Deadlines approaching for Special Ad Category

Today, we’re releasing Marketing API v6.0 and Graph API v6.0, and as part of this release, we want to remind developers on upcoming deadlines for Special Ad Categories.

We’re also introducing a new feature to read Page data and announcing API deprecations.

Ensure ads comply with Special Ad Category deadlines:

We’re committed to protecting people from discrimination on Facebook and, as part of this commitment, we announced changes last year to all ads that offer housing, employment and credit opportunities.

Advertisers, developers and partners must specify whether or not their ads offer housing, employment or credit opportunities. They can do so by selecting a Special Ad Category in Ads Manager or via the Marketing API, which will result in a limited set of targeting options.

Last October, we announced several deadlines for businesses using the Marketing API, and there are now two critical deadlines approaching:

February 11, 2020:

• All businesses located in the U.S. or targeting audiences in the U.S. will be required to identify any active campaigns that belong to a Special Ad Category that were created before Dec. 4, 2019. They will also need to update the targeting settings for such campaigns, or these ads will no longer be allowed to run.

March 31, 2020:

• All businesses worldwide creating ads with any version of the Marketing API must identify whether or not new and edited campaigns belong to a Special Ad Category, or their ads will not be allowed to run.
• Important Note: Businesses outside the US and targeting audiences outside the U.S. must also pass the Special Ad Category field, but can choose to opt-in or opt-out of targeting restrictions. Regardless of whether the campaign offers housing, employment, or credit opportunities, these businesses can either opt-out by indicating “None” in the Special Ad Category field or opt-in to Special Ad Category targeting by designating your ad as offering housing, employment, or credit opportunities.

For more information, view our recent announcement or the developer documentation.

New feature for apps to read Page data:

We’re introducing Page Public Metadata Access, a new feature that allows apps to read a certain set of Page data. Prior to the launch of this new feature, all of the Page fields and edges required Page Public Content Access (PPCA) or the manage_pages permission. This feature is designed to provide the specific set of page-related data that we’ve seen developers accessing.

API deprecations:

As part of our ongoing commitments to privacy and security, we are removing access to a number of APIs. A list of endpoints that will be removed from the platform can be found in the developer documentation, and you should review this list to see if your app is impacted. Existing apps using these APIs will no longer have access as of May 5, 2020.

Also, please be aware of the upcoming Marketing API version deprecations:

• 3/31/2020 - Marketing API v4.0 deprecated.
• 5/19/2020 - Marketing API v5.0 deprecated.