Facebook’s Watching: Your Guide to Turning Off Creepy Tracking

You know that feeling when you’re chatting with a friend about your new favorite recipe, and suddenly your Facebook feed is filled with ads for mixing bowls and measuring spoons? It’s like Facebook is reading your mind!

But the truth is, Facebook (aka Meta) has been quietly tracking your online activities, even when you’re not using their app or website.

If you’re ready to put an end to this creepy behavior and keep more of your online life private, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s dive into the world of “Your activity off Meta technologies.”

Why Is Facebook Snooping?

Now, you might be wondering, “What in the world is Facebook doing snooping around my online adventures?“

Well, it turns out that Facebook’s quite the busy bee, collecting all sorts of juicy tidbits about you from other apps and websites.

Yes, that’s right. They just don’t know about the things you’re doing when you’re on Facebook… they also collect data about you when you’re browsing around the web.

They know what you’ve been shopping for, which articles you’ve read, and even which cat videos you couldn’t resist clicking on.

Facebook is free to use. But you are the product. The more information they have about you, the more valuable you are to them.

Introducing the ‘Your activity off Meta technologies’ Tool

That said, many people don’t realize there are things they can do to limit the data Facebook collects about you.

One easy thing you can do is use the “Your activity off Meta technologies” tool.

Using it can put a stop to (some of) Facebook’s nosy behavior faster than you can say, “Get off my lawn!”

Here’s what kind of information Facebook has been gathering about your off-Facebook activities:

1. Your browsing history: Facebook knows which websites you’ve visited, even if you weren’t logged into Facebook at the time. Sneaky, right?
2. Your app activity: If you’ve used apps that are connected to your Facebook account, like that addictive Candy Crush game, Facebook has been taking notes.
3. Your interactions with businesses: If you’ve clicked on ads or interacted with the Facebook pages of businesses, yep, Facebook has been watching.

How To Block Facebook From Collecting This Information About You

So, how do we put a stop to this nosiness? It’s easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

Just follow these simple steps:

1. Open Facebook: Open the Facebook website and click on the down arrow next to your profile pic in the top right of the screen. (If you’re using the Facebook app on your phone, click on the 3 horizontal lines at the top right of your screen.)

2. Settings & Privacy: Find “Settings & Privacy” and give it a tap.

3. Settings: Next, choose “Settings” and then look for “Accounts Center” along the left of the screen. Under Accounts Center, click on the “See more in Accounts Center” link.

4. Your Information and Permissions: On the left, look for “Your information and permissions” and click on that.

5. Your Activity off Meta Technologies: On the “Your information and permissions” screen, look for the “Your activity off Meta technologies” option and click on that.

Here, you’ll be amazed (or horrified) by the list of apps and websites that have been sharing your information with Facebook (you’ll find these under “Disconnect specific activity”).

6. Clear Previous Activity: Here, you can disconnect any previous activity Facebook has about you. Basically, click “Clear” to tell Facebook to forget what it’s learned about you.

7. Manage Future Activity: If you want to stop Facebook from collecting your off-Facebook activity in the future, click on “Manage Future Activity.” To enable this, choose the “Disconnect future activity” button and then click “Continue.”

You’ll then get a screen with some information about making this change. To go through with it, click the “Disconnect future activity” button at the bottom.

You’ve Outsmarted Facebook, But…

And just like that, you’ve taken back some control over your online privacy!

But this tip only applies to Facebook. So it’s quite likely other Big Tech companies like Google or Amazon will still know what you’re up to.

We’ll have more articles like this one with tips on things you can do to protect your info from these other digital snoopers.

For now, make the changes recommended above. It won’t take more than a few minutes.

Once you do, you can go ahead and shop for those comfy slippers, read that juicy celebrity gossip, or play that addictive game—knowing Facebook won’t be any the wiser.

Stay Tuned and Stay Safe!

Congratulations on taking this step to protect your privacy! Keep an eye out for our upcoming articles with more tips and tricks to keep your online life secure.

If you have any questions, leave a comment below or send us a message here. Your privacy matters, and we’re here to help you every step of the way.