--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'Targeting' is polite ads-speak for the…" description: "\"'Targeting' is polite ads-speak for the data levers that Facebook exposes to advertisers, allowing that predatory lot to dissect the user base - that w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/antonio-garcia-martinez-11158_biology_targeting-is-polite-ads-speak-for-the-da_1431664.jpg" --- # 'Targeting' is polite ads-speak for the data levers that… ![“'Targeting' is polite ads-speak for the data levers that Facebook exposes to advertisers, allowing that predatory lot to dissect the user base - that would be you - like a biology lab frog, drawing and quartering it into various components, and seeing which clicked most on its ads.” quote by Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/antonio-garcia-martinez-11158_biology_targeting-is-polite-ads-speak-for-the-da_1431664.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/antonio-garcia-martinez-11158_biology_targeting-is-polite-ads-speak-for-the-da_1431664.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/antonio-garcia-martinez-11158_biology_targeting-is-polite-ads-speak-for-the-da_1431664.jpg) > “'Targeting' is polite ads-speak for the data levers that Facebook exposes to advertisers, allowing that predatory lot to dissect the user base - that would be you - like a biology lab frog, drawing and quartering it into various components, and seeing which clicked most on its ads.” [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facebook’s ad platform lets advertisers dissect users like lab specimens, exposing personal data to manipulative targeting. **In simple terms:** Facebook lets advertisers break users into data points. Key Takeaway Beware of data exploitation in targeted ads. Themes privacy advertising data exploitation ethics surveillance Mood concerned critical Type ethical explanatory When to use this quote - social media marketing - privacy policy drafting - consumer education - regulatory compliance Key Concepts behavioral targeting data mining consumer manipulation Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can protect user data? - How transparent should ad targeting be? A Different Perspective User consent is often vague and uninformed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) [Clicked Ads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clicked-ads-5099423/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing/) [Exposes Advertisers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exposes-advertisers-5099420/) [Facebook Exposes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facebook-exposes-5099421/) [Frog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frog/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Targeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/targeting/) [Targeting Polite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/targeting-polite-5099422/) [Twitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twitter/) ## Related quotes > [They were targeting those people I referred to as 'little Eichmanns.' These were legitimate targets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/they-were-targeting-those-people-i-referred-to-as-little-eichmanns/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [Now, we don't get that many specific threats against sporting events, per se. But we know from listening to the chatter how terrorists want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-t-king/now-we-don-t-get-that-many-specific-threats-against-sporting-events/) [Peter T. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-t-king/) > [I think what actually works best is local-level individual targeting of key leadership nodes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-abizaid/i-think-what-actually-works-best-is-local-level-individual-targeting/) [John Abizaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-abizaid/) > [Judicial Watch's FOIA lawsuits have already shown the Obama State Department was corruptly targeting President Trump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-fitton/judicial-watch-s-foia-lawsuits-have-already-shown-the-obama-state/) [Tom Fitton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-fitton/) > [To me extremism is targeting endangered whales in a whale sanctuary in violation of a moratorium. That, to me, is extreme.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/to-me-extremism-is-targeting-endangered-whales-in-a-whale-sanctuary/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [“Selling without targeting is like sailing without a compass. Think before you invest more time in pursuing the lead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timi-nadela/selling-without-targeting-is-like-sailing-without-a-compass-think/) [Timi Nadela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timi-nadela/) > [ISIS targeting the U.S. military is like a sheep targeting a lion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakota-meyer/isis-targeting-the-u-s-military-is-like-a-sheep-targeting-a-lion/) [Dakota Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dakota-meyer/) > [Alinsky's 1971 book, 'Rules for Radicals,' is a favorite of the Obamas. Michele Obama quoted it at the Democratic Convention. One Alinsky tactic is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-rove/alinsky-s-1971-book-rules-for-radicals-is-a-favorite-of-the-obamas/) [Karl Rove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-rove/) > [In many cases, Obama's exercise of authoritarian power is criminal. His executive branch is responsible for violations of the Arms Export Control Act in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/in-many-cases-obama-s-exercise-of-authoritarian-power-is-criminal-his/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [Everyone dies, and before that, most people eventually lose some of their faculties. So some people worry that as marketers get better at targeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/everyone-dies-and-before-that-most-people-eventually-lose-some-of/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Today, corruption has won and justice has lost. I brought corruption cases in good faith involving powerful people, and the political and legal establishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-thomas/today-corruption-has-won-and-justice-has-lost-i-brought-corruption/) [Andrew Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-thomas/) > [These same people who accuse Planned Parenthood of 'targeting' African-American children, they care about you only while you're in the womb. The minute you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-moore/these-same-people-who-accuse-planned-parenthood-of-targeting-african/) [Gwen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-moore/) > [Counterterrorism analysts have known for years that al Qaeda prepares for attacks with elaborate 'targeting packages' of photographs and notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/counterterrorism-analysts-have-known-for-years-that-al-qaeda-prepares/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [We have a rise of extremism because we need to give a sense that we are targeting some of the deeper problems in Greece,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/we-have-a-rise-of-extremism-because-we-need-to-give-a-sense-that-we/) [George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/) > [Would that it were so! ... That the American military were targeting journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/would-that-it-were-so-that-the-american-military-were-targeting/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) ## More by Antonio Garcia Martinez > [If you're a small startup considering selling your company, there's definitely far worse places to work than Facebook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/if-you-re-a-small-startup-considering-selling-your-company-there-s/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [Cubans can be as conversant as any Netflix-and-chill American about popular shows like 'House of Cards' or 'Black Mirror', and they drop allusions to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/cubans-can-be-as-conversant-as-any-netflix-and-chill-american-about/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“An empty pageant; a stage play; flocks of sheep, herds of cattle; a bone flung among a pack of dogs; a crumb tossed into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/an-empty-pageant-a-stage-play-flocks-of-sheep-herds-of-cattle-a-bone/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [You don't realise it, but we're in a race between technology and politics, and technologists are winning. They're way ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/you-don-t-realise-it-but-we-re-in-a-race-between-technology-and/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“All ambitious men want either to please their fathers or to punch them in the goddamned face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/all-ambitious-men-want-either-to-please-their-fathers-or-to-punch/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Don’t work for the survivors or architects of massacres. You’ll live just long enough to regret it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/don-t-work-for-the-survivors-or-architects-of-massacres-you-ll-live/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Cynicism is the last refuge of the shiftless. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/cynicism-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-shiftless-i/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Incidentally, it helps to have enemies. While love is a beautiful emotion, far more empires have been built, books written, wrongs righted, fights won,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/incidentally-it-helps-to-have-enemies-while-love-is-a-beautiful/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“To make an analogy, a capped note is like having to seduce five women one after the other, while an equity round is having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/to-make-an-analogy-a-capped-note-is-like-having-to-seduce-five-women/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“In all my experience in both startups and large companies, including and especially at Facebook, I would always prefer - a hundred times prefer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/in-all-my-experience-in-both-startups-and-large-companies-including/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Despite the fact that the entire continent was unable to itself produce even a single consumer Internet company of global scope, Europe did reserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/despite-the-fact-that-the-entire-continent-was-unable-to-itself/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“As a Facebook product manager, you resembled an Afghan warlord or a pirate captain: fearsome in appearance to any outsiders, the scourge of entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/as-a-facebook-product-manager-you-resembled-an-afghan-warlord-or-a/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Managing a combined deal between Facebook and Twitter was like trying to engineer simultaneous orgasm between a premature ejaculator and a frigid woman: nigh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/managing-a-combined-deal-between-facebook-and-twitter-was-like-trying/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [In the early days, a Georgia college kid named Chris Putnam created a virus that made your Facebook profile resemble MySpace, then the social-media…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/in-the-early-days-a-georgia-college-kid-named-chris-putnam-created-a/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) > [“Most managers are incompetent and maintain their jobs via inertia and politics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/most-managers-are-incompetent-and-maintain-their-jobs-via-inertia-and/) [Antonio Garcia Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) [Explore all 61 Antonio Garcia Martinez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/) ## More Biology quotes > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [“Genetics is a science full of gods, Mr. Sanchez.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/genetics-is-a-science-full-of-gods-mr-sanchez/) [Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/) > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [“Toshiaki learned that all living organisms were governed by their DNA. He was impressed by perfection of this system.Why did existence have the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideaki-sena/toshiaki-learned-that-all-living-organisms-were-governed-by-their-dna/) [Hideaki Sena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideaki-sena/) > [I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-all-about-evolution-i-m-the-first-person-to-judge-myself/) [The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) > [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/) [Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/) > [“A note of caution: epigenetics is also on the verge of transforming into a dangerous idea. Epigenetic modifications of genes can potentially superpose historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/a-note-of-caution-epigenetics-is-also-on-the-verge-of-transforming/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [Natural history is not taught in seminary. 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But after thinking seriously about that field, I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-medicine-and-was-pleased-when-my/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [Evolution... is the most powerful and the most comprehensive idea that has ever arisen on Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/evolution-is-the-most-powerful-and-the-most-comprehensive-idea-that/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) [Browse all 3,034 Biology quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'Targeting' is polite ads-speak for the data levers that Facebook exposes to advertisers, allowing that predatory lot to dissect the user base - that would be you - like a biology lab frog, drawing and quartering it into various components, and seeing which clicked most on its ads.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Antonio Garcia Martinez" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/targeting-is-polite-ads-speak-for-the-data-levers-that-facebook/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biology" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/targeting-is-polite-ads-speak-for-the-data-levers-that-facebook/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/antonio-garcia-martinez-11158_biology_targeting-is-polite-ads-speak-for-the-da_1431664.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/antonio-garcia-martinez-11158_biology_targeting-is-polite-ads-speak-for-the-da_1431664.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/antonio-garcia-martinez-11158_biology_targeting-is-polite-ads-speak-for-the-da_1431664.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“'Targeting' is polite ads-speak for the data levers that Facebook exposes to advertisers, allowing that…” — Antonio Garcia Martinez", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Antonio Garcia Martinez", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-garcia-martinez/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "'Targeting' is polite ads-speak for the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/targeting-is-polite-ads-speak-for-the-data-levers-that-facebook/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-garcia-martinez/targeting-is-polite-ads-speak-for-the-data-levers-that-facebook/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```