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(KTLA) — Facebook has a new way of collecting data about you: keeping a list of the links you click.
The new feature is called “link history,” and the good news is that you can turn it off.
Before you do, let’s explain what’s happening here.
In previous years, Facebook was able to tell a lot about us because it collected data from multiple points, including the websites you visited and stuff you did on your phone, even outside Facebook’s app.
Then, Facebook received legal pushback about the information it was collecting. Late last year, the company agreed to pay a $725 million settlement because it violated users’ privacy by sharing their data with third parties.
Soon after, Apple introduced a new feature on its devices called App Tracking Transparency which cut into the gobs of data Facebook (and numerous other apps and sites) can collect on us.
Long story short: Facebook has less data on us than ever, which means they can’t sell highly targeted ads for as much.
Now, they’re trying something new — an in-app web browser that remembers the sites you visit. This way, they can get a better understanding of the links we click and the interests we have.
The new “link history” feature remembers a list of websites you’ve visited inside the Facebook Mobile Browser in the last 30 days. This information can be used to “improve your ads across Meta technologies,” which currently includes Facebook, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp and Quest VR.
You may have already gotten a prompt about the feature, seen below:
If you tap “Confirm,” it leaves the feature on by default.
Here’s how to turn it off.
- Open the Facebook App.
- Tap Menu (lower right-hand corner on iOS, upper right-hand corner on Android)
- Expand the Setting & Privacy section
- Tap Settings
- Tap Browser
- Toggle the switch next to “Allow link history” on or off.
Here’s how that screen will look:
Keep in mind, that you can also access these settings by tapping on any website link inside Facebook, and then tapping “Go to Settings.”
Should you worry about the information Facebook collects on you? That depends. Facebook is a free service that depends on our data to sell ads to keep it running. Thankfully, we have more choices than ever to determine just how detailed we want that information to be.
Follow Tech Reporter Rich DeMuro on Instagram for more tech tips.
