The policy prohibits advertisers from using targeting parameters based on sensitive personal characteristics including race, religion, health conditions, and sexual orientation when serving paid advertising on X.
This analysis describes what X's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
This provision restricts the use of sensitive data categories for ad targeting, which intersects with GDPR Article 9 special category data protections in the EU and similar frameworks in other jurisdictions; advertisers using audience segmentation tools must verify that their targeting configurations do not rely on prohibited sensitive attributes.
Interpretive note: The full technical scope of prohibited targeting parameters and how X enforces this restriction within its targeting tools is contained in linked external pages and is not fully determinable from this document alone.
This provision establishes that advertisers on X are prohibited from targeting users based on sensitive personal characteristics including race, religion, health, and sexual orientation; users are not able to directly verify advertiser targeting configurations, but the policy states that X's approval process is designed to check compliance with these restrictions.
How other platforms handle this
Allow us and other advertisers to show you the most relevant products, offers, and advertisements on the site and third-party sites, or through emails or other message platforms.
Ads for non-surgical cosmetic procedures (e.g., lip fillers, botox) must be age targeted 18+.
advertisers can tell us things like the kind of audience they want to see their ads, and we show those ads to people who may be interested.
"X Advertising Policies apply to monetization on X and X's paid advertising products. Advertisers on X are responsible for their X Ads. This means following all applicable laws and regulations, creating honest ads, and advertising safely and respectfully.Excerpt from X's Ads Policies
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Targeting restrictions on sensitive categories interact directly with GDPR Article 9, which prohibits processing of special category personal data without explicit consent or another lawful basis.
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
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This provision restricts the use of sensitive data categories for ad targeting, which intersects with GDPR Article 9 special category data protections in the EU and similar frameworks in other jurisdictions; advertisers using audience segmentation tools must verify that their targeting configurations do not rely on prohibited sensitive attributes.
This provision establishes that advertisers on X are prohibited from targeting users based on sensitive personal characteristics including race, religion, health, and sexual orientation; users are not able to directly verify advertiser targeting configurations, but the policy states that X's approval process is designed to check compliance with these restrictions.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 140 platforms. See the full comparison.
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