Important to know for Facebook advertisers: Meta is deleting and/or consolidating some of its detailed ad targeting options because, Meta says, they are not commonly used or are too granular – or even because they relate to topics that "people may perceive as sensitive."
Meta explains:

"Starting 15th January, 2024, we are removing or combining some detailed targeting options that connect to topics people may consider sensitive. Ad sets that are already active with the affected targeting options will keep running through 18th March 2024 but shall necessitate an update on your targeting choices. We shall not deliver advertisements to the discontinued detailed targeting options after that date and the impacted ad sets will be paused."

But Meta does note that "sensitive" issues have to do with interests that target elements aligned with health, race, and/or ethnicity.

Which makes sense, given the number of challenges Meta has faced over the years with respect to the improper, and even illegal, use of its ad targeting options.

But it could affect your process, and how you get your Facebook and IG ads in front of the right people.

Meta hasn't elaborated which categories are specifically being removed so it's hard to gauge the level of impact and the full extent of change here. Still, another step removed is from manual, granular ad targeting, which, inescapably, can be used to target discriminatorily, in so many ways.

For instance, you can't target by race, but you can target users that live in certain geographies, and many would argue that this actually becomes essentially the same thing. Therefore, there's nothing Meta can do to entirely eliminate all suspect forms of audience targeting, but Meta has also simultaneously continually advanced the state of its automatic ad targeting technology over time to the point that making advertisers more manual is often more limiting.

Meta wants marketers to use its extensive targeting and Advantage+ options instead, which build more reliance on Meta's systems, and will often drive performance better, by showing your ads to users you may not have targeted yourself.

So, while Meta is eliminating more and more categories for targeting over time, you might be better off relying on its systematic display options instead. Which, eventually, seems like it will be the only option for brands.

Anyway, now that you know this latest change, just for your Facebook and IG ads.

Meta says the notice will be reflected in the Ads Manager, where affected advertisers will see a warning notice and details of whether any of their campaigns need to be updated when the change has taken place. According to Meta, where available, the company will provide alternative targeting recommendations for advertisers.