In late August and September, Facebook changed its website and landing page moderation algorithms. The update primarily affects media buyers and teams that run advertising in gray verticals through cloaking.
For those who run traffic to white offers on direct websites without splitting traffic flows, the rules have not changed. Therefore, the new checks do not directly affect them.
When ads are launched, Facebook bots always check the link in the ad. If the website violates the platform's rules, the ad is rejected or the advertising account itself is blocked.
Now moderation has learned to detect page substitution more accurately. Previously, bots only checked the white page and approved the ad, but now they get past the filters and find the offer's real landing page.
The first mass rejections citing «content substitution» began in late August, and by the end of September, bans and rejections had affected practically all gray verticals: gambling, nutra, crypto and finance.
What changed in link moderation
Cloaking — is a method of separating users and bots, where moderation is shown one permitted website, while real users are shown the offer page. In traffic arbitrage, it is used to launch advertising in verticals that are prohibited or difficult to advertise directly.
Previously, Facebook moderation checked links using standard bots. If the cloaking system identified a bot and redirected it to the white page, the ad passed the review and started running.
Now Facebook sends additional bots for review that imitate the behavior of ordinary users from the target country. Such a bot follows the link disguised as a real click from a mobile device and reaches the actual landing page.
If the system detects a difference between what was shown during the first review and where a real user lands, the ad is immediately rejected. If the destination page contains serious violations, the account is blocked for violating advertising policies (policy).
How campaigns are launched now
To pass moderation under the new conditions, teams are changing how they work with links:
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Delayed launch. The campaign is submitted for review with only a white page, while the offer link is not connected at all. The advertising account is left in moderation for several hours or a full day. The link to the real landing page is enabled manually or through software shortly before actual ad delivery begins.
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Filtering desktop traffic. Most Facebook review bots visit websites using desktop parameters, while target users arrive from mobile phones. Therefore, in the tracker settings, all desktop traffic is forcibly redirected to the white page, while smartphone users are allowed through.
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Stricter bot filters. Simple bot databases can no longer handle Facebook's new checks. Media buyers are switching to more restrictive filtering services that were previously used mainly for Google Ads moderation.
