Here’s How To Turn Off Tracking on Facebook and Instagram

Many social media users are concerned about online privacy and want to minimize the tracking and data collection done by social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Both platforms—owned by Meta—collect large amounts of user data to target advertisements at their users. By understanding user behavior on and off its platforms, Meta can build detailed (and profitable) profiles of individual preferences, habits and interests.

But while data collection makes the user experience more engaging, critics question the ethical implications, and Meta has faced lawsuits for its practices.

Users who prefer more privacy can take steps to reduce or completely disable this tracking.

What Tracking Means on Meta Platforms

Facebook and Instagram use a feature called Off-Facebook Activity to monitor interactions users have with third-party websites and apps. Using the feature, the platforms track purchases, searches, and activity when users click external links.

While this data helps create a more personalized online experience, it comes at the cost of user privacy.

How to Manage or Disable Tracking

Disabling the Off-Facebook Activity feature will stop Meta from storing and utilizing data about your activity outside the apps.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Navigate to Settings: Open the Facebook or Instagram app and click on the menu icon. From there, head to “Settings & Privacy” and choose “Settings.”
2. Access Activity Controls: In Facebook, select “Your Facebook Information” and then “Off-Facebook Activity.” On Instagram, find the “Ads” or “Data & Privacy” section under settings.
3. View and Clear Data: Within the Off-Facebook Activity settings, you can view which third-party services have shared data with Meta. Choose “Clear History” to remove this stored information.
4. Turn Off Future Activity: To stop further tracking, look for the “Manage Future Activity” option. Disabling this will prevent future data collection from third-party sources.

Why Disable Tracking?

Disabling tracking gives users more control over their data and can reduce targeted advertising based on off-platform behavior.

While Meta says that data collection helps improve their experience, many users call it invasive.

TikTok user @chaoskitchenwitch explained her reasoning for shutting the tracking off in a recent viral video with more than 500,000 views.

“Small little way to still stick it to Facebook, even if you’ve got to keep them around for a little while longer before you get all your stuff off, because f*** Facebook and Instagram,” she declared.

“Where are we going next? Someone please let me know in the comments where we’re actually going next, because if not, Red Note is looking pretty enticing right now.”

Limitations to Consider

Even after disabling tracking, Meta will still collect some information while you use its platforms.

However, clearing your Off-Facebook Activity and disabling future tracking can significantly reduce the amount and the extent of data shared between Meta and external websites or apps.