Facebook has rolled out a new “Link History” feature for its mobile app that allows the company to track the links you view and tap on while browsing in the app’s built-in browser. This feature is turned on by default, meaning your link history will be saved unless you manually turn it off.
What is Link History?
The Link History feature shows you a list of all the links you have tapped or viewed in the Facebook app’s browser over the past 30 days. This allows you to easily revisit sites or pages you’ve recently seen.
However, enabling this feature also allows Facebook to collect your browsing data and use it to target ads to you across its platforms. The company states it may “use link history information from Facebook’s Mobile Browser to improve your ads across Meta technologies.”
Opting Out of Link History
If you’re not comfortable with Facebook tracking your link history, you can disable the feature altogether. Just go to the Facebook app settings, tap “Link History”, and toggle it off.
When disabled, Facebook states it will not save or use your link history data. However, it may take up to 90 days for the company to fully delete any previously collected history.
How It Affects You
If you leave Link History enabled, expect to see more personalized, targeted ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Meta’s other platforms. The company will use your link history to infer your interests and preferences.
If you value your privacy more, disabling Link History means losing out on that browser history feature but ensures Facebook cannot access your mobile app browsing behavior for ad-targeting purposes. It’s up to each user to decide if the trade-off is worth it.
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