How to Limit What Meta Does with Your Data

Thanks to cookies , virtually everything you click, read, and watch on social media is tracked, leading to targeted advertising that you can’t escape. With Mark Zuckerberg’s recent announcement that he would be removing fact-checking from Meta platforms, this opens the floodgates for all sorts of unscrupulous companies to potentially access user data. If you’re not ready to delete all your accounts on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc., there are ways to limit what Meta does with your personal data. Thankfully, it’s just a few clicks away.

Note : Meta owns several social media platforms, including Facebook , Instagram , WhatsApp , and Threads. If your Facebook and Instagram accounts are linked, any changes made below will apply to both accounts.

Table of Contents

• Begin
• Stop receiving data-based targeted Meta ads
• Opt out of ads that use data to help advertisers on other apps
• Turn off data collection “Off Meta Technologies”
• Turn off location settings for Meta apps 
• Block login to third-party apps using Facebook credentials

Begin

Most of the settings you'll want to change are in Facebook's Accounts Center. Log in to your Facebook account and click your profile picture in the upper right corner. Click Settings & Privacy -> Settings in the drop-down menu.

Click See more in Accounts Center on the left side of the screen.

Stop receiving data-based targeted Meta ads

Click Ad preferences -> Manage info . In the Information used to show you ads section , click Activity information from ad partners .

In the pop-up window, click the blue Review settings button.

Make sure the option labeled No, don't make my ads more relevant by using this information is selected.

When you navigate back to the Ad preferences page, under Activity information from ad partners, you'll see Not using this information in red text, as seen in the screenshot above.

Opt out of ads that use data to help advertisers on other apps

Back in Accounts Center, click Ad preferences , then click Ads from ad partners under Ads shown outside of Meta .

Make sure Don't show me ads from ad partners is selected in the pop-up window.

When you return to the Ad preferences page , under Ads from ad partners , you'll see the words Not using this information in red.

Turn off data collection “Off Meta Technologies”

Go back to the Accounts Center page . On the left, click Your information and preferences -> Your activity off Meta technologies .

In the pop-up window, click Manage future activity . Click Disconnect from future activity . Note that selecting this option will also delete your previous activity.

Turn off location settings for Meta apps

In the Accounts Center, click Your information and permissions on the left, then select Access your information .

Click Learn more in Privacy Center under Primary location .

The Privacy Center will open in a new tab. Under Learn how to manage your location , click the blue Review location settings button. You can see what Meta is doing with your location information and make changes. Meta learns your location from things like your IP address and GPS. Unless you’re using a VPN , Meta will learn where you’re logged in from your PC’s static IP address .

You can revoke access to your precise location information through the Location Services settings on your mobile device. On Android, open Settings and go to Apps -> Facebook . Under Permissions , tap Location and select Don't Allow . Repeat for Instagram and other apps. On iPhone, go to Settings and tap Privacy & Security -> Location Services . Scroll down to Facebook, Instagram, etc. and select Never .

Block login to third-party apps using Facebook credentials

Navigate from the Accounts Center page to the main Settings and Privacy page . In the left column, scroll down to Your activity and click Apps and websites .

Review the third-party apps and websites you've accessed using your Meta credentials. Delete apps and websites if you want.

Scroll down to Preferences . Next to Apps, websites and games , click the Turn off button . Note that you can also choose to turn off notifications. In the pop-up window, click the blue Turn off button to prevent your Meta credentials from being used to access third-party apps.

Unfortunately, this won’t stop Meta from collecting your data. After the Cambridge Analytica scandal, we know that user data is being used for nefarious purposes, and Meta doesn’t seem to agree with that. However, making the above changes will limit the extent to which Meta can use your data for profit. And that’s one way to regain some of your pride from a company that seems intent on exploiting its users for profit.