Some social networks have been under the spotlight in recent years for their use of their users’ data, making more valid than ever the proclamation that if something is free, the business belongs to the users who use it. ‘use. Now, a new Facebook feature that has been on Instagram for some time is causes controversy because it can use user data.
It’s about the possibility that these social networks remember links that were visited in the internal browser and which were consulted from a publication or a profile on said platforms. This is something that is not appreciated by some security-conscious users.
This is not the first time that Meta has raised certain doubts about the use of its users’ information, since it even recently included a subscription that allows you not to see advertisements and activity data should not be used for advertising purposes. Additionally, it had to delay the launch of Threads in Europe due to its privacy requirements.
The Danger of Link History
Recently, the possibility of activating a history of visited links arrived on Facebook so that the platform remembers the websites that have been opened from it and the user can access this content later. This can be useful if you want to access it again lateralthough it is also true that it can be replaced by copying the link by holding it down and opening it in a conventional browser, such as Google Chrome
Although it can be of great help to many users, the terms and conditions of use of this option hide a small catch, namely that Facebook and Instagram can use this information to improve the ads you serve to each user based on your interests. On their technical support page they state that “When link history is enabled, we may use information from Facebook’s mobile browser link history to improve your meta-advertising.
Their way of promoting this option in certain regions does not focus on personalized advertising, but rather on the user does not lose a web page he has already visited When you want, you will access it again, which may lead many people to quickly accept this option.
In Europe, at the moment it cannot be deactivated, although the only thing available to users is to delete the history from time to time. To do this, simply go to Settings, once there, click on Website Permissions, and once there, click on Browser Settings., where it is allowed to delete history. However, you can disable the options for auto-filling data and payment forms, which, according to Instagram itself, are also used for segmented advertising.
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