Now, you can see what information websites/apps share with Facebook
What's the story
Facebook has finally released the tool that would let you see what kind of data it collects from third-party websites/apps you visit. The feature goes by the name of 'Off-Facebook Activity' and has been specifically designed to take control of every bit of external user information that's shared with the social network. Here's all you need to know about it.
Information
Facebook gets information from third-party platforms
In case you don't know, Facebook collects information in two main ways - directly and indirectly. The direct measure of information-collection revolves around feeding data directly and willingly into Facebook's apps/services, while indirect collection happens through tracking the websites you visit across the internet while not being on Facebook. This information ultimately helps the social networking giant build detailed profiles for serving targeted ads.
Information
This is how Facebook shows product you browsed as ads
To note, this indirect data collection is exactly how Facebook's apps and services manage to show an ad for a product, say like a shirt, you opened on a shopping site.
Tool
Now, there's a way to see and control this information
With Off-Facebook Activity, the company is providing an easy-to-use platform to view all the information that it has collected from the third-party sites. This includes every bit of data related to your online activity, be it the news you read, the product you opened at Myntra/Flipkart or the porn site you visited. And, additionally, it offers a way to manage this information.
Working
How the tool works
The tool, as Facebook described, will display a list of websites sending data to Facebook. From here, you would be able to tap on each of these specific apps or websites to see what kind of information is being shared by them. If something looks fishy, there will be an option to block the sharing completely or at app/website level.
Access
Only select region getting Off-Activity
As of now, Off-Facebook Activity has been released for users in Ireland, South Korea, and Spain. It can be accessed by simply heading over Settings > Off-Facebook Activity. The company has said the roll-out will continue to expand to other regions over the coming months. But, there is no word on the release of the tool for India just yet.