What does Facebook know about its users? See what information Facebook receives from other apps and sites and delete the stored data if necessary.
Manage activities outside of Facebook
You may recognize it: you are viewing a nice jacket in the Zalando app. Later that day, you open Facebook and what appears? An ad about that jacket. This is possible because Facebook gets information about what people do online from other apps and websites. This includes, for example, which sites and apps people visit, what things have been searched for, information about purchases and which services a person logs into with his Facebook data.
Facebook does not collect this information itself, but other companies share the data with the company. The shared information is then used to, among other things, display relevant advertisements. Don’t want this? View and delete the stored data or prevent Facebook from using this information in the future.
Clear saved information (app)
View and clear the data that other apps and sites share with Facebook through the Facebook app as follows:
- Open the app facebook.
- Tap the three dashes icon at the top right
. - Tap on Settings and privacy > Institutions.
- Under ‘Your Facebook Information’, tap Activity outside of Facebook.
- Tap on Manage your activities outside of Facebook.
- Enter your password and tap Send.
- A list of apps and sites that share information with Facebook appears.
- Tap on Clear history > Clear history to delete all stored information.
Less relevant advertisements are shown. Facebook no longer knows which sites and apps you have visited. You will, however, continue to see the same number of advertisements.
Clear Saved Activities (Web)
View and clear the data that apps and sites submit to Facebook through the website as follows:
- Go to facebook.com and log in.
- Click on the triangle at the top right.
- click on Settings and privacy > Institutions.
- Click on the left Your Facebook data.
- click on Activities outside Facebook.
- Right click Manage your activity outside of Facebook.
- Enter your password and click Get on.
- If necessary, click again on the right Manage your activity outside of Facebook.
- An overview of all apps and websites that share activities with Facebook opens.
- Click on an app or site to see what information is shared with Facebook. click on Download activity details for a complete overview.
- Click on at the top of the page Clear history > Clear history to delete all stored information.
Facebook doesn’t remember which websites you’ve visited. As a result, less relevant advertisements are shown. However, the number of advertisements you see remains the same.
Turn off activity tracking (app)
Do you want Facebook not to store data from other apps and sites? Then turn the function off. The information already saved is then automatically deleted. Do this like this:
- Open the app facebook.
- Tap the three dashes icon at the top right .
- Tap on Settings and privacy > Institutions.
- Under ‘Your Facebook Information’, tap Activity outside of Facebook.
- Tap on Manage your activity outside of Facebook.
- Tap on More Options > Manage Future Activity.
- Tap again Manage future activity.
- Tap the blue slider behind ‘Future activity outside of Facebook’. If the slider is gray, the feature is already off.
- Tap on Switch off.
Facebook will still get information about your online activity on other sites and apps, but it will no longer be associated with your Facebook account. You are now a bit more anonymous. Logging in to other apps or sites via Facebook is no longer possible.
Turn Off Activity Tracking (Web) From Now on
If you want Facebook to not save the data of other apps and websites from now on, turn off the function. Previously saved information is therefore automatically deleted.
- Go to facebook.com and log in.
- Click on the triangle at the top right.
- click on Settings and privacy > Institutions.
- Click on the left Your Facebook data.
- click on Activities outside Facebook.
- Click on the left More options.
- click on Manage future activity > Manage future activity .
- Click on the blue slider next to ‘Manage future activity’ and then on Switch off.
Facebook will still get information about your online activity, but it will no longer be associated with your account. You are now a bit more anonymous. Logging in to other apps or sites via Facebook is no longer possible.