Ask If a social media ad network can’t track users, how would it still target ads effectively without losing revenue?

[Dean101]

Networks can infer relevance from page content, search keywords, and real-time engagement patterns like clicks, dwell time, and scroll depth. Instead of tracking people, they rely on privacy-safe cohorts, on-device processing, and broad location signals to approximate audience interests.
Performance feedback still comes from aggregate conversion rates, A/B testing of creatives, and anonymized funnel logs showing drop-offs. Over time, these patterns help optimize messaging without exposing individual identities, but can they stay as precise as behavioral tracking?

 

[Ahmedo24]

For a social media ad network that can't track users but still need to target ads effectively without loosing revenue, it must be shift from who to where and what. You will need to serve ads based on the content being viewed, not the user's history. For instance, fitness ads should be in workout videos.