How to Stop Facebook From Sharing Your Web Browsing History

Facebook is going to start sharing app and Web browsing history it collects with advertisers to display more targeted ads. This includes all those non-Facebook sites you visit. If this skeeves you out as much as it does me, you can opt out, kind of.

Facebook describes the feature this way on its security and privacy settings page: "You might visit a company's website that uses cookies to record visitors to it. The company then asks Facebook to show their ad to this list of visitors, and you might see these ads both on and off Facebook."

Unlike most Facebook-related privacy settings, you can't opt out from the site's settings page (click the padlock icon in the corner and then select Ads), though. In order to opt-out, you have to go through the special tool available on the Digital Advertising Alliance site. We walk you through the steps.

Opting Out, 1-2-3
If your browser is set to block cookies, or if you're using tools such as AdBlocker Plus to disable cookies, you need to turn that off because the opt-out tool requires cookies.

On the screen, you will see three tabs: All Participating Companies, Companies Customizing Ads For Your Browser, and Existing Opt Outs. Click on All Participating Companies tab and scroll down the list until you see Facebook.

Click the checkbox next to Facebook to opt out. And since you are already here, go ahead and check off all the other sites you use regularly that you don't want having access to your browsing history. Once you are done, hit "Submit your choices" to save the opt-out settings.

I love the "Opt Out from All Participating Companies" option on the bottom the tool. I hit that and called it done.

Mobile's Own Opt-Out
If you use the Facebook app on your mobile device, you have to also opt-out manually. On iOS, you open settings and go to General>Restrictions>Advertising (under the "Privacy" section). The setting you are looking for is Limit Ad Tracking. On Android, you go to Google Settings>Ads>Opt Out of Interest-Based Ads.

If you reset your mobile device the ad tracking settings will also reset to factory default, so you will need to opt out again.

Not a Complete Opt-Out
The opt-out, while welcome, isn't quite as permanent or complete as I would like.

First of all, the choices are browser- and device-specific. That means you have to go to the DAA site and opt out from every browser you use on every device you have. "If you just opt out on one browser Facebook may still use your activity on an advertiser's website or app to show you an ad in another browser," Facebook said.

And secondly, if you clear your cookies regularly like I do, it will likely "undo your opt-out for that browser." How irritating. This means every single time you clear cookies, you will have to go back to the DAA site and confirm the opt-out for that browser on that device. I guess the goal is to make this so cumbersome and irritating that people will just not bother with opting out.

To be fair, Chrome offers an extension that allows you to save the settings. Maybe it's time to switch to using Chrome exclusively?

Facebook's advertising partners likely won't do anything malicious. But I prefer to keep as much of my surfing habits away from advertisers as much as possible. Too bad I can't just say, "No, don't collect my data to share, period," and call it done.