How To Prevent Facebook From Tracking You Across The Web

Technology

A few days ago, I searched the web for a particular smartphone. I did some googling, read few reviews and checked the price. It didn't take that long for me to find ads of the same phone in my Facebook News Feed. This wasn't a shock for me since it is well documented that Facebook has been tracking and collecting our data on not just who our friends are or where we checked in, but our browsing history and web habits. In simple terms, it can be said that Facebook knows just about everything you do on the internet.

For some of you, it may not be a big deal- just the 'side effects' of living an online life. But considering the power Facebook has gathered over last years, even capable of affecting something as important as the US Presidential election, it is important for a responsible participant in a democracy to prevent the social media giant from collecting data on your day to day internet activity. So here is how you can actually prevent Facebook from doing so:

How does Facebook do it?

See those Facebook 'Like' and 'Share'' buttons across all the websites you visit; they are there for a reason - tracking. Additionally, many online companies are members of an ad network called Digital Advertising Alliance and plant a tiny code on your browser called a "cookie". When you visit one of the member sites of the Alliance, the site recognizes the cookie and pass on the information to the ad network. And that's how you end up seeing the ads for the car you just googled everywhere in the web.

Facebook website

If you don't want Facebook to use information based on your activity on Facebook or apps off Facebook for the purpose of showing you ads, you can opt-out in your ad settings. Just head over to Facebook ad settings and turn off "Ads based on your use of websites and apps" and "Ads on apps and websites off of the Facebook Companies".

Opt out of Digital Advertising Alliance

However, this isn't over that easily. Next step is to head over to the Digital Advertising Alliance site , the ad network we mentioned before. In the home page, you can find a Company tab with a list of companies participating in the Alliance. Ideally, you can opt out of all, or you can scroll down and find Facebook and choose the opt-out option.

On Android

In your Android phone, you can turn off ad tracking by going to the Settings first. Then open Google in the Settings or Google Settings > Ads and check off "Opt Out of Interest-Based Ads."

On iPhone

In iPhone, if you are running the latest version of the iOS, Go to Privacy in Settings. Then scroll down to the end to find 'Advertising'. In 'Advertising', you can turn on "Limit Ad Tracking".