Meta Says Third-Party User Data to Influence Feed, AI Responses; Alters User Controls — Update

By Kelly Cloonan

Meta Platforms plans to use the data it gathers from businesses to further personalize the content users see on its social-media platforms.

Meta said Tuesday it would use the data that businesses already send to it, like the games users play or purchases they make on other websites, to personalize the content users see in their social-media feeds as well as for artificial-intelligence-driven responses. A user who recently purchased a tent online may see more reels about camping, for example, Meta said in a blog post.

The company, which has long used data from other businesses for more targeted advertising, said it would not collect any new data as part of the update.

"This is about using information that businesses already send to us to further improve your experience," the company said.

As part of the update, Meta said it would also streamline the settings it offers that let users control how it gets and uses the data other businesses share with it.

Meta said it would discontinue its "Your activity off Meta technologies" setting, which allows users to disconnect activity that businesses share with the company from their account. The company said it would instead expand its "Activity from other businesses" setting, allowing users to choose whether to allow it to use that data to show more personalized content and ads.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said the control and data-use changes will go into effect in the U.S. and a number of other countries next month, with more countries to follow.

Meta and its social-media sites have previously come under scrutiny for how they handle user privacy. In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook $5 billion, a record at the time, for consumer privacy violations. Meta also disclosed in 2024 that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had been considering taking action against the company over its use of financial data from third parties in its advertising business.

Write to Kelly Cloonan at kelly.cloonan@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 09, 2026 14:03 ET (18:03 GMT)