/customaudiences/tos.

On June 13, 2018, as a part of audience creation flow, we'll be introducing a warning that each individual user will be required to accept our Custom Audience Terms starting from early July.

{
   "id": "<AUDIENCE_ID>",
   "message": "Starting from early July, each advertiser will need to accept our data file custom audience Terms of Service. You can also accept it now. To accept, go to https://www.facebook.com/ads/manage/customaudiences/tos?act=<AD_ACCOUNT>"
}

After implementation period (starting from July 2, 2018)

The API will not allow creating or modification of Custom Audiences if the Custom Audiences Terms have not been accepted on a user level. To accept, go to https://www.facebook.com/ads/manage/customaudiences/tos. In case if you are using a system user access token, the system will check if at least one admin on the ad account has previously accepted user-level terms of services.

{
  "error": {
    "message": "(#2655) User level data file terms of service have not been accepted. To accept, go to https://www.facebook.com/ads/manage/customaudiences/tos/?act=act=<AD_ACCOUNT>",
    "type": "OAuthException",
    "code": 2655,
  }
}

Additionally after July 2, 2018, users will be required to accept the new Custom Audience Terms to create or modify an ad object targeting a customer file or value-based Custom Audiences.

Updated Flow for Custom Audience Sharing between Business Managers

These new requirements will establish clearer roles and usage responsibilities. When a Custom Audience is shared between parties, a partnership relationship must first be established between the Business Managers (via the Partners section of Business Settings). The party sharing the audience will also be required to affirm their compliance with our Custom Audience Terms of Service.

Once established, a sharing relationship enables a business to share audiences with another Business Manager. However, audiences can only be shared in one direction (e.g. from business #1 to business #2). Business #2 will not be able to share audiences back to business #1 unless a separate sharing relationship from business #2 to #1 is established.

Starting from July 2, 2018, in order to share a Custom Audience between Business Managers, such businesses should establish an audience sharing relationship via the following flow:

1. A request to establish the relationship is created once an audience sharing request is made:

`POST <CUSTOM_AUDIENCE>/adaccounts?adaccounts=[<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>]`

Note: Business Manager admin permission is required to initiate an audience sharing relationship request. If two Business Managers have already established the relationship, then the advertiser can directly share the audience.

For a non-Business Manager admin who tries to share an audiences

[   
    {         
       "ad_acct_id": "<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>"
       "share_status" : "NOT_SHARED"
       "errors" : [
        "You don't have permission to initiate a sharing relationship for this ad account/business"
       ]
    }
...
]

For a Business Manager admin who makes a call to share audience with an existing relationship

[   
    {         
       "ad_acct_id": "<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>"
       "share_status" : "SHARED"
       "errors" : []
    }
...
]

For a Business Manager admin who makes a call to share audience with a pending relationship request

, we will append the audience with the existing relationship entry.

[   
    {         
       "ad_acct_id": "<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>"
       "share_status" : "IN_PROGRESS"
       "errors" : []
    }
...
]

Note

: Because the API call accepts multiple ad accounts, these can be returned at the same time. For example:

[   
    {         
       "ad_acct_id": "<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>"
       "share_status" : "SHARED"
       "errors" : []
    }
    {         
       "ad_acct_id": "<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>"
       "share_status" : "IN_PROGRESS"
       "errors" : []
    }
    {         
       "ad_acct_id": "<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>"
       "share_status" : "NOT_SHARED"
       "errors" : [
        "You don't have permission to initiate a sharing relationship for this ad account/business"
       ]
    }
...
]

2. The recipient business (the business that owns the recipient ad account) will receive a pending shared audience relationship request, which can be reviewed on the Business Manager node:

GET <BUSINESS_ID>/received_audience_sharing_requests

The initiator business can track all its agreement requests:

GET <BUSINESS_ID>/initated_audience_sharing_requests

[   
    {         
       "initiator": {            
           "id": "<BUSINESS_ID>",            
           "name": "business_name1"         
        }, 
        "recipient": {            
           "id": "<BUSINESS_ID>",            
           "name": "business_name2"         
        },         
        "request_status": "IN_PROGRESS",         
        "id": "<SHARING_RELATIONSHIP_ID>"    
     }
...
]

1. The recipient business can respond to the relationships request; if approved, the audience is shared and

POST <SHARING_RELATIONSHIP_ID>?response="approve"  

Supported values include:

"approve"/"decline"

If a recipient would like to share Custom Audiences with the requester, they need to initiate a separate relationship request.

We'll work with you closely to help you manage this transition and answer any questions you may have.

This flow will be introduced and enforced on July 2, 2018.

Campaigns set up before August 15, 2018 and targeting Partner Categories or customer file Custom Audiences shared before July 2, 2018 will continue to deliver until October 1, 2018, as long as those campaigns are not paused or edited after August 15, 2018. Users will be able to use Custom Audiences shared before July 2, 2018 for ads creation until August 15, 2018.