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Facebook Opens Off-Facebook Activity Tool to Everyone

Manage the data other sites send to Facebook

By Rob LeFebvre Rob LeFebvre Associate Editorial Director, News UCLA California State University, Northridge Rob LeFebvre is the Associate Editorial Director, News for Lifewire. He has been a technology writer for more than 12 years with articles appearing in 148Apps, Cult of Mac, Engadget, and more. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 28, 2020 01:04PM EST Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Social Media Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming What: Facebook opened up its Off-Facebook Activity Tool to all its users. How: You can use the tool to see what information has been shared from other sites, and delete it. Why Do You Care: Managing your privacy is important, even if it falls to you to do so. We’ve all had that experience where we look at a pair of shoes on the web, only to find ads for shoes showing up on our Facebook feed. It’s how advertisers on Facebook get us to buy things; obviously if we were looking at them, we’re more likely to purchase. Original image by Unsplash Now Facebook brings a tool, soft-launched last August, to all of us that lets us manage this information transfer. Called the Off-Facebook Activity Tool, it will let you see what things are being sent to Facebook, and then delete them if you want. “As of today, our Off-Facebook Activity tool is available to people on Facebook around the world,” wrote Mark Zuckerberg in a blog post. “Other businesses send us information about your activity on their sites and we use that information to show you ads that are relevant to you. Now you can see a summary of that information and clear it from your account if you want to.” While it’s still part of Facebook’s business model to have this information passed along, a tool that lets you manage it is a nice step forward toward transparency and privacy control. How to Make Facebook Private Now you can see a summary of that information and clear it from your account if you want to. The worldwide release marks Facebook’s nod to Data Privacy Day, and the announcement also included information about two other initiatives. The Privacy Checkup Tool got an update recently, according to Zuckerberg, and you’ll soon see another prompt to run through it and make sure your account is as locked down as you’d like it. In addition, Zuckerberg pointed out the Login Notifications settings, which rolled out in January 2020. These can alert you when you login to third-party apps, games, and streaming platforms using Facebook’s Login system. Because knowing is half the battle. Via: MacRumors Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Use the Off Facebook Activity Tool to Protect Your Privacy How to Delete Facebook Posts in Bulk How to Run a Google Security Checkup Can You See Who Views Your Facebook Profile? How to Delete Your Activity Log on Facebook How to Log Out of Facebook Messenger 11 Best Free System Information Tools (October 2022) 5 Best Ways to Find a Cell Phone Number Online How to Delete a Facebook Account Permanently How to Find the Most Popular Searches Online How to Use Messenger Without a Facebook Account How to Turn Off Facebook Sounds The 8 Best Sites For Free E-cards How to Turn off Facebook Live Notifications Foursquare's Swarm App: What It Is and How to Use It What to Do When Your Instagram Account is Disabled or Deactivated Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies