Facebook and Instagram keep a close eye on your browsing activity; stop data tracking with these easy steps

Facebook and Instagram track your every click, search, and browsing activity. The good news is that you can control this tracking. Here are some simple settings to turn it off, allowing you to stop Facebook and Instagram's data tracking and make your privacy more secure than ever.

Have you ever wondered why a product you just glanced at briefly suddenly starts following you on Facebook or Instagram? It's almost as if social media is reading your mind. But the reality is even more interesting. Today, your every move on the internet – which websites you visited, what you viewed, how long you stayed – is no longer limited to just your browser. Many apps and websites send this information to Meta, which operates platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Based on this data, you are shown advertisements that match your preferences.

However, the good news is that this entire system is completely under your control. You can not only see where your information is coming from, but you can also limit or turn off this digital tracking if you wish. Here's how you can turn it off.

How does Facebook get your information?

When you browse other apps or websites outside of Facebook, information about your activity reaches Facebook through tracking tools like Meta Pixel. This system is called Off-Facebook Activity. Based on this data, Facebook understands what you like to see. As a result, you see more ads related to content you have previously viewed or searched for.

Meta's feature is very useful

Meta gives Facebook and Instagram users complete control over viewing and changing their privacy settings. For this, Meta has provided a special feature: “Your Activity on Meta Technologies.” This feature allows users to see which websites and apps are sharing their data with Facebook or Instagram. To do this:

First, open the Facebook app.

Click on the three dots on the right side, go to Settings & Privacy, and then click on Settings.
Now click on the Accounts Center (Meta) option.
Here you will find the Your information and permissions option; click on it.
Then click on Your activity under Meta technologies.
In the Recent activity section, you will see a list of all the apps and websites that have recently shared your data with Facebook.

How to stop tracking for a single account

If your Facebook account has recent activity, you can go to the Recent activity section and see a list of all the advertisers, companies, brands, or accounts that have shared your information with Facebook. Then select the account you want to stop tracking and click on the Disconnect option. After clicking, a notification will appear on your screen; read it and click on the confirm option. The account will then be disconnected from Facebook.

How to remove tracking for multiple accounts at once

If you want to stop tracking for more than one account at once, select the Disconnect specific activity option. Then select the accounts you want to remove and click Continue. Then click Confirm. This way, you can disconnect multiple accounts at once.

How to delete all past activity?

If you want all the activity that Facebook has saved so far to be completely removed, you need to select the Your activity off Meta Technologies option. Go to the Clear previous activity option and click on the Clear option to delete all your past activity history.

What to do to prevent automatic tracking in the future?

Meta also gives users the option to turn off automatic tracking by brands in the future. To do this, users need to:

• Go to the Your activity off Meta Technologies option.
• Tap on the Manage Future Activity option.
• Select Disconnect Future Activity.
• Click on Continue, then click on Confirm.
• Once you do this, your future activity will not be shared with Meta.