Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) has introduced an off-Facebook activity tool as part of the promise made by Mark Zuckerberg in 2018 on the backdrop of Cambridge Analytica Scandal. The new tool provides a glimpse of how Facebook collects data about the users even if they don’t log in to the Facebook app or click on the like.
Facebook collects data in several ways
Web users are unaware of how Facebook is collecting the data that includes private information without their knowledge. You need not visit a Facebook page or click on a targeted ad. It has mastered the practices to collect and harness the user’s behavior and data.
If you visit an eCommerce site, suppose Amazon, it collects your purchase behavior and your preferences. Facebook provides a tracking code to Amazon that embeds such code in its e-commerce site. Therefore, silently the tracking code collects your entire shopping behavior and prepares targeted ads that need not be on Facebook site.
Partners with several companies
Facebook has partnered with several companies to collect the user data, analyze and sell such data to other firms. Suppose, if you are visiting a news reading site and clicks on Trump’s political behavior and the recent impeachment proceedings, all such information is collected from the news sites.
No privacy for the users
Facebook does not leave any user. It uses clever tactics and tools to gather user information, whether you are watching a movie, or searching for a sperm donor. However, it may not share your medical history with other companies.
Off-Facebook activity tool
You cannot delete your entire browsing history or prevent tracking. It is beyond your control. The latest off-facebook activity tool allows you to know how Facebook is tracking and what information it has collected even if you have not installed the Facebook app on your phone. If you are a Facebook user, you can go to the settings option and select your Facebook information. You need to select off-facebook-activity to get a glimpse of how Facebook and other organizations collect your data. The user can change some settings in Facebook and delete some information.
The newspaper sites such as Washington post uses tracking code to know what your interests are. It uses a Facebook tracking pixel on its site. However, the site says it has stopped using the tracking code on content pages with effect from October 24, 2019. It is time to take care of your browsing activity.
