What is Off-Facebook Activity?
Off-Facebook Activity (also known as Off-Meta Activity) is a Facebook feature that Meta unveiled in 2019 to allow users to view and control the data that other apps and websites share with Facebook. In other words, this feature kind of allows you to know what Facebook knows about you. This data typically includes information that’s used for personalized advertising or analytics. For example, if you visit a retailer's website, add an item to your cart, or make a purchase, the retailer might share this activity with Facebook.
How does Off-Facebook Activity work
Off-Facebook Activity works by collecting information from third-party websites, apps, and businesses that share it with Facebook. The platform provides businesses with tools like Facebook Pixel (a code embedded in websites that tracks user behavior) and Facebook SDK (a tool that apps use to share in-app interactions). These instruments allow Facebook to indirectly track user activity, such as clicks and purchases, by gathering data from the businesses that use them.
After obtaining your off-Facebook data, Facebook can then process and use it to optimize the ads on your feed. Processing the data typically includes linking information to your Facebook account (for example, whether you used your Facebook account as a way to log in to a third-party service) and checking your browsing cookies (specifically those tied to your Facebook activity).
Once Facebook processes the data, it can then offer you ads that best correspond to your online behaviour. So if you ever wondered whether Facebook is capable of reading your mind, the answer is no. It’s just extremely good at getting information from the retailer websites you frequent.
Why does Facebook track off-Facebook activity?
The answer to the question “Why does Facebook track off-Facebook activity?” is simple — it brings profit. Tracking your data and using it to optimize the ads on your Facebook feed helps businesses and advertisers find their target audience (and, therefore, potential customers). And since businesses pay Facebook to be able to advertise on the platform, it’s a win-win for both of the parties involved.
Privacy-wise, this exchange of user data can feel intrusive. However, it is legal because users consent to Facebook managing their data by agreeing to the platform’s terms and conditions when creating an account. Additionally, when browsing online retailers, users often accept browsing cookies, which may include those related to Facebook data collection.
With user privacy becoming one of the major topics of cybersecurity, Facebook has enrolled the Off-Facebook Activity privacy tool as a means for users to monitor how their data is being used. While it doesn’t guarantee full privacy (a tale as long as the history of Facebook data breaches), it offers internet users a bit more control over their own personal information in an accessible and simple manner.
How to access and view your off-Facebook activity
Accessing the Off-Facebook Activity tool is as simple as deleting your Facebook account’s search history and can be easily done on both your desktop and mobile devices. Here’s how to access Off-Facebook Activity on your preferred gadget.
How to access and view your off-Facebook activity on your desktop
To access and view Off-Facebook Activity on your desktop (or laptop) you should follow these steps:
- 1.Open your settings by opening the dropdown menu in the upper right corner and clicking on "Settings and privacy" and then “Settings.”
- 2.Find “Accounts centre” on the left side of the page. Then, click on “See more in accounts centre.”
- 3.Facebook will then transfer you to their accounts center. There, under “Account settings,” click on “Your information and permissions.”
- 4.Then, click “Your activity off Meta technologies.” You should see a window with options to clear or disconnect, and manage your off-Facebook activity.
How to access and view your off-Facebook activity on mobile devices
Finding the Off-Facebook Activity tool on your mobile device follows the same steps as the desktop version. All you need to do is open your Facebook app, go to the settings, tap on your profile and find “Go to accounts centre.” There, tap on “Your information and permissions” and then choose “Your activity off Meta technologies” and you’ll be able to review and limit third-party access to your personal information. Or use the search function to find the setting even quicker.
How to turn off and manage Off-Facebook Activity
To be clear, your data is just too valuable for Facebook to leave on the table, so there's no way they'd let you completely prevent your off-Facebook data from being gathered. The only thing you can do here is prevent your data from being associated with your account. It will still be gathered as anonymized general data. Your existing data won't be downloaded either — it will simply be decoupled from your account.
You can also use privacy browser extensions that can completely prevent that data from being collected online, but you'll have few options short of boycott when it comes to apps.
That said, managing and turning off the Off-Facebook Activity tool is fairly straightforward. You can do it by opening your Meta accounts centre and finding the “Off-Facebook Activity” setting.
Clearing your off-Facebook activity history
Once you open the Off-Facebook Activity page, you'll find different apps, retailers, and service providers that have shared data about your activity with Meta. You can either disconnect from each of them manually, or delete Off-Facebook Activity entirely. To clear Off-Facebook Activity, just click “Clear previous activity” in the “Your activity off Meta technologies” window.
Remember, this will not stop Facebook from collecting your information, it will only prevent the service from associating the information with your account.
How to turn off Off-Facebook Activity
Turning off Off-Facebook Activity prevents Facebook from linking your personal data from third-party apps and websites to your account in the future (however, it does not stop service providers from sharing data with Facebook). To turn off this tool, open the “Your activity off Meta technologies” setting in your Meta accounts centre and select “Manage future activity.” Then, pick “Disconnect future activity.” This action will stop new data from linking to your profile while also deleting the previous activity.
How to turn off and manage off-Facebook activity on mobile devices
Managing and turning off off-Facebook activity follows the same steps both on desktop and mobile phones. Whether you use an iPhone, Android, MacOS, or Windows, you can access this feature by logging into your Facebook account and navigating to the Meta accounts centre. There, find “Your activity off Meta technologies” and adjust the settings as needed.
Is this a significant privacy move?
While some cybersecurity experts have acknowledged the Off-Facebook Activity tool as “a step forward in being more open about tracking and sharing internet habits online,” in contrast to the massive amount of data Facebook gathers, this change is minor. However, while offering little in terms of overall user privacy, the tool does offer research (and some practical) benefits, such as:
- Revealing which third-party websites and apps have shared your activity with Meta.
- Showing what those apps and websites collect from you.
- Preventing that data from being connected to your account.
And yet, even with these steps towards ensuring user privacy, Facebook refuses to stop collecting this data. All they've agreed to do is anonymize it. What’s even more telling is that according to the 2024 Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) staff report, social media and video streaming companies have engaged and, likely, will continue to engage in user surveillance and private data collection.
These findings have prompted the FTC to call for stricter regulation regarding user data privacy. Cybersecurity experts, such as Epic’s global privacy counsel Calli Schroeder, support this call for action, claiming “[...] I agree with the FTC’s conclusion that self-regulation is a failure. Companies have repeatedly shown that their priority is profit and they will only take consumer protection and privacy issues seriously when failing to do so affects that profit.”
So, almost six years after launching the Off-Facebook Activity tool, Meta and all other social media giants seem to have made little progress in terms of ensuring user privacy. And while it’s not the tool that can fully stop Facebook from sharing your information, Off-Facebook Activity is still a feature that we recommend you take advantage of. In addition to that, using tools such as a VPN may also offer strong privacy benefits (that, or learn how to delete your Facebook account).
When it comes to the best VPN for Facebook browsing, NordVPN will help boost your online privacy and safeguard yourself from cybersecurity threats, such as malicious websites or malware downloads.
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