Wieser noted that Facebook's Ads Manager stated that the social media platform could reach a whopping 41 million people aged between 18 and 24 in the US, but according to 2016 US Census data, only 31 million people fall into the age group.
The audience reach also suggested the platform could offer companies the chance to display their ads to 60 million people aged between 25 and 34, yet again, the census indicates there are only 45 million residents in the category.
In a statement the social media giant said that its audience reach estimates didn't match census data because their numbers "are designed to estimate how many people in a given area are eligible to see an ad a business might run."
"They are not designed to match population or census estimates," the statement added.
Though Facebook later explained itself, Wieser says their bloated data should reinforce the value of a third-party measurement service from vendors including Nielsen and comScore.
This isn't the first time that 13-year-old company has exaggerated its importance. Back in 2016, officials had to apologize to advertisers for inflating numbers on the amount of time users spent viewing online ads.
