Introduction
Have you ever wondered how Facebook knows what you search for on Google or what you bought in a store? Facebook doesn’t just get information about you based on what you do on its platform. Facebook also gets data about you from third-party websites, apps, marketing firms and ad networks. As a result of the Cambridge Analytica scandal where there was concern around people and companies getting their hands on the data Facebook has about its users, Facebook now lets you see where it gets additional data about you from in the Off-Facebook Activity tool. Examples of all instructions in the steps can be seen in the YouTube video below.
Steps to See Which Companies Are Giving Facebook Your Data
- Launch the Facebook app on your iPhone, iPad or Android device. You’ll land on your Facebook home screen.
- Tap the “Menu” icon in the lower right corner of the screen. The Menu screen appears.
- Scroll down to the bottom of this screen, and then tap “Settings and Privacy” to expand those options. Tap “Settings” in that list. The Settings screen is displayed.
- Scroll down to the Your Facebook Information section, and then choose “Off-Facebook Activity” in that section. The Off-Facebook Activity screen appears.
- Tap “Manage Your Off-Facebook Activity” in the What You Can Do section. The next screen shows the full list of apps and websites that either have or are sharing your activity with Facebook. Tap any of the apps or websites in this list to see more information about how Facebook got data from that website or app, and what Facebook does with your data it receives. Additionally, you can choose to prevent this website or app from sharing your information with Facebook going forward by tapping “Turn Off Future Activity From” at the bottom.