If you鈥檝e ever wondered just how much dirt Facebook has on you, there鈥檚 now an app for that.
The social networking giant rolled out a long-awaited tool Tuesday that allows you to see and control what kind of information it has collected about your online activity, with the option to 鈥渄isconnect,鈥� but not delete, the data.
Facebook says the tool, dubbed is designed to shed more light on the factors that determine what type of ads users see on its platforms and how Facebook learns about its users鈥攕omething CEO Mark Zuckerberg admits the company hasn鈥檛 been clear about in the past.
What is 鈥淥ff-Facebook Activity鈥� and how does it work?
The tool will allow you to see a summary of the apps and websites that have sent Facebook information about your online activity, from the shopping websites you frequent, to the odd question you Google.
You鈥檒l be able to see things like the number of interactions Facebook received about your online activity, including things like opening an app, adding items to an online shopping cart, and even making purchases.
After seeking out the tool in your account settings, you will have the option to clear all browsing data from your account, and to choose to disconnect future data tracking abilities on your account.
This is the first time Facebook has allowed users to see, let alone have some form of control, over this information.
What happens when you disconnect your activity?
Facebook is careful not to use the word 鈥渄elete鈥� in any of its explanations of Off-Facebook Activity.
That鈥檚 because if you choose to clear your activity, Facebook will simply remove your identifying information from the data.
In other words, Facebook will still hold on to the data, but it will no longer be associated with your account.
If you disable your Off-Facebook Activity, on Facebook鈥檚 platforms, but your data will still be collected anonymously.
鈥淲e won鈥檛 know which websites you visited or what you did there, and we won鈥檛 use any of the data you disconnect to target ads to you on Facebook, Instagram or Messenger,鈥� reads an explanation of the tool provided by Facebook.
It won鈥檛 give you a break from ads, however. Facebook says you鈥檒l still see the same number; they just won鈥檛 be as tailored to your interests (or search history).
Is it available to Canadian users?
Not yet. Users in Ireland, South Korea, and Spain will have access to the tool first.
Facebook says it will roll out the feature to other regions in the coming months, but did not specify an exact timeline.
The company has faced intense scrutiny for its privacy practices in recent months, especially in Canada.
In April, federal Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien released a damning report into the company鈥檚 handling of the Cambridge Analytica data leak, announcing plans to take Facebook to federal court in an effort to force their compliance.
A month later, Zuckerberg and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg garnered backlash for ignoring Parliament鈥檚 subpoena to testify at the international grand committee on big data, privacy and democracy in Ottawa.
