What is Meta's personal attributes ad policy?
Meta's Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes policy bans ads that assert or imply something personal about the viewer, such as their race, religion, age, sexual orientation, health, financial vulnerability, criminal record or name. It also bans ads that share or ask for private information. Wording like 'Are you bankrupt?' breaks the rule; describing what your service offers does not.
Your ad can target people by interest, but its words cannot tell those people what they are. Meta’s rule is about the viewer of the ad: copy that states or suggests you know someone’s health, money troubles, faith or identity is rejected, even when the product is legal and useful. The same policy also covers privacy, so an ad cannot share or ask for private details about people either.
Which attributes does the policy cover?
The Advertising Standards version lists these: race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, age, sexual orientation or practices, gender identity, disability, physical or mental health (including medical conditions), vulnerable financial status, voting status, membership in a trade union, criminal record, and name. Meta’s Help Center version of the same policy also names color, national origin, sex, family status, and medical or genetic condition.
The rule covers direct and indirect assertions. Meta says it also bans asserting attributes in alternative ways, such as asking questions about them.
What counts as a privacy violation?
The privacy half of the policy bans ads that share or ask for private information. Meta’s Help Center lists personally identifiable information, personal contact information, residential information, financial information, medical information, and information obtained from hacked sources. Ads also cannot imply that the advertiser knows someone’s personally identifiable information, financial details or medical information.
What do violating and compliant ads look like?
Meta publishes its own examples. Each rejected line puts an attribute on the reader; each fix moves the focus to the offer.
| Meta’s rejected example | Why Meta rejects it | Meta’s suggested direction |
|---|---|---|
| “Are you bankrupt? Our firm has solutions.” | Implies knowledge of the viewer’s financial status | Explain how the firm helps someone going through bankruptcy |
| “Have you been diagnosed with cancer? Come to our clinic for treatment.” | Assumes the viewer has cancer | Give information about the benefits of cancer treatments |
| “Find out how our financial services can help people like you who just turned 62.” | Implies knowledge of the viewer’s exact age | Explain how the services help customers, including seniors |
| “Criminal record holding you back? We can help you find a job.” | Implies the viewer has a criminal record | Speak about the company’s expertise in the field |
What can your ad still say?
The Advertising Standards list several things an ad can still do, including these three. You can broadly reference attributes that are not on the list, such as calling someone “American”. You can make a passing reference to a personal attribute, which includes gender, age groups or age ranges. And you can use “you” and “your”, as long as the sentence does not attach a listed attribute to the reader.
How do you fix an ad rejected under this policy?
- Find the sentence where “you” or “your” sits next to a listed attribute, or where a question asks the reader about one.
- Rewrite it so the product, service or result is the subject, not the person reading.
- Check the image text and headline as well as the primary text.
- Edit the ad, which sends it back for review automatically, or request another review in Business Support Home if you think the rejection was wrong.
FAQ
Is this the same as the rule on discriminatory targeting?
No. The personal attributes policy is about what your ad says to the viewer. Meta’s discriminatory practices policy is about who you reach: it bars using audience selection tools to wrongfully target or exclude groups based on attributes such as race, religion, age, sex or disability, and bars discriminatory content.
Can I mention age in an ad at all?
Yes, in passing. The Advertising Standards say an ad can contain a passing reference to gender, age groups or age ranges. What Meta rejects is copy implying you know the viewer’s specific age, as in its example of an ad addressed to people who “just turned 62”.
Why does Meta care if the ad is otherwise accurate?
Meta says ads that assert or imply personal information or attributes can lead to negative experiences and lower engagement, such as fewer clicks, views and conversions. It recommends focusing the ad on the benefits of your product or service instead.
Sources
- Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes (Advertising Standards) (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About Meta's Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes advertising policy (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About Meta's advertising policy on discriminatory practices (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- How to troubleshoot a rejected ad (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
Drafted with AI and checked claim by claim against the pages linked under Sources. Found a mistake? Tell us via the corrections policy.