Facebook will soon launch a new ad program that can read your browser history to deliver targeted ads specific to your interests, according to the company's website.
Luckily, there's a way to opt out of this program to ensure Facebook can't see what you're doing online.
Over the next few weeks, Facebook users will be able to use and control Facebook's new ad preferences, which are available on every ad Facebook shows you, telling you why you're seeing that advertisement and allowing you to add or remove your interests so your personalized ads are adjusted accordingly. Facebook plans to extend its ad preferences tool globally in the coming months.
However, if you don't want Facebook to sell your personal information and browsing history to third-party companies, there's an easy way to opt out.
On any web browser, visit the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out, and in the middle of the page, click on "Companies customizing ads for your browser." Select the boxes next to the names of companies you no longer wish to receive ads from, and then scroll down and click to submit your choices.
Mobile users will need to additionally opt out of advertising through special control settings embedded in iOS and Android. On iOS, visit the "Settings" app and open up the "Privacy" tab, click on "Advertising" and enable "Limit Ad Tracking." On Android, Facebook may add this setting as a user preference within the "Application Manager" found in "Settings," but you can also set up and manage a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on the device that should automatically disallow any browser tracking.
