Protect Your Data from Facebook-Tracked Apps

Facebook (now Meta) tracks your activity across thousands of third-party apps and websites through its Business Tools, including the Facebook SDK and pixel. This guide shows you how to limit what those apps can collect and share with Facebook, both on your phone and in your browser. You’ll need about 10 minutes and access to your Facebook account settings.

What You’ll Need

• Your Facebook login credentials (email/phone and password)
• Access to the device(s) where you use Facebook and other apps (phone, tablet, computer)
• For iOS: your Apple ID password (to check app permissions)
• For Android: your Google account password (to check app permissions)

Step-by-Step

Part 1: Adjust Facebook’s Off-Facebook Activity Settings

1. Open Facebook and go to Settings. On the mobile app, tap your profile picture (bottom right on iOS, top right on Android), then scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy > Settings. On desktop, click your profile picture in the top right and choose Settings & Privacy > Settings.
2. Find the Off-Facebook Activity section. In the left sidebar (desktop) or the menu (mobile), look for Your Facebook Information and tap Off-Facebook Activity. This page shows a summary of apps and websites that share your activity with Facebook.
3. Clear your history. Tap Clear History (on mobile, it’s at the bottom; on desktop, it’s a button on the right). Confirm by tapping Clear again. This removes the identifying data Facebook has collected from those apps and websites.
4. Disconnect future activity. After clearing, tap Manage Future Activity (or More Options > Manage Future Activity). Toggle off Future Off-Facebook Activity. This prevents new data from being linked to your account. Note: this works only if you’re logged into Facebook on that device. You’ll still see ads, but they’ll be less personalized.
5. Review individual apps. On the Off-Facebook Activity page, tap Manage Activity to see a list of apps and websites. You can tap any one to see details and choose Turn Off for that specific app. This is useful if you want to keep some apps working but block others.

Part 2: Limit App Permissions on Your Phone

6. On iPhone (iOS): Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking. You’ll see a list of apps that have requested permission to track you. Toggle off Allow Apps to Request to Track at the top to block all future tracking requests. For apps already in the list, toggle each one off individually. This prevents apps from using the IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) to share data with Facebook.
7. On Android: Go to Settings > Privacy > Ads and tap Delete advertising ID (or Reset advertising ID). This removes the unique ID that apps use to track you. Note: some Android versions have this under Google > Ads.
8. Review app-by-app permissions. On both platforms, go to your device’s Settings > Apps (or Application Manager), select an app that you suspect shares data with Facebook (e.g., a game, shopping app), and tap Permissions. Revoke any permissions that aren’t necessary for the app to function, especially Location, Contacts, and Microphone. This reduces the data the app can collect in the first place.

Part 3: Browser Extensions and Privacy Tools

9. Install a tracker blocker. On your computer, add a browser extension like Privacy Badger (from the Electronic Frontier Foundation) or uBlock Origin to your Chrome, Firefox, or Edge browser. These automatically block Facebook’s tracking scripts (like the pixel) from loading on websites you visit.
10. Use a privacy-focused browser. Consider using Firefox with Enhanced Tracking Protection (set to Strict) or Brave, which blocks third-party trackers by default. On mobile, you can also use these browsers instead of the default ones.
11. Log out of Facebook when not using it. On your browser, log out of Facebook after each session. This prevents Facebook from linking your browsing activity to your account via cookies, even if you’re not on facebook.com.

Common Mistakes

• Only clearing history, not disabling future activity. Clearing history removes past data, but if you don’t toggle off future activity, new data will be collected immediately.
• Forgetting about the Facebook app itself. The Facebook app on your phone collects data about your device and usage. If you want to stop this, you may need to uninstall the app and use the mobile website instead.
• Assuming one setting covers everything. Facebook tracking happens through multiple channels (SDKs, pixels, cookies, advertising IDs). You need to address each: off-Facebook activity, app permissions, and browser tracking.
• Revoking permissions that break the app. Some apps need certain permissions to work (e.g., a camera app needs camera access). Revoking them may cause the app to malfunction. Only revoke what’s not essential.

Tips

• Use a separate browser for Facebook. Keep one browser (or a separate profile) exclusively for Facebook, and use another for your regular browsing. This isolates your Facebook cookies from your other activity.
• Check your Facebook Ad Preferences. Go to Settings > Ad Preferences > Advertisers and Businesses. You can hide ads from specific advertisers and see which ones have uploaded your data. You can also turn off Ads based on data from partners under Ad Settings.
• Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). A VPN hides your IP address, making it harder for Facebook to link your online activity to your physical location. However, it won’t stop tracking that relies on cookies or app SDKs.
• Review your apps regularly. Every few months, go back to the Off-Facebook Activity page and check for new apps that have appeared. Clear and re-disable future activity as needed.

Troubleshooting

• “Manage Future Activity” is grayed out or not working. This usually happens if you’re not logged into Facebook on that device, or if you’re using a third-party browser that blocks Facebook cookies. Make sure you’re logged in and allow cookies for facebook.com.
• Apps still show up after clearing history. Clearing history only affects data already collected. If apps reappear, it means they are still sending data. Check that future activity is disabled, and also revoke the app’s permissions on your phone.
• You can’t find the Off-Facebook Activity setting. Facebook sometimes changes the menu structure. Use the search bar in Settings and type “Off-Facebook Activity.” If it doesn’t appear, update your Facebook app or try the desktop version.
• You see “Cannot load” or an error when accessing Off-Facebook Activity. This can be a temporary glitch. Try clearing your browser cache or restarting the app. If it persists, wait a few hours and try again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off off-Facebook activity stop all Facebook tracking?

No. It stops Facebook from linking your activity on third-party apps and websites to your account. But Facebook still collects data from your use of its own services (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger) and from your device’s advertising ID.

Does this affect my ability to log in to apps with Facebook?

No. Turning off off-Facebook activity does not affect Facebook Login. You can still log in to apps with your Facebook account, but you’ll see a prompt asking if you want to allow the app to share your activity with Facebook. You can decline that prompt.

Will I still see ads after doing this?

Yes, you’ll still see ads, but they will be less personalized. You’ll see generic ads based on your current browsing session or the content of the page, rather than ads based on your long-term interests and behavior.

Does this stop apps from selling my data to other companies?

No. This guide only limits data sharing with Facebook. Apps may still sell your data to data brokers or other third parties. To reduce that, check each app’s privacy policy and use the app’s own privacy settings.

What is the difference between clearing history and turning off future activity?

Clearing history deletes the data Facebook has already collected from apps and websites. Turning off future activity prevents new data from being collected and linked to your account. You should do both.

Does this work on Instagram and WhatsApp?

These settings are for Facebook only. Instagram and WhatsApp are owned by Meta, but they have their own tracking settings. On Instagram, go to Settings > Privacy > Off-Instagram Activity to manage similar options. WhatsApp has end-to-end encryption for messages, but it shares metadata with Meta.

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