One of the options that Meta has included in its social networks makes the company use internal browser history for advertising.
Some social networks have been in the spotlight in recent years for the use they make of their users’ data, making the proclamation that if something is free, the business is in the users who use it more valid than ever. . Now, a new Facebook feature that has been on Instagram for a while is raising controversy because it can use user data.
It is about the possibility that these social networks remember the links that have been visited in the internal browser and which have been accessed from a publication or profile on said platforms. This is something that is not being liked by some users concerned about their security.
This is not the first time that Meta has raised certain doubts regarding the use of its users’ information, as it recently even included a subscription that allows you not to see ads and activity data not to be used for advertising. In addition, it had to delay the launch of Threads in Europe due to its privacy conditions.
The danger of link history
Recently, the option to activate a history of visited links has come to Facebook so that the platform remembers the websites that have been opened from it and so that 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 down on it 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 trap, and that is that Facebook and Instagram can use this information to improve the ads you show to each user based on your interests. On their technical support page they state that “When link history is enabled, we may use link history information from Facebook’s mobile browser to improve your ads on Meta technologies.”
Their way of advertising this option in some regions does not focus on personalized advertising, but rather on the user does not lose a web page that he has previously visited When you want, you will access it again, and this can lead many people to quickly accept this option.
In Spain, at the moment, it cannot be deactivated, not that the only thing available to users is to delete the history from time to time. To do it you just have to go to the Settings, once there click on Website Permissions, and once there on Browser Settings, where it is allowed to delete the history. However, you can deactivate the options to autofill payment data and forms, which according to Instagram itself is also used for segmented advertising.
