Meta Audience Network sends user data to Meta Platforms, Inc. The SDK transfers device identifiers, ad-interaction data and device attributes to Meta, which combines them with its own Facebook and Instagram data to personalize ads — a third-party transfer that App Store review, Google Play and the GDPR all require you to disclose. Generate a full privacy policy with this clause built in →
Does Meta Audience Network need a privacy policy disclosure?
Yes. Meta Audience Network (formerly Facebook Audience Network) lets Meta serve ads inside your app using its advertiser demand. When an ad loads, the Audience Network SDK sends Meta your device advertising identifier (IDFA on iOS, Android Advertising ID on Android), your IP address, device attributes (model, screen dimensions, OS, mediation platform and SDK versions) and ad-performance data such as impressions, clicks, placement and viewability.
Meta acts as an independent data controller for this data and matches it against the profile it holds for the same person on Facebook and Instagram. That cross-context use is squarely "tracking" under Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework and Guideline 5.1.2, so Audience Network requires an ATT prompt before it can read the IDFA. Note that Audience Network has run on a bidding-only model since 2024 (the older self-mediated waterfall API is deprecated), so in practice you integrate it through a mediation platform such as AppLovin MAX, LevelPlay or AdMob — but you still disclose Meta directly. Meta Audience Network is actively supported as of 2026; it is not being wound down, though its mobile-web and in-stream video placements were discontinued years ago and publisher eligibility varies by country.
What data does Meta Audience Network collect?
| Data type | Purpose | Linked to the user? | Used for tracking? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Device advertising identifier (IDFA / Android Ad ID) | Ad personalization, measurement, frequency capping | Yes | Yes |
| IP address (and approximate location derived from it) | Ad delivery, general-location targeting, fraud prevention | Yes | Yes |
| Ad-performance data (impressions, clicks, placement, viewability) | Ad measurement and optimization | Yes | Yes |
| Device attributes (model, screen dimensions, OS, mediation platform and SDK versions) | Ad rendering, compatibility, fraud prevention | Yes | No |
| App and session activity around ad requests | Ad delivery and analytics | Yes | Yes |
The exact list depends on your configuration. If you also run the Meta (Facebook) SDK for app events, logins or the Conversions API, that is a separate, broader data flow with its own disclosure. Enabling Limited Data Use, test mode or specific ad formats also changes what is sent.
Copy-paste privacy policy clause for Meta Audience Network
We use Meta Audience Network, an advertising service provided by Meta
Platforms, Inc., to display ads in this app. When an ad is requested or
shown, the Audience Network SDK collects and transmits to Meta your
device advertising identifier (IDFA on iOS, Android Advertising ID on
Android), IP address, device attributes such as model and operating
system, and ad-interaction data including impressions and clicks. Meta
acts as an independent data controller and may combine this data with
information it holds about you from its other products to select and
measure ads. This processing constitutes cross-app tracking, and in the
European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland we request
your consent before Audience Network loads personalized ads. For users
in applicable US states we enable Meta's Limited Data Use setting. Learn
more at https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/ and
https://www.facebook.com/help/audiencenetwork/.Adapt it: name your company, note the mediation platform you use, and add a separate paragraph if you also run the core Meta SDK. This text is a starting point, not legal advice; you are responsible for its accuracy.
App Store "App Privacy" label answers
In App Store Connect, declare for the Audience Network SDK:
- Identifiers > Device ID — purpose Third-Party Advertising; Linked to the user; Used to Track You.
- Usage Data > Product Interaction and Usage Data > Advertising Data — Third-Party Advertising and Developer's Advertising or Marketing; Linked; Used to Track You.
- Diagnostics > Performance Data — App Functionality and Analytics.
- Consider Location > Coarse Location because Meta derives approximate location from the IP address.
Because Audience Network accesses the IDFA you must answer "Yes" to the tracking question and present an ATT prompt. The Audience Network SDK is on Apple's list of commonly used third-party SDKs and ships a signed privacy manifest; keep it on a current version for Guideline 5.1.2.
Google Play Data Safety answers
- Device or other IDs — Collected: Yes. Shared: Yes. Purpose: Advertising or marketing, Analytics, Fraud prevention. Not processed ephemerally.
- App activity > App interactions — Collected: Yes. Shared: Yes. Purpose: Advertising or marketing, Analytics.
- App info and performance > Diagnostics — Collected: Yes. Shared: Yes.
- Location > Approximate location — derived from IP; declare unless your integration disables it.
Data sharing is "Yes": the SDK transmits data to Meta as a separate company acting as its own controller. Users can exercise deletion and opt-out rights through Meta's privacy tools; describe that route in your policy.
Meta Audience Network-specific gotchas
- Limited Data Use is off by default. For CCPA/CPRA and other US state laws you must set the
DataProcessingOptions(Limited Data Use) flag on SDK v5.10 or later, or Meta will not restrict processing for those users. - Meta is a controller, not your processor. It merges Audience Network signals with its own Facebook and Instagram profile data, so this is cross-context behavioral advertising and unambiguously "tracking."
- Bidding-only since 2024. You integrate through a mediation partner; that mediator's SDK loads Audience Network but does not carry Meta's disclosure or consent, which remain your responsibility.
- GDPR consent must reach Meta. Without a valid IAB TCF consent signal or your own equivalent, Audience Network will not serve personalized ads in the EEA, UK and Switzerland.
- Regional and eligibility limits. Publisher access varies by country and some placement types (mobile web, in-stream video) were retired; do not assume global availability.
- Separate the core Meta SDK. App events, Facebook Login and the Conversions API are a distinct integration with a much larger data footprint and their own label answers.
Related
See the sibling clause guides for Google AdMob, AppLovin MAX, Unity Ads, and ironSource (LevelPlay). For a Firebase and Google Analytics policy, see the Firebase privacy policy generator, and assemble the whole document with the privacy policy page generator.