# Are you a pedophile? Then you'll enjoy Facebook's advertising engine!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-pedophile-then-youll-enjoy-facebooks-advertising-engine/1001584>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [May 15, 2024, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-pedophile-then-youll-enjoy-facebooks-advertising-engine/1001584 "2024-05-15T09:32:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-pedophile-then-youll-enjoy-facebooks-advertising-engine/1001584/21 "2024-05-16T15:47:45Z")

</div>

Unless the contract you signed with the arborist says exactly that.

I don’t use any Meta product, but I’m sure the terms of service heavily favors their argument, and the user’s only recourse is “quit using the service.”

That a legally arguable position, but it’s not exactly the same argument as “I never agreed to let pedos be recommended my ads!” if the contract says you do.

I haven’t (and will not) analyze the Facebook ToS, so all I said is essentially speculation, but there is ample real-world precedent in ToSs I’m already familiar with, so I feel it’s speculation on solid ground, and at least a very real possibility.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-pedophile-then-youll-enjoy-facebooks-advertising-engine/1001584/22 "2024-05-16T15:55:05Z")

</div>

> [@Horatius](#):
>
> And that’s why they should get sued.

I don’t know about sued (I agree that the TOS, at least in the US, are so convoluted as to be essentially opaque), but they are **[certainly attracting serious attention from unhappy European regulators](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/05/concerns-over-addicted-kids-spur-probe-into-meta-and-its-use-of-dark-patterns/).** Not on the specific subject raised in my OP, but for a general disregard for the welfare of younger users, which is part and parcel.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-pedophile-then-youll-enjoy-facebooks-advertising-engine/1001584/23 "2024-05-16T18:00:38Z")

</div>

> [@Love\_Rhombus](#):
>
> Heck, I felt uneasy just opening the thread after reading the headline.

So, this isn’t a Buzzfeed quiz?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-pedophile-then-youll-enjoy-facebooks-advertising-engine/1001584/24 "2024-05-16T20:21:03Z")

</div>

> [@Cervaise](#):
>
> For anyone who’s still perplexed, here is the step-by-step.

Ah!

> [@Horatius](#):
>
> The sellers paid to target an audience of mostly women, because they determined that this is the group that mostly buys their product. Meta, completely on their own, determined that men are far more likely to click on these images (for indeterminate reasons), and so decided to also target those men.

Thanks! I did not understand that detail (sellers had specified a target market, and fb/meta was serving the ad to additional markets).

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-pedophile-then-youll-enjoy-facebooks-advertising-engine/1001584.md?page=1)