Facebook harvests a lot of your data, even when you’re not actually using it. Now, finally, Facebook is letting you see and delete that information.
Named Off-Facebook Activity, this ability to toggle what Facebook can see you do outside of its website was rolled out a few months ago, in January 2020. But it was only recently brought to light by a series of semi-viral Twitter posts like the one below.
Idk if u guys are aware of this but u must check out “Facebook Off Activities” on Settings
FB has been monitoring what we do outside FB (like online transactions, banks, sites & other apps)
To turn this off, go to Settings, Off-FB Activity, Clear History, Manage Future Activity pic.twitter.com/eDrvUzdWVL
— Jerica (@asdfghjkloveBB) April 19, 2020
What is Off-Facebook Activity?
According to Facebook, Off-Facebook activity is “a summary of activity that businesses and organizations share with us about your interactions, such as visiting their apps or websites.”
When you visit a website or open an app, like an online shopping app, your activity on their platform is shared with Facebook, who will then send you targeted ads based on that activity.
Facebook’s official page on this tool shows this flowchart:
Facebook’s data collection is not news, and its history is marred by a slew of scandals surrounding its data collection—most notably involving Cambridge Analytica in 2016.
In response to these scandals, Facebook now lets you see a summary of the information it collects about your activity outside of its app, and lets you ‘control’ it by disconnecting that activity from your account.
[Stay up-to-date with the latest news in tech and security. Sign up for the ExpressVPN Blog Newsletter]
You have the option to disconnect your off-Facebook activity or select specific websites to clear any data Facebook already has acquired about you.
However, if you choose to disconnect your off-Facebook activity, the data doesn’t just go away, and there is no guarantee Facebook will delete the information from its servers.
Two things will happen, though:
- You will still see ads, but they will not be personalized.
- Your information will still be collected, but it will not be linked to you.
When you turn the setting off, you may also lose the ability to login to websites through Facebook—which we highly discourage you from doing anyway.
How to disable Off-Facebook Activity
On Desktop:
If you’re using Facebook’s new design, access the tool by clicking on the navigation menu at the top-right of the desktop version of Facebook. Then click on Settings & Privacy > Privacy Shortcuts > View or clear your off-Facebook activity.
On Mobile:
Open the Facebook app and tap on the menu icon on the bottom right. Tap on Settings & Privacy > Settings and select Off-Facebook Activity under the Your Facebook Information section.
Comments
I downloaded Brave and prefer it over all the other browsers. Like others you have the privacy screen when you want but I had almost all ads discontinued.
Even though we can stop browsers from tracking it does not stop the algorithms from being triggered by “listening” through our smart devices and appliances. Ex. You talk to your spouse, parent, friend, boss about something and next thing you see advertising on what the item is on your phone, internet page etc. We don’t leave Firestick or Roku plugged in when not in use. Alexa, Amazon’s device appears everywhere. We found Alexa or another name by another company in plugs, lights anything “smart.”
Be aware, proactive and wise. Observe and listen most of all becareful.
“>LOL
hey
The desktop instructions are outdated : it’s now the option: ‘Your Facebook Information’ not ‘Settings & Privacy > Privacy Shortcuts’
I don’t have a facebook account. How do you disable off-facebook activity in that case? Are you still being tracked by facebook?
I use firefox browser with the facebook container extension to block facebook trackers. I have switched my default search engine to Duck-duck-go. I notice that personalized ads when I change websites have disappeared.
I’ve never had a Facebook account but occasionally receive links to FB videos made by friends. How do ensure FB isn’t spying on me while I watch or afterwards?
My question is this: if I have never created a facebook account, how much tracking can facebook still do on me and how would I stop that?
Thank you! Don
Unfortunately, Facebook collects information on people that have NEVER signed up for Facebook! What can we do about that?
hi jamie, thank you for your interesting article. i have one question: i recently deleted my facebook account (more than 60 days ago). does this mean, that facebook can’t anymore link my off-facebook data i leave everyday back to me? and that all the off facebook activity data facebook already has collected about me will also be deleted? thank you. regards, ben