Meta has announced significant changes to its customer list custom audiences policy, specifically targeting US-based advertisers in the housing, employment, and financial services sectors. These restrictions will begin implementation in January 2025.
Implementation Timeline
- October 2024: Initial announcement
- January 2025: Enforcement begins for new and edited campaigns
- March 2025: Existing non-compliant campaigns may be paused
Key Restrictions
Email Domain Requirements
- All users with ad campaign management permissions must share the same business email domain
- Generic email domains will trigger restrictions, including:
- gmail.com
- outlook.com
- hotmail.com
- yahoo.com
- aol.com
- msn.com
- icloud.com
- me.com
- protonmail.com
Business Portfolio Rules
- Shared audiences between different business portfolios will not be permitted
- Ad accounts within same portfolio must maintain consistent email domains
- Non-matching email domains will result in blocked audience sharing
Special Considerations
Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs)
- CRAs cannot use any customer list custom audiences
- Other businesses cannot use customer lists shared by CRAs
- Restrictions apply to housing, employment, and financial services ads
Certification Requirements
- US-based advertisers must certify customer lists
- Certification process begins January 2025
- Lists must not contain prohibited information types
Impact on Existing Campaigns
- New campaigns must comply from January 2025
- Existing campaigns have until March 2025 to comply
- Non-compliant campaigns will face pausing
- Error notifications will be provided in Ads Manager and Marketing API
