Sensitive Categories
Personal data categories related to health, religion, politics, or sexuality that are restricted for ad targeting under GDPR and platform policies.
What Sensitive Categories means
Sensitive categories encompass personal data and targeting criteria related to health conditions, religious beliefs, political opinions, sexual orientation, trade union membership, racial/ethnic origin, and biometric/genetic data. Under GDPR Article 9, processing sensitive personal data requires explicit consent or another specific exemption. The EU Digital Services Act prohibits targeting ads based on profiling using sensitive personal data. Platforms have removed many sensitive targeting options — Meta eliminated thousands of detailed targeting categories related to health, religion, and politics. Google restricts personalized advertising based on sensitive categories. For advertisers, this means that targeting users based on sensitive attributes is increasingly prohibited both by regulation and platform policy. Contextual alternatives (placing health ads on health content rather than targeting health-interested users) are the compliant approach for reaching relevant audiences.
Related terms
GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation — the EU's comprehensive data protection law governing how personal data is collected, processed, and stored.
Digital Services Act
An EU regulation imposing transparency, content moderation, and advertising rules on online platforms and search engines.
Audience Targeting
The process of defining which users will see an ad based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and other criteria.
Special Ad Categories
Platform-designated ad categories (housing, employment, credit, politics) with restricted targeting to prevent discrimination.