Facebook ads targeted at interests in sexual practices or drugs

Are you interested in zoophilia or cocaine? Facebook will be interested in targeting you!

Facebook proposes target advertising based on our interest in certain sexual practices or drug

Would you like to view an ad on Facebook because you are supposed to be interested in "sex", "oral sex", "anal sex" "sex without penetration," "homosexuality”, "zoophilia", "necrophilia", "exhibitionism”, "masturbation”, "prostitution", "triolisme FFH", "drug", "cocaine, "marijuana" or "methamphetamine"?

Normally, these practices are strictly confidential. Most Facebook competitors ban using sexual practices to target people.

But, on Facebook, it is possible!

The following screenshots show one can publish an ad on Facebook targeted at the 324,360 people, who live in the United State, are 18 and older and like #Cocaine, #Masturbation, #Methamphetamine, #Zoophilia or triolisme ffh!

Facebook says (please, see the screenshot below) it offers two types of interests: precise interests, such as "sex" or "triolisme FFH", which target only people using the terms "sex" or "triolisme FFH" and topics marked with a # (#oral sex, #anal sex, #necrophilia, #zoophilia...) corresponding to users who have used words similar to those selected.

How Facebook can allow itself to target users from their sexual preferences or their interests in Drugs, as it appears on the social network?

How does Facebook find that some users have expressed interests close to homosexuality, masturbation, etc.? Which key words were used to assess those interests ? Is this process reliable?

May this targeting interest federal governmental agencies?  Can the police authorities requisition Facebook databases to discover the identity of the users who posted on Facebook interests close to illegal practices (necrophilia ... ) or illegal substances (cocaine)?

I have sent this text to Facebook, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. I'm waiting for their comments.

Jacques Henno


Part 2 of this article : http://tousfiches.blogspot.fr/2012/05/facebook-ads-and-sexuality-drugs-part-2.html