Yes, Facebook IS listening to you (but you can turn it off... kinda)

Today, social media overlord Facebook released its newest privacy feature, handing back (some of) the control you have over your data.  

The newly introduced Off-Facebook Activity tool shows you a summary of the information Facebook receives about your activity on other apps and websites. 

Right, but how does Facebook get my data? When you browse the web or use an app, you create data points based on what you interact with. Businesses can then choose to share that data with Facebook. So your hobbies, purchases, and searches become (semi) public information.

If an organisation uses Facebook Business for its advertising, it is obliged to share a certain amount of data through the clicks from these ads. That data is added to the algorithm for future use, and other businesses are given the option to filter their targeting towards things users "might like" based on this information.

As it turns out, Facebook has had a plethora of offline access to our non-Facebook lives. Spotify, Kmart, KFC, and hell, even my period tracker is shooting my info off into the Facebook database - which explains the timely dessert ads. 

Pretty scary right? The good news is you can now disconnect this information from your account. Up to 180 days worth of Facebook’s data collection is now available for you to view and wipe. 

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Facebook won’t use the data though, but it won’t be connected to you personally. Kind of like how the census gives us a general idea as to what is happening around the country without naming anyone in particular.

You won’t stop seeing ads on the platform or on any other Facebook-owned app like Instagram. Quite frankly, these ads are how Facebook makes money and stays free for its two billion users. Now, the ads won’t be as targeted to you, though they may still make a few generalisations based on age, location, and life events.

The Off-Facebook Activity tool is available now in your Facebook settings. On desktop, you can find this by clicking Settings, and then Your Facebook Information. On your phone, you can find Off-Facebook Activity by tapping Settings & Privacy, Settings, and then scrolling down to Your Facebook Information. Happy (or terrified) browsing!

Anula Wiwatowska

Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram

Anula is the Off-Site Editorial Lead for WhistleOut Australia, and an award winning tech journalist. She has been writing about the Australian telco industry, and consumer technology for over five years, and has been known to tell her Uber driver which phone they should upgrade to next.

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