What is Page Transparency on Facebook?

What Is Page Transparency: Facebook’s Page Transparency tool shows detailed background information about any Page. It reveals when the Page was created, who manages it, past name changes, and ad activity. The feature was introduced to improve user trust, discourage misinformation, and help audiences understand who is behind influential online content.

Why Facebook Introduced It: The feature was launched after global scrutiny over misinformation and political interference. Facebook created Page Transparency to increase accountability and limit anonymous influence. By providing more visibility into Page ownership and management, the platform aims to empower users to evaluate a Page’s credibility before following, sharing, or engaging with its content.

What Information It Shows: Page Transparency displays key data: creation date, admin locations by country, number of people managing the Page, previous Page names, merge history, confirmed business owners, and state-controlled media labels. For Pages running ads, all active ads are visible to everyone, not just the intended audience. This provides full context for users.

Importance for Media and Public Discourse: For news organisations, influencers, NGOs, and political groups, Page Transparency reinforces public accountability. Audiences can check ownership and editorial patterns, helping reduce the spread of misleading content. It also helps identify coordinated campaigns or suspicious networks, enabling journalists, researchers, and citizens to investigate hidden agendas more effectively.

How Users Can Access It: Accessing Page Transparency is simple. Open any Facebook Page, scroll to the left-hand menu or About section, and select “Page Transparency.” A pop-up window reveals detailed information and links to the Ad Library for viewing active ads. The tool is available on both mobile and desktop interfaces globally.

Impact on Advertising Transparency: For Pages running ads—especially political, social-issue, or policy-related ads—users can view every active advertisement. The Ad Library also shows targeting categories, budgets, impressions, and timelines for political ads. This transparency helps journalists track patterns, monitor influence campaigns, and hold organisations accountable for messaging strategies and spending.

Why It Matters to Users: Page Transparency strengthens digital literacy by providing contextual cues about who controls information online. Users can differentiate genuine organisations from deceptive actors, understand motivations behind posts, and avoid manipulation. For journalists, it is a valuable verification tool, supporting fact-checking, ownership-tracking, and deeper analysis of online influence ecosystems.

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