{"id":100324,"date":"2018-06-21T18:16:42","date_gmt":"2018-06-21T18:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=100324"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:23:49","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:23:49","slug":"how-to-stop-facebook-from-sharing-your-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-stop-facebook-from-sharing-your-data\/","title":{"rendered":"How to stop Facebook from sharing your data"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s congressional testimony was a joy to watch. Whether it was the naivete of senators’ questions, or the Facebook creator squirming under oath, you can\u2019t deny it was great TV. <\/span><\/p>\n

Zuckerberg was testifying as part of a <\/span>scandal<\/span><\/a> involving data analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica. The London-based firm harvested up to 87 million Facebook users\u2019 personal data, and then sold it to politicians to influence voters in U.S. elections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Facebook admitted their error, Zuckerberg\u2019s apology rings false. Facebook\u2019s business model is based on targeted advertising, so it knows how easy it is to use personal data to manipulate and influence people. In other words, Mark should’ve known better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So I\u2019m going to step in and do Mark’s job for him. Here\u2019s our list of tips to prevent Facebook from sharing data about you. <\/span>(You can send my\u00a0 $1M check in the mail, Mark.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Log out of Facebook when you\u2019re not using it<\/b><\/h2>\n

When you\u2019re logged in but browsing other sites, Facebook can track you, so the safest bet is to log out every time you\u2019ve finished using the app.<\/span><\/p>\n

Settings\u00a0<\/strong>>\u00a0Log out<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t use Facebook to log into other apps and services<\/b><\/h2>\n

From Facebook Settings, you\u2019ll see an option on the left sidebar for <\/span>Apps and websites<\/b>. Click this, and you\u2019ll see all the apps and websites you\u2019ve allowed to use your Facebook data. <\/span><\/p>\n

You can view and change what you share with these apps and websites individually, but if I were you, I\u2019d remove sharing altogether. To do this, head to <\/span>Apps, websites and games <\/b>> <\/span>edit <\/b>> <\/span>Turn off<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n

This might delete log-ins for apps you sign into using Facebook, so don\u2019t be surprised if you have to start using an email address next time you sign into Spotify, for example. Better that than having your data used against you.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Stop search engines from linking to your profile <\/b><\/h2>\n

If you don’t want to be found through internet searches, you’d better turn this feature off, too. This allows search engines to link directly to your Facebook profile whenever someone searches for you by name. <\/span><\/p>\n

Settings <\/b>> <\/span>Privacy <\/b>> <\/span>Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile? <\/b>> <\/span>Edit <\/b>> <\/span>No<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Stop Facebook from recognizing you in photos<\/b><\/h2>\n

You might find this handy when tagging lots of people in photo albums, but to us, it\u2019s a bit creepy. You wouldn’t tell your boss you were partying all night before work, so why risk Facebook revealing it all with unfortunate tag of you knocking back tequila at the bar?<\/span><\/p>\n

Settings <\/b>> <\/span>Face recognition <\/b>> <\/span>Do you want Facebook to be able to recognize you in photos and videos? <\/b>> <\/span>Edit <\/b>> <\/span>No<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Use Mozilla\u2019s Facebook Container extension (or another tracker blocker)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Now <\/span>Firefox Quantum<\/span><\/a> is here, Chrome has a fight on its hands. It\u2019s blisteringly fast, contains a native screenshot tool, and uses less power (and battery life). <\/span><\/p>\n

Even better, the <\/span>Facebook Container<\/span><\/a> extension ring-fences your Facebook activity so nothing gets out. If you\u2019d rather stick with Chrome, you can try tracker blockers like <\/span>Ghostery<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Privacy Badger<\/span><\/a>\u00a0which do a similar thing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t share your data for ad purposes<\/b><\/h2>\n

You might be surprised by how much of your information Facebook uses to show you ads. Some people like relevance, but others think it\u2019s manipulation. Either way, you can change the settings to a level you\u2019re comfortable with. <\/span><\/p>\n

First, remove or change your Facebook interests. You can see an example ad each interest generates, so maybe try that first to see if you\u2019re happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Settings<\/b> > <\/span>Ads<\/b> > <\/span>Your interests<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Then review which elements of your Facebook profile you want ads to target.<\/span><\/p>\n

Settings<\/b> > <\/span>Ads<\/b> > <\/span>Your information<\/b> > toggle off or on<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Finally, you can disallow Facebook ads from using data learned about you from other \u201cFacebook Company Products\u201d, such as Messenger, Instagram, and AR Studio. <\/span><\/p>\n

Settings<\/b> > <\/span>Ads<\/b> > <\/span>Ad settings <\/b>> select each section and change to <\/span>Not allowed <\/b>or <\/span>No one<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Remember: Facebook isn’t the product,\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>are the product. Everything you do generates ad revenue. While that’s fine in principle (everyone’s gotta eat \u2013 even Mark ” the billionaire” Zuckerberg), taking the steps above will prevent people from using your online behavior to dictate what you think, feel, or do.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s congressional testimony was a joy to watch. Whether it was the naivete of senators’ questions, or the Facebook creator squirming under oath, you can\u2019t deny it was great TV. Zuckerberg was testifying as part of a scandal involving data analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica. The London-based firm harvested up to 87 million Facebook users\u2019 … Continue reading “How to stop Facebook from sharing your data”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9103,"featured_media":102161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[2441],"tags":[1082,2353,1059,1083,1027,1035],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-100324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-android","tag-app-subdomain-redirectionfacebook","tag-facebook","tag-ios","tag-security","tag-social-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":327832,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100324\/revisions\/327832"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100324"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=100324"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=100324"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=100324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}