Facebook users urged to make 'immediate check' over new pop-up
Facebook has a new setting that's got everyone talking.
It's called 'Link History' and pretty much does what it says on the tin - it tracks all of the links you click when using Facebook on your mobile.
If you haven't seen anything about it yet, that might be because it's not quite everywhere - Facebook says it's 'being introduced globally over time and may not be available in your location'.
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It'll eventually be available on the Facebook app whether you use Android or an iPhone, and remembers the links you've visited in the app browser over the past 30 days. It doesn't save any links visited in chats on Messenger.
It's to help tailor your ads - so whatever links you click on will influence the adverts you see across Meta apps. So that's not only Facebook, but also Instagram.
Ads make up a huge chunk of Meta's revenue, so it's no wonder the company wants to make them as attractive as possible to users.
The feature isn't enabled by default, but many uses have seen a pop-up requesting their link history.
But if you're not particularly keen on your data being used in this way and accidentally agreed to the pop-up, you can turn it off.
First tap any link inside the Facebook app on your phone, which will open Facebook's Mobile Browser.
Then, Facebook says you can tap the three dots on the bottom right of the screen, and go into Browser settings.
Then, look for the link history toggle.
Here, you can enable or disable the feature.
When you turn it off, your link history will be immediately cleared and you won't be able to see any links you've visited.
But, the company warns, it can take Meta up to 90 days to complete the deletion process.
While not everyone will want their link history tracked, some people are fine with it - arguing that tailored ads help introduce you to things you might actually want.