I know, I know, Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and we’re all checked out of work. You probably didn’t expect a Freshpaint 5 today, but Meta dropped some Big News a few days ago that I had to cover.
So, this newsletter will be a little bit different than the typical Freshpaint 5. We have one Big Topic to cover today: Meta's upcoming data restrictions. But, as usual, we have a few other gems in this newsletter as well.
Reminder: Before we get to Meta, I'm still looking to understand how healthcare organizations are thinking about data privacy under a Trump presidency. If you have 60 seconds to give me your thoughts, click here to take a survey.
(P.S. The survey is completely anonymous)
Let's get into it...
🚨 Meta News 🚨
Meta has announced new data-sharing restrictions for regulated industries like healthcare, starting in 2025. As usual, Meta has shared limited details about these changes, leaving the rest of us to piece together their implications and prepare for the impact.
To help, we’ve been working closely with Meta insiders and leading healthcare brands to navigate these changes and to continue effectively using Facebook in a high-performance, privacy-first way.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far:
These changes could limit how businesses can share data via tools like Pixel, CAPI, and App Events API, impacting campaign optimization for many healthcare marketers.
Meta could categorize your healthcare organization like this:
By data source, like Health & Wellness, rather than ad content.
Health & Wellness is further broken down by Providers and Patient Portals.
We’ve learned from Meta insiders that healthcare companies classified as patient portals may face full restrictions of lower funnel events.
Some of the biggest brands in healthcare have already heard from Meta that their existing event strategy can continue because they’ve already taken a privacy-first approach, implementing things like:
Using tools that restrict the sharing of PHI with Meta.
Naming events in a way that doesn’t share any intent or context with Meta—avoid using descriptive terms like "Booked Appointment" or "Payment."
If you're unsure how to navigate these changes, here’s our guidance right now:
Check to see how Meta is categorizing your business and data sources. If your business is categorized as health and wellness in the U.S., your conversion events may be restricted.
If you’re sending events from within a patient portal or app that has a logged-in state, consider following the steps below or moving the event further up the funnel to a website conversion.
Remove the Meta Pixel from your site and replace it with a BAA-supported tracker like Freshpaint. This crucial step prevents Meta from receiving sensitive information that could trigger full restriction status.
Audit the events you're sharing with Meta and avoid naming them in a way that describes their intent (e.g., "Appointment" = bad, "Event_T4B9" = good). Top healthcare advertisers have confirmed that using neutral names has helped them avoid Meta restrictions.
An ask for you: We’re still learning and need more intel! If you have insight into this situation, click here to share. Your knowledge will help us build a clearer understanding of how these restrictions will affect healthcare marketers and potentially inform how Freshpaint as a product can help.
The last question we'll answer here is: why?
Why is Meta doing this now?
Truthfully, it's a "CYA" situation. Meta is trying to cover themselves from three pressures:
Lawsuits. If you look at the timeline of healthcare privacy events over the past few years, Meta has been named as a defendant in a number of lawsuits because of their data collection practices.
Regulatory complexity. State-level privacy laws are becoming increasingly complex, stricter, and more widespread. Instead of addressing each law individually, Meta has chosen to comply universally by restricting the collection of all healthcare data.
Public sentiment. Public awareness around data privacy, particularly health data, has grown in recent years. With high-profile data breaches and increasing media coverage, individuals are becoming more conscious of how their sensitive information is collected, shared, and used. Meta can't afford additional negative press that further erodes trust in their products.
We'll have more on this as we learn more. Stay tuned for all the news right here in The Freshpaint 5.
And finally, If you missed this note above, I'll reiterate it here: We’re still learning and need more intel! If you have insight into this situation, click here to share.
Ready to close out the year with a slam dunk? Join us for Freshpaint LIVE as the Miami Heat face off against the LA Lakers! This is your shot to connect with fellow healthcare marketing pros in an exclusive, all-access setting. We'll be talking full-funnel marketing, privacy, and compliance strategies while enjoying all the action on the court. Click here to sign up.
