Meta will personalize feeds with off-platform data
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- Meta announced it will use off-platform activity data shared by other businesses to personalize Facebook and Instagram feeds and AI responses, expanding beyond its existing use of that data for ad targeting.
- The update begins rolling out in July, with Meta giving the example that buying a tent online could lead to camping-related videos surfacing in a user's Reels feed.
- Meta stressed no new data collection is involved — the company is repurposing information businesses already share with it to improve content recommendations.
- Previously, Meta only used on-platform activity (likes, views, follows) to tailor feed content, and began using AI assistant conversations for ad personalization last year.
- The company is consolidating its off-platform data controls into a single "Activity from other businesses" setting that governs ads, feed personalization, and AI responses.
- The rollout is global but excludes the EU, UK, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, Turkey, South Korea, Ecuador, Nigeria, and Kenya at launch.
Why it matters: Meta is widening the blast radius of cross-site tracking: the same data businesses already share for ad targeting will now also shape what users see in feeds and from Meta's AI. Users get a single 'Activity from other businesses' toggle covering all three uses, but turning it off is the only way to keep that off-platform activity from influencing their experience. The launch carve-out lists 11 jurisdictions, with the EU and UK prominent among them.
