Facebook Advertising Rules

Facebook has more than 2 billion users per month. Facebook Ads let advertisers identify their target audience and promote their product or service in an effective way. Check the advertising policies of this platform in order to avoid moderation problems with your ads in the future!

General Rules

1. Make sure that the content and target of your ad do not break any rules or regulations.
2. All ads must meet Facebook and Instagram community standards.
3. Use pictures with minimum text (or even without it). Learn more about rules and exceptions in Ads Help Center.
4. The ad must:

• be specific and accurate;
• represent your product, service or brand;
• match the essence of what it offers.

5. The landing page of the ad must match the advertised product or service.
6. It is forbidden to use targeting parameters for discrimination, insulting, provoking, humiliating, or running an aggressive advertising campaign.
7. Follow Custom Audiences Terms while creating audiences.
8. Facebook Ads cannot request the following information without prior written permission:

• account numbers;
• criminal history;
• financial information;
• government issued identifiers;
• health information;
• insurance information;
• political affiliation;
• race or ethnicity;
• religion;
• sexual orientation;
• template questions;
• trade union membership;
• usernames orf passwords.

 Prohibited Content

1. Adult content

Sexual content is forbidden, even for artistic and educational purposes.

Ads must not contain:

• images of naked body parts or a hint of nudity (even if sexuality is not implied and is clearly emphasized);
• images of people in obscene poses;
• images of intensively provoking or sexually provoking actions.

The only exception is the use of images of statues.

2. Illegal activities, products or services.
3. Discrimination.
4. Tobacco or tobacco-related products.
5. Suggests to buy or use illegal drugs and prescription drugs.
6. Selling or using unsafe food supplements. The ad must be targeted to people over 18 years old.
7. Selling or using any kind of weapons, ammunition, explosives or products for weapon modification.
8. Adult products or services.

The ad must not promote the sale or the use of adult products or services. The only exceptions are family planning and contraception ads. The ad must also be targeted to people over 18 years old.

9. Third-party infringement content.
10. Shocking content in which violence or disrespect towards people is shown.
11. Personal characteristics.

Implying or indirectly making assertions about a person’s personal characteristics is prohibited. Facebook includes the following categories in personal characteristics:

• race;
• ethnicity;
• religion;
• age;
• sexual orientation or behavior;
• gender identity;
• disability;
• health information (including physical and mental health);
• financial wealth;
• trade union membership;
• criminal history;
• name.

 Find examples of acceptable use of personal characteristics here.

12. Confusing and fake content.
13. Controversial content.

Content which displays controversial political and social issues used for commercial purposes is prohibited.

14. Non-working landing pages as well as the content on them which does not allow the user to exit the page.
15. Selling surveillance equipment: spy cameras, cell phone tracking gadgets, or other covert surveillance equipment.
16. Profanity, bad grammar or punctuation.
17. Non-existing features displayed in ads.
18. Personal health propaganda, including content promoting diets with unrealistic results which can have a detrimental effect on the user’s self-esteem. Find examples of acceptable and unacceptable ads here.  
19. Payday loans, paycheck advances, bail bonds, or any short-term loans intended to cover someone's expenses until their next payday.
20. High-yield investment programs and multi-level marketing.
21. Bidding fee auction models or other similar business models.
22. Fake documents such as diplomas, passports, or immigration documents.
23. Low-quality or obscene content.
24. Spy or malicious software which can cause unexpected consequences or fraud.
25. Audio or flash animation which launches without interaction from the user.
26. Goods which promote or ease unauthorized access to digital resources.
27. Circumventing the Facebook advertising control and verification system.
28. Financial products and services which are associated with fraud schemes.
29. Ads must not break Facebook and Instagram community standards.

 Restricted content

1. Alcohol

Ad requirements:

• the ad must meet the current legislation of the platform it will be displayed on;
• the ad must be shown to a target audiences which meets Facebook requirements regarding age and regional criteria.

 Learn more about advertising alcohol rules here.

2. Dating services.

Advertising services which help people find a sexual partner is prohibited. This type of ad is allowed only with prior written permission from Facebook. Dating targeting requirements and quality guidelines can be found here.

3. Gambling for real money

Gambling ads (including online) are allowed only in specific countries with prior written permission. The ad must be targeted to people over 18 years old.

4. State lotteries

The content of state lottery ads must meet local legislation. Ads must be targeted to people within the jurisdiction where the lottery is running.

5. Prescription drugs

Advertising prescription drugs is prohibited. Advertising regular and online drugstores is allowed only with prior written permission from Facebook.

6. Dietary and herbal supplements

Advertising dietary and herbal supplements must be targeted to people over 18 years old.

7. Subscription services

Advertising subscription services or products which include negative options, automatic prolongation, mobile marketing, or free-to-pay conversion billing products must match Facebook Subscription Services Requirements.

8. Financial services

The landing page of the ad which offers financial services by accredited financial organizations must provide the user with all required information (including transaction fees). When advertising credit cards or insurance, the ad must not request the user to fill in their personal financial information including credit card details.

9. Branded content

Ads which promote branded content must contain information about third-party products, brands and business partners.

10. Student loans

Ads which promote student loans must be targeted toon people over 18 years old. Such an ad is prohibited to use for promoting misleading services connected with consolidation, cancellation, or refinancing of loans.

11. Political issues and issues of national importance.
12. A statement about the source of funding in the header.
13. Cryptocurrency and related products.

Ads promoting cryptocurrency products and services are prohibited without Facebook’s prior written permission.

14. Alcohol and drug addiction treatment.

Ads promoting alcohol and drug addiction treatment clinics are prohibited without Facebook’s prior written permission.

Requirements for video ads

1. Ads must not be visually aggressive.
2. Explicit content must be targeted to people over 18 years of age.
3. Intensive demonstration of drug or alcohol consumption, explicit content, profanity, and violence is prohibited

Facebook and Instagram brand resources usage rules

1. Any partnership and support from Facebook, Instagram or other Facebook companies must not be implied in the ad.
2. Facebook and Instagram brands can be used in the advertising text but only in the format of links to content.
3. The brand must not be the most visible and eye-catching element of the ad’s design.
4. It is prohibited to make changes in brand resources.
5. Usage of Facebook copyright objects, trademarks, or any other marks which are similar in appearance are prohibited (except objects and trademarks from Facebook and Instragram resource centers or those that you have received Facebook’s prior written permission to use).
6. Images of Facebook, Facebook Messenger, or Instagram user interface in the ad must reflect the appearance and functionality of the latest version of the interface on the chosen device.

 Learn more about brand resource usage in Facebook Brand Resource Center and Instagram Brand Resource Center. 

Facebook advertising data usage limitations

1. Protect the data you receive from your ad campaigns. It must be available only for those who work on your behalf.
2. Facebook advertising data can be used on a general and anonymous basis for ad campaign evaluation only (unless Facebook did not provide you with other permissions).
3. Facebook advertising data (including targeting criteria) cannot be used for creating, editing and merging profiles to influence them or increase their number (including profiles associated with identifiers of any mobile devices, or other unique identifiers which can identify the person, type of web browser, computer, or device).
4. It is prohibited to transfer Facebook advertising data (including anonymous, aggregated, or derived data) to any other advertising network, advertising exchange, data broker or any other service which is concerned with ads or monetization.