Meta is making a significant change to how activity from other websites and apps is managed, and it could have a noticeable impact on advertising performance. The “Your activity off Meta technologies” setting is being retired and replaced with an expanded “Activity from other businesses” control. While Meta says it isn’t introducing any new forms of data collection, it does change how existing data is connected to user accounts. For advertisers, this could mean larger retargeting audiences and stronger audience signals. We’re also expecting to see changes to reported campaign performance.
The Shift in Targeting
Previously, Meta users could disconnect browsing and purchase activity collected from external websites and apps from their accounts. Advertisers couldn’t build retargeting pools out of users who opted out, resulting in smaller custom audiences. It also meant less precise targeting because algorithms lost behavioural inputs like external product views or off-site purchases, making it challenging to target high-intent buyers. Under the new control, that option is being removed.
Meta is consolidating existing privacy controls into a single setting, which means users who previously disconnected their off-Meta activity will now be reconnected to the data that Meta receives from external businesses. This means that users who were previously invisible to advertisers because they had opted out may now become identifiable within Meta, which allows their website activity and purchase behaviour to contribute to custom audiences and ad targeting. This data can also be used for content recommendations and Meta AI experiences.
This update is currently rolling out in the US and a number of other countries, although the EU is likely to follow a different timeline due to its specific privacy regulations.
Impact on Audience and Attribution
The biggest impact here is likely to be on audience size. Users who previously visited your website but chose to disconnect their Off-Meta Activity may now become eligible for audience matching. This means audiences could grow without any changes to your campaigns or tracking setup. Lookalike Audiences may also become more accurate because they’re built from a larger pool of customer signals. Campaigns using automated bidding, including Advantage+ campaigns, will also have richer behavioural data available when deciding where to serve ads.
You may also notice improvements in Meta’s reported Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and attributed conversions as the platform reconnects customer journeys that it previously couldn’t attribute. This won’t necessarily mean your campaigns have suddenly become more effective; it could just be that Meta has a better understanding of existing customer behaviour.
For retargeting specifically, the change could make it easier to stay in front of potential customers throughout a longer buying journey. Someone who visited your website but previously disconnected their off-Meta activity may now be eligible to enter your website custom audience and see follow-up ads for 30 days. Many purchases don’t happen after a single website visit or ad impression. A larger retargeting pool could also reduce audience saturation and lower cost per result as Meta has more users to distribute impressions across.
Monitoring Performance
Whenever attribution changes, reporting changes too. If your audiences become larger or your reported conversions increase, it’s tempting to assume that recent targeting or campaign changes are the cause. However, what’s more likely is that Meta’s ability to connect more user activity than it could before is what’s causing the improvement. This is why it’s important not to judge campaign success using platform metrics alone. Comparing Meta’s reporting with your own data, CRM performance, and business metrics will provide a more comprehensive overview of whether growth has taken place.
When this update starts to reach our clients’ accounts, we’ll be monitoring performance carefully before drawing any conclusions. The approach we’ll take includes:
- Recording current audience sizes, attribution metrics, and ROAS so we have a reliable comparison once the rollout is complete
- Avoiding assuming that an increase in audience size or attributed conversions automatically reflects stronger campaign performance rather than improved attribution
- Comparing Meta’s reporting against first-party data, including CRM information, sales performance, and lead quality, to ensure the reported improvements are translating into commercial results.
The Final Word
Meta’s latest update could change how campaigns perform and are measured. As more customer activity becomes available for audience matching and attribution, we can expect changes in audience sizes and reported results. The important thing is understanding why these changes in campaign performance are happening before making any strategic decisions.
If you’d like help interpreting your Meta ads performance or want to discuss how this update could affect your campaigns, get in touch with our team.