Meta Off-Platform Data Change 2026: Advertiser Guide

Quick Answer

In June 2026, Meta announced that it is retiring the setting known as 'Your activity off Meta technologies' — the control that let people disconnect the activity businesses share with Meta from their account — and replacing it with a broader 'Activity from other businesses' control. The new setting governs whether Meta uses business-shared activity data to personalise a person's experience: if it is on, ads and other content become more relevant; if it is off, Meta will not use that information for personalised ads or content. Crucially, the data it governs now feeds three things rather than one — advertising, Feed recommendations and Meta AI responses — so off-platform signals that previously shaped only ads can now also influence what appears in a person's Feed and how Meta AI answers. Meta states plainly, 'We aren't collecting any new data as part of this update,' framing the change as a repurposing of information businesses already share rather than new collection. The control and data-use changes go into effect in the US and a number of other countries from the month after the announcement, with more countries to follow, and country-specific details sit in Meta's Help Center; because regional data-protection regimes such as the EU's GDPR affect how such controls operate, advertisers targeting those markets should confirm the local position. For advertisers the change is context, not a task: it may affect how off-platform signals are used for personalisation, but it does not relieve advertisers of their own responsibility to collect and share data lawfully and with proper consent. Review the platform baseline in the Meta ad-policy reference, track the change on the Policy Change Tracker, and pre-check campaigns with the AI Compliance Audit.

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Meta's 'Activity from Other Businesses' Change in 2026: What the Retired Off-Platform Opt-Out Means for Advertisers

What Meta Changed

In June 2026, Meta announced that it is retiring the setting known as "Your activity off Meta technologies" — the control that allowed people to disconnect the activity businesses share with Meta from their account — and replacing it with a broader control called "Activity from other businesses." The new setting determines whether Meta uses that business-shared activity to personalise a person's experience: when it is on, ads and other content become more relevant; when it is off, Meta will not use the information for personalised ads or content.

The most consequential detail is what the data now powers. Previously, off-platform activity primarily shaped advertising. Under the change, the same information can also influence Feed recommendations and Meta AI responses — so a signal that once affected only ads can now affect what a person sees in their Feed and how Meta AI answers. Meta gives the example of a recent tent purchase leading to more camping-related Reels.

"We aren't collecting any new data as part of this update. These control and data-use changes will go into effect in the US and a number of other countries next month with more countries to follow.
— Meta, Newsroom update on controls for your activity from other businesses (June 2026)"

This guide explains what the old and new controls do, what the data now powers, and — most importantly for our readers — what the change does and does not mean for advertisers. For the platform baseline see the Meta ad-policy reference, and for the US framework see the United States Meta compliance guide.

The Old Control and the New One

Understanding the change means being precise about what each control governs. The retired setting and its replacement are not identical in scope, and the difference is the heart of the story.

Before and After

Element	Retired setting	New setting
Name	"Your activity off Meta technologies"	"Activity from other businesses" (formerly "Activity information from ad partners")
What it did	Let people disconnect activity businesses share with Meta from their account	Governs whether Meta uses business-shared activity to personalise the experience
Data collection	Concerned data businesses already share	No new data collected; repurposes information businesses already share
What it powers	Primarily advertising	Advertising, Feed recommendations and Meta AI responses

The key nuance is that the new control governs whether Meta uses shared activity to personalise, rather than whether businesses send that activity to Meta in the first place. Meta's own framing — that it is not collecting new data and is repurposing information businesses already share — points to the same distinction: the underlying data flow from businesses to Meta is a separate matter from the personalisation setting a user toggles. For advertisers, that separation is exactly why the change does not remove their own data-handling obligations, a point developed below and in the e-commerce and DTC compliance guide.

What the Data Now Powers

The expansion from one use to three is the substance of the change. Off-platform activity that businesses share with Meta can now influence more of the experience than before, which is why the update drew attention even though Meta describes it as involving no new data collection.

The Three Uses

Advertising: the existing use — off-platform signals help determine which ads a person sees, subject to the personalisation setting.
Feed recommendations: a new use — the same signals can now shape organic Feed content, such as which Reels are surfaced.
Meta AI responses: a new use — the signals can inform how Meta AI responds to a person's queries.

For a person, this means an off-platform action — Meta's example is a tent purchase — can ripple beyond ads into Feed content and AI answers. For advertisers, the practical relevance is that the environment their ads sit in is increasingly personalised by the same class of signals, and that personalisation is governed by a user-facing toggle. None of this changes what advertisers may run, but it is useful context for understanding how audiences experience the platform. Track how the rollout expands across markets on the Policy Change Tracker.

What It Means for Advertisers

The change is aimed at users and at how Meta personalises experiences; it imposes no new obligation on advertisers and does not change what advertisers are permitted to run. Its relevance is as context and as a prompt to check that your own data practices are sound — not as a compliance task created by the update itself.

The Signals for Advertisers

Personalisation is user-controlled: whether Meta uses off-platform signals to personalise ads and content depends on a setting each person controls, so addressable, personalised reach is shaped by user choices, not advertiser settings.
Off-platform signals reach further: because the same data now informs Feed and Meta AI, the surfaces around ads are more personalised, which is worth understanding when planning creative and placements.
Your data-sharing duty is unchanged: the update governs Meta's use of shared data, not your obligation to collect and share it lawfully; consent, notice and legal-basis requirements for your Pixel and Conversions API data remain yours to meet.
Context, not a directive: the change is best treated as background that informs planning and a reminder to review your own compliance, not as an instruction requiring a specific action.

Read this way, the update reinforces practices advertisers should already follow: ensuring the off-platform data you share with Meta is collected with proper consent and disclosed to users, keeping your data-sharing configuration aligned with applicable privacy law, and treating platform personalisation changes as context rather than as prompts to overhaul campaigns. Pre-check campaigns and data practices against platform and legal standards with the AI Compliance Audit, and review the platform baseline in the Meta ad-policy reference.

Advertiser Data-Sharing Checklist

[ ] Understood that Meta is retiring "Your activity off Meta technologies" for "Activity from other businesses"
[ ] Noted that the new control governs Meta's use for personalisation, not whether businesses share data
[ ] Recognised that shared off-platform data now feeds ads, Feed and Meta AI
[ ] Confirmed the change creates no new advertiser obligation and no change to what you may run
[ ] Verified your off-platform data is collected with proper consent and notice
[ ] Reviewed your Pixel and Conversions API data-sharing for legal basis and consent
[ ] Confirmed the rollout's status and scope for your target markets in Meta's Help Center
[ ] Checked that regional rules such as GDPR are reflected in your practices
[ ] Ensured your privacy notices accurately describe data you collect and share
[ ] Confirmed details against official Meta and regulator sources

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Meta changing with 'Activity from other businesses'?

Meta announced in June 2026 that it is retiring the setting called 'Your activity off Meta technologies' — the control that let people disconnect the activity businesses share with Meta from their account — and replacing it with a broader control called 'Activity from other businesses,' which was formerly known as 'Activity information from ad partners.' The new setting determines whether Meta uses business-shared activity data to personalise a person's experience: when it is on, ads and other content become more relevant; when it is off, Meta will not use that information for personalised ads or content. The single most important detail is the expansion of what the data powers. Under the previous arrangement, off-platform activity primarily shaped advertising. Under the change, the same shared activity can also influence Feed recommendations and Meta AI responses, so a signal that once affected only the ads a person saw can now also affect what appears in their Feed and how Meta AI answers their questions. Meta illustrates this with the example of a recent tent purchase leading to more camping-related Reels. Meta is explicit that the change does not involve gathering new information: in its words, 'We aren't collecting any new data as part of this update.' The update repurposes information that businesses already share with Meta rather than expanding collection. It is also important to understand what the control does and does not govern. It governs whether Meta uses shared activity to personalise the experience; it does not, by itself, govern whether businesses send that activity to Meta in the first place — that underlying data flow is a separate matter. The control and data-use changes go into effect in the US and a number of other countries from the month after the announcement, with more countries to follow, and country-specific details are in Meta's Help Center. For advertisers, the change is primarily context: it affects how off-platform signals are used for personalisation across more surfaces, but it does not change what advertisers may run or remove their own duty to handle data lawfully. Review the platform baseline in the Meta ad-policy reference, and track the rollout on the Policy Change Tracker. The organizing principle is that Meta replaced an off-platform opt-out with a personalisation control that now governs ads, Feed and Meta AI, without collecting new data.

Does this change mean advertisers can target more people or use more data?

The change does not create new advertiser targeting powers or give advertisers new data; it is a change to how Meta uses information businesses already share and to the user-facing control over that use, so advertisers should read it as context rather than as an expansion of what they can do. It is true that the practical effect of consolidating and repurposing the off-platform control could influence how personalisation works across Meta's surfaces, but the mechanism is Meta's use of shared data governed by a user setting, not a new advertiser capability. Whether Meta uses off-platform signals to personalise a given person's ads and content depends on that person's 'Activity from other businesses' setting — a control the user holds. So the reach and relevance an advertiser experiences is shaped by user choices about personalisation, not by a new lever the advertiser can pull. This is an important framing because it avoids two errors. The first error is assuming the change hands advertisers a larger or richer audience to target; it does not, since Meta is explicit that no new data is being collected and the update repurposes existing shared information. The second error is assuming advertisers need do nothing at all; while the change imposes no new obligation, it is a sensible prompt to confirm that the off-platform data an advertiser shares with Meta — typically via the Pixel or Conversions API — is collected lawfully, with the consent and notice that applicable rules require. That responsibility is unchanged by Meta's update and remains the advertiser's. There is also useful context for planning: because the same off-platform signals now inform Feed recommendations and Meta AI responses in addition to ads, the surfaces surrounding an advertiser's campaigns are more personalised than before, which can be worth understanding when thinking about creative and placements. But none of this is a targeting expansion. The measured reading is that advertisers gain no new data or targeting ability from the change, should not overreact to it, and should use it as a reminder to keep their own data-sharing practices compliant. Pre-check your campaigns and data practices with the AI Compliance Audit, and review the e-commerce and DTC compliance guide. The organizing principle is that the change repurposes existing shared data under a user-controlled setting, giving advertisers context rather than new targeting power or new data.

What data now feeds Feed and Meta AI, and why does that matter?

Under the June 2026 change, the off-platform activity that businesses share with Meta — the same class of data that previously helped shape advertising — can now also feed two additional uses: Feed recommendations and Meta AI responses. This matters because a person's off-platform actions can now influence not just the ads they see but the organic content surfaced in their Feed and the way Meta AI answers their queries, all governed by the 'Activity from other businesses' personalisation setting. Meta's own example makes the mechanism concrete: a recent tent purchase could lead to more camping-related Reels appearing in a person's Feed. In other words, a signal that a business shares with Meta about an off-platform action can ripple across the experience — ads, Feed and AI — rather than being confined to advertising. Meta is clear that this does not involve new data collection; it is a broader use of information businesses already share, which is why the company frames it as a data-use change rather than a data-gathering one. For a person, the significance is that the personalisation they experience is now more pervasive and is tied to a single control: turning 'Activity from other businesses' off means Meta will not use that shared activity to personalise ads or content, while turning it on makes those experiences more tailored. For advertisers, the relevance is contextual but real. The surfaces around an advertiser's ads — the Feed a person scrolls, the AI they interact with — are increasingly personalised by the same category of off-platform signals, which shapes how audiences engage with the platform and, indirectly, the environment in which ads appear. Understanding this helps advertisers think realistically about how their campaigns sit within a personalised experience, even though the change gives them no new capability and imposes no new duty. It also reinforces why advertisers should be careful that the off-platform data they contribute is collected and shared lawfully: that data now has a wider footprint in the user experience. The prudent posture is to treat the expansion as background for planning and as a prompt to keep data practices clean, not as a reason to change campaigns. Track how this evolves on the Policy Change Tracker, and review the platform baseline in the Meta ad-policy reference. The organizing principle is that shared off-platform activity now feeds ads, Feed and Meta AI under a single user control, broadening how personalisation is experienced without new data collection.

Do advertisers still need consent for off-platform data they share with Meta?

Yes — advertisers still need to collect and share off-platform data lawfully, with the consent and notice that applicable rules require, and Meta's June 2026 change does nothing to reduce that responsibility. This is the most important compliance point of the whole update: the new 'Activity from other businesses' control governs whether Meta uses shared activity to personalise a person's experience, but it does not govern, and does not substitute for, the legal basis on which an advertiser collected that activity and sent it to Meta in the first place. Those are two different things, and only one of them is addressed by the user-facing setting. When an advertiser sends off-platform activity to Meta — for example through the Meta Pixel or the Conversions API — the obligations to obtain user consent where required, to provide accurate notice about what data is collected and shared, and to have a valid legal basis under the applicable privacy regime all remain the advertiser's. A user toggling Meta's personalisation control off changes how Meta uses the data, but it does not retroactively cure a failure to collect that data properly, nor does it transfer the advertiser's consent obligations to Meta. Advertisers who treat Meta's setting as if it resolved their consent duties would be misreading the change. The regional dimension reinforces this. Data-protection regimes such as the EU's GDPR affect how such controls and data uses operate, and Meta itself notes that the changes go into effect in the US and a number of other countries with more to follow, with country-specific details in its Help Center. That means the exact position can differ by market, and advertisers targeting jurisdictions with strong privacy law should not assume the US rollout describes their situation. The sound approach is to keep your consent, disclosure and legal-basis practices current and market-appropriate for the data you share, ensure your privacy notices accurately describe what you collect and share, and confirm the local requirements rather than relying on a platform setting. In short, the platform change is about Meta's use of data, while lawful collection and sharing remain squarely the advertiser's job. Run a multi-jurisdiction review with the legal compliance scan, and see the EU DSA compliance guide. The organizing principle is that advertisers remain responsible for lawful, consented collection and sharing of off-platform data regardless of Meta's personalisation control.

How does this affect advertisers in the EU or other strict-privacy markets?

For advertisers in the EU or other markets with strong data-protection regimes, the practical effect of Meta's change is that they should not assume the US rollout describes their situation and should confirm the local position, because regional rules such as the GDPR affect how controls and data use operate and the change is being introduced market by market. Meta stated that the control and data-use changes go into effect in the US and a number of other countries from the month after the June 2026 announcement, with more countries to follow, and that country-specific details are available in its Help Center — language that signals variation across markets rather than a single global switch. That variation matters most where privacy law is strict. In the EU, data protection is governed by the GDPR, which imposes requirements around lawful basis, consent, transparency and user rights that shape how a platform can use personal data and how advertisers must handle the data they collect and share. A user-facing personalisation control is only one part of a larger legal picture in such markets, and advertisers cannot treat it as the whole of their compliance. The core responsibilities that fall on advertisers — ensuring that off-platform activity shared with Meta via the Pixel or Conversions API is collected with a valid legal basis and appropriate consent, providing accurate notice to users, and honouring user rights — are especially significant under regimes like the GDPR and are unaffected by how Meta chooses to use shared data. The right approach for advertisers in these markets is therefore threefold. First, confirm the current status and scope of the change for each target market rather than generalising from the US rollout, using Meta's Help Center and official sources. Second, keep consent, disclosure and legal-basis practices aligned with the specific regime that applies, recognising that requirements differ across jurisdictions. Third, ensure privacy notices accurately reflect the data collected and shared. Because these areas evolve and vary, advertisers should verify requirements against official regulator and Meta sources rather than assume a fixed state. The measured posture is to treat the change as context, confirm the market-specific position, and keep your own privacy practices robust. See the EU DSA compliance guide, run the legal compliance scan for a multi-jurisdiction view, and review the Meta ad-policy reference. The organizing principle is that strict-privacy-market advertisers must confirm the local position and keep their own GDPR-grade data practices current, because regional rules shape how the change applies.

What should advertisers actually do in response to this change?

Advertisers should respond to Meta's 'Activity from other businesses' change with a measured, review-focused posture rather than a campaign overhaul: understand what changed, recognise that it imposes no new advertiser obligation, and use it as a prompt to confirm that their own data-sharing practices are lawful and current. Because the change is aimed at users and at how Meta personalises experiences, the right response is context-setting and housekeeping, not a reaction that treats the update as a mandate. The first step is accurate understanding. Advertisers should be clear that Meta is retiring the 'Your activity off Meta technologies' opt-out in favour of the broader 'Activity from other businesses' control; that the control governs whether Meta uses shared activity to personalise, not whether businesses share data; that the shared data now feeds ads, Feed and Meta AI; and that Meta says no new data is being collected. Getting this framing right prevents both overreaction and complacency. The second step is confirming their own compliance. Even though the change adds no obligation, it is a natural moment to verify that off-platform data shared with Meta via the Pixel or Conversions API is collected with proper consent and notice, that the legal basis is sound for each market, and that privacy notices accurately describe what is collected and shared. Advertisers targeting strict-privacy markets should confirm the local position rather than assume the US rollout applies to them. The third step is treating the personalisation expansion as planning context: because off-platform signals now shape Feed and Meta AI as well as ads, the surfaces around campaigns are more personalised, which is useful to understand when planning creative and placements — without changing what advertisers may run. The fourth step is restraint: not overhauling campaigns on the basis of a user-side control change, not assuming new targeting power exists, and not treating a platform setting as a substitute for the advertiser's own consent duties. This measured approach — understand, confirm compliance, use as context, avoid overreaction — keeps advertisers well-positioned and compliant without diverting effort to a change that does not require it. Pre-check campaigns and data practices with the AI Compliance Audit, track the rollout on the Policy Change Tracker, and confirm details against official Meta sources. The organizing principle is that advertisers should meet the change with understanding and a compliance review of their own data-sharing, not with campaign changes or assumptions of new capability.

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Meta's 'Activity from Other Businesses' Change in 2026: What the Retired Off-Platform Opt-Out Means for Advertisers

What Meta Changed

The Old Control and the New One

Before and After

What the Data Now Powers

The Three Uses

What It Means for Advertisers

The Signals for Advertisers

Advertiser Data-Sharing Checklist

Frequently Asked Questions

Don't miss the next policy change.

Report Keywords — Run AI Compliance Audit

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Related Resources

All Tools

Platform Guides

Knowledge Hub

Policy Tracker

Platforms

Industries

Knowledge

Blog

What Meta Changed

The Old Control and the New One

Before and After

What the Data Now Powers

The Three Uses

What It Means for Advertisers

The Signals for Advertisers

Consent, Data Sharing and Regional Rules

Where Advertiser Responsibility Sits

Advertiser Data-Sharing Checklist

Frequently Asked Questions

Don't miss the next policy change.

Report Keywords — Run AI Compliance Audit

Share This Report

Related Posts

Meta's Instagram Teen Accounts in 2026: 13+ Content Filtering and What It Means for Advertisers and Brands

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Related Resources

All Tools

Platform Guides

Knowledge Hub

Policy Tracker