How to stop Instagram and Facebook from tracking your internet activity

Meta has faced ongoing criticism for allegedly violating users' privacy by tracking their online behavior and selling that information to other companies for advertising. For instance, after searching for bags, users may suddenly be inundated with bag-related ads from different brands, which not only raises privacy issues but can also be frustrating. In response, Meta launched a new feature called Activity Off-Meta Technologies, aimed at enhancing user privacy and providing more control over their online presence. And using this feature can actually prevent the social media apps from tracking your behaviour.

Can you really stop your social media to stop your online activities?

This privacy setting enables users to view and manage the data that apps and websites share with Meta platforms, including details about their interactions with various businesses and organizations, such as visits to their websites or apps. Users can utilize this tool to identify which businesses are sharing data with Meta, disconnect specific ones, or delete all associated information.

How to stop Instagram from tracking your internet activity?

Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom right corner.

Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner and select "Settings and Privacy."

Tap on "Activity" and then "Activity Off Meta Technologies."

Toggle on "Disconnect Future Activity" to prevent Instagram from tracking your activity on other apps and websites.

If you want to manage your past activity, you can do the following:

From the "Activity Off Meta Technologies" page, tap on "Your Information and Permissions" and then "Your Activity off Meta Technologies."

On this page, you can:

– See your recent activity

– Disconnect specific app activity

– Clear old data

– Manage future activity to prevent businesses from sharing data

If you choose "Manage Future Activity" and "Disconnect Future Activity," it will also get rid of your past activity.