Facebook launches ‘off-platform activity’ tool to stop it tracking you across the internet – and you can even wipe your history
FACEBOOK has launched a new privacy tool in a desperate bid to win back the trust of its users.
The feature allows you to clear "Off-Facebook Activity" data which has been linked to your account based on how you use other websites.
Much of the advertising found on the internet is served to users based on their previous online viewing habits.
Businesses pay for sites such as Facebook to use this activity data to place adverts in front of users it believes are relevant to them.
Following the new update, Facebook will soon allow you to disconnect future off-Facebook activity from your account, either in its entirety or just for specific apps and websites.
It confirmed the new activity tool will initially be introduced for users in Ireland, South Korea and Spain. It'll be rolled out to the rest of the world "in the coming months".
The social network added it expects the feature "could have some impact on our business", but said it believed giving people control over their data is more important.
"Many apps and websites are free because they're supported by online advertising. And to reach people who are more likely to care about what they are selling, businesses often share data about people's interactions on their websites with ad platforms and other services," Facebook said.
"This is how much of the internet works, but given that the average person with a smartphone has more than 80 apps and uses about 40 of them every month, it can be really difficult for people to keep track of who has information about them and what it's used for.
"To help shed more light on these practices that are common yet not always well understood, today we're introducing a new way to view and control your off-Facebook activity.
"Off-Facebook Activity lets you see a summary of the apps and websites that send us information about your activity, and clear this information from your account if you want to."
The social network said once the activity has been cleared it won't know which websites a user has visited and it won't use any of the disconnected data to target adverts at them on Facebook, Instagram or Messenger.
It comes in the wake of a tough 15 months for Facebook during which it has weathered numerous data scandals that have left its reputation for protecting user privacy in tatters.
Facebook has weathered numerous privacy scandals over the past 18 months.
What info does Facebook hold on you?
- All the data on your profile - name, age, marital status, where you went to work, and so on.
- Your activity on the site - which posts you like, pages followed, photos shared.
- Its tracker cookies (which most websites use) can even follow you around the internet, so Facebook can also get an idea of the types of websites you like to visit – to serve you more relevant advertisements.
Last March, it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica, a Trump-affiliated data-mining firm, used ill-gotten personal information from 87million users to try to influence elections.
The ensuing scandal saw Facebook slapped with a £4.1billion fine by the US Federal Trade Commission. The Commission also ordered Facebook to revamp its privacy controls.
Facebook said the new tool mars "a new level of transparency and control" for users.
"We welcome conversations with privacy experts, policymakers, and other companies about how to continue building tools like this."
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