Short answer: Core setup is a set of data sharing restrictions that you or Meta can apply to the Meta Pixel and Meta’s other business tools. It keeps custom parameters, and anything in a URL after the domain, from reaching Meta. Meta can turn it on when a site falls in a category that requires it, and health and wellness is among the categories that may carry restrictions. Most campaigns should keep running, but custom audiences built on page addresses may not work as expected.
Before you read: This guide covers what Meta publishes about core setup and its other data restrictions, for clinics and med spas that advertise on Facebook and Instagram. Read it as general information, not legal advice. Meta says its systems are not a substitute for your own compliance mechanisms, and it points businesses to their own legal counsel for a data sharing compliance plan.
What core setup holds back
Meta defines standard parameters as fields it predefines for advertisers to include with their events, such as value and currency for a purchase event. A parameter that isn’t on Meta’s list of standard parameters is a custom parameter, and core setup holds it back.
It also cuts every URL down to its domain. Meta’s example is a product page with a path and a query string, which reaches Meta as the bare domain. On a clinic’s website, the path to a treatment page stays out the same way.
Meta can apply core setup itself, and you can switch it on for your own dataset in Events Manager.
Why a clinic’s pixel ends up in core setup
Meta may have decided that your data source falls under a category that requires it, or someone on your account may have assigned the dataset to a category with restrictions.
Core setup can also follow repeated notifications that the data you share potentially goes against the Meta Business Tools Terms. In that case, Meta says it may keep the tool in core setup for at least 90 days. You may also have turned it on yourself.
Meta may assign a category to a website or app based on its topics and the products or services it offers. Its health and wellness category covers sources associated with medical conditions or specific health statuses, provider and patient relationships, services for accessing personal health information, or health-related products and services.
Meta’s examples for that category include a patient portal, a telemedicine platform and a pharmacy. Meta adds that its list of categories isn’t exhaustive and may evolve over time.
Restrictions stricter than core setup
A category with restrictions can bring more than core setup. With a restriction on certain standard events, Meta restricts the sharing of specific mid and lower funnel events. With full restrictions, no events are shared in specific regions or in all of them, and the business tools can’t be used for ads where those restrictions apply.
The restrictions may vary by category, and they can apply in certain countries or regions or everywhere. When Meta limits or fully restricts a data source, it tells you by email and through notifications in Events Manager.
For restricted events, Meta suggests exploring alternative events, for example more upper-funnel events, to keep audience targeting and campaign optimization effective. Under full restrictions, it suggests campaign objectives that don’t rely on data from its business tools. Its examples are Awareness (reach and impressions), Engagements (likes, comments and shares) and Traffic (link clicks).
With any data restriction in place, custom events are blocked automatically until you review and confirm them. They may also not be available to you, for example under full restrictions.
What changes in your campaigns
Custom audiences whose rules rely on custom parameters or URLs can’t be prefilled, and may take longer to fill or not be available. Audiences that combine device rules or aggregation values with custom parameters or URLs can’t be created and won’t update.
When an audience shrinks or can no longer update, the ad sets that use it can be affected. Meta’s fix is to update that audience or create a new one for those ad sets.
In Events Manager, custom parameters and URL paths may stop showing, including in Sampled activities and the test events tool. Automatic advanced matching may be unavailable, and Meta suggests setting up advanced matching manually instead. Adding catalog items through the pixel may stop working too, and Meta suggests adding them manually.
Custom events also need your review. You confirm or block each one. Meta says to confirm a custom event only if its data follows the Meta Business Tools Terms, you intend to share it and it’s formatted correctly.
Our guide to the Meta Pixel and the Conversions API covers which events to set up.
Conversions and audiences that name a condition
Meta doesn’t allow custom conversions or custom audiences that suggest information its terms don’t allow. Its examples are a specific health condition, such as arthritis, and a financial status, such as a credit score.
A flagged custom conversion can’t be used when you create a campaign. If an active campaign uses one, Meta suggests creating a new campaign, or duplicating the campaign with a custom conversion that isn’t flagged. Once a campaign is published, you can’t remove its custom conversion or pick another.
Flagged custom and lookalike audiences can’t be used for new campaigns either, and Meta asks you to edit or pause any active campaign that uses one. If the custom audience a lookalike audience is built on is flagged, you need to resolve the issue with that seed audience. Meta also suggests creating new lookalike audiences that leave out any information its terms don’t allow.
If you think Meta flagged something by mistake, you can request a review in Ads Manager, under the campaigns table. For a custom conversion, you can also ask on the custom conversions page in Events Manager, and for an audience, in Audience Manager: click the audience and open its summary tab.
Our HIPAA forms guide explains what HHS says about tracking tags on a clinic’s form pages.
How to review core setup in Events Manager
- In Meta Events Manager, click Datasets, select your dataset and open the Settings tab. Under Data restrictions, the Core setup section lets you turn it on or off.
- In the same tab, go to Manage data source categories and click Manage to see your data sources, their categories and their status. If Meta assigned a category you think is wrong, click View details and then Request review.
- Open the Diagnostics tab. If it shows Event parameters blocked, click Review and then I acknowledge. Fix the data you send, then unblock the parameters you fixed or keep blocking the rest. You may not be able to unblock parameters that Meta blocked.
- Review your custom events and confirm only those whose data follows the Meta Business Tools Terms.
- Replace any flagged custom conversion or audience with one that suggests no health condition, and rebuild audiences that relied on page addresses.
Steps 1 to 4 follow Meta’s help pages. Step 5 puts Meta’s fixes together with our advice.
To turn core setup on or off, you need to be an admin of the business portfolio or the ad account that owns the tool. If Meta turned core setup on, you can’t turn it off.
Meta emails you its decision on a category review. If you assigned a category yourself, you can edit it. Removing a category with restrictions may turn core setup off, unless you opted in to it or Meta placed your pixel in it.
Checks for a clinic’s pixel
- You know whether core setup is on for each dataset, and why.
- The categories on your data sources are right, and you asked for a review of any Meta assigned in error.
- Every blocked parameter is fixed and unblocked, or kept blocked.
- Each custom event you use is confirmed and carries only data that Meta’s terms allow.
- No custom conversion, custom audience or lookalike audience suggests a health condition.
- Audiences that relied on page addresses are updated or replaced.
RememberCore setup holds back custom parameters and everything after your domain, and Meta can turn it on when your site falls in a category that requires it. Check its status and your categories in Events Manager, and keep health conditions out of every event, conversion and audience.
With our Meta Ads for cosmetic surgery clinics, we plan, make and run your clinic’s Facebook and Instagram ads, in English and Spanish. Each campaign ends in a WhatsApp chat with your team.
Questions about Meta core setup
Can I turn off Meta core setup?
Yes, if you turned it on yourself and you’re an admin of the business portfolio or ad account that owns the tool. In the Settings tab of the dataset in Events Manager, click Turn off under Core setup. If Meta turned it on, you can’t. Removing a category you chose may also turn it off, unless you opted in or Meta placed your pixel in it.
How long does core setup last?
After repeated notifications about blocked parameters, Meta says it may keep your tool in core setup for at least 90 days. If it came with a category Meta assigned, you can ask Meta to review that category, and Meta emails you its decision.
Will core setup stop my Facebook ads?
Meta says most campaigns should keep running as expected, though you may see limitations in certain advertiser experiences. Ad sets can be affected when a custom audience that relies on custom parameters or URLs shrinks or stops updating. Full restrictions go further: where they apply, Meta’s business tools can’t be used for ads.
Why did Meta flag my custom conversion?
Meta flags custom conversions that suggest information its terms don’t allow, such as a specific health condition like arthritis or a financial status like a credit score. A flagged one can’t be used in a new campaign. If you think the flag is wrong, request a review in Ads Manager or on the custom conversions page in Events Manager.
Does core setup protect patient data on its own?
No. Meta says its systems are not a substitute for your own compliance mechanisms, and that you’re ultimately responsible for the data you share with it. For a data sharing compliance plan, Meta points businesses to their own legal counsel.
Sources
All pages read on November 7, 2026. Meta Business Help Center, on core setup: About core setup and How to Turn Data Restrictions On and Off in Meta Events Manager. On data source categories: Understand data sharing restrictions based on source categories, About data source categories in Meta Events Manager and How to review data source categories in Meta Events Manager. On blocked data: How to Review Blocked Parameters in Meta Events Manager and Troubleshoot Meta Business Tools Prohibited Information Notifications. On flagged items: Understand restrictions on certain custom conversions and Understand restrictions on certain custom audiences. Ours: the page on Meta Ads for cosmetic surgery clinics and the guides to the Meta Pixel and Conversions API and to HIPAA forms.