The most surprising to me was numerous entries in that list from almost all of the local state chapters of "Americans for Prosperity" (a David Koch and Karl Rove production). I'm curious which list they used to get my email address.
Seriously what? How do they have my details and how is it verified that they got them legitimately?
I'm in the UK, a UK citizen, have no contact with the US political system, and have only briefly passed through the US. So how have two senators got my details?
The email address used is not my spam email, it is, as far as I know not used on sign up does etc. - so how was it found (though I am aware of the extreme irony of calling an email address used on Facebook as a not for spam one)?
Facebook and all those who are on that list are going to get a GDPR request come the end of May.
Realistically, how can I be simultaneously a member of the "Florida Anti-Gambling Association" the "Concerned Veterans for Ohio" the "Democratic Legislative Campaign" and the "Republican Governors Association" and XXX for Georgia Senate and YYY for Nevada Senate and dozens of other political causes in states I've never even been to.
Here's what disturbs me so much about this — dozens and dozens (possibly hundreds) of companies that were listed there for me I have never interacted with, many of which I'd never even heard of. So obviously these companies purchased third-party email lists, which themselves might have been purchased...who knows...the point is I never directly consented to any of these companies having my email address. BUT, now that they do, they are able to use those lists to target ads to me directly on FB. I consider that spam. If I get unsolicited emails from marketers, that's spam. Therefore, if I see unsolicited ads on FB due to them targeting me directly through my email (or phone number?!), that's spam!
I feel like the vast majority of FB users, and possibly many of the current critics of FB in the media or in government, aren't even talking about this horrible spam problem. In my opinion, Custom Audience is simply evil and should be obliterated from the FB ad platform.