How to Stop Facebook from Tracking You? | 5 Proven Ways

Is Facebook Tracking You?

It is quite shocking, but Facebook tracks almost everything you do online. It could have been okay if Facebook had tracked all your Facebook activities only. But Facebook infringes on user privacy and tracks their online browsing data even when you are not using Facebook.

Facebook founder Zuckerberg has openly admitted that Facebook tracks user browsing data for targeted advertisement. It is even more shocking to find out Facebook collects your browsing data even when you are logged out of Facebook.

This is because Facebook has admitted to collecting data from different apps and websites where users browse online. Under pressure, Facebook has made "Off-Facebook Activity" tracker available through which users can see all the data Facebook is regularly collecting.

How to Stop Facebook from Tracking Me?

Now that it is established that Facebook tracks your browsing history, it is time to answer how to stop Facebook tracking my web browsing. Well, there are several steps you have to take to prevent Facebook from tracking your browser history to a greater extent.

You cannot stop Facebook entirely from tracking you unless you decide to delete your Facebook account. Here are the steps to follow.

1. Change Facebook Privacy Settings

Facebook offers you a platform to check on the privacy settings where you can adjust ad preferences. Here, you can disable advertisers from using your personal information to reach out to you with personalized ads. Here are the steps to disable Facebook tracking used by advertisers.

Step 1: Open your Facebook account on your web browser.

Step 2: Tap on Downward Arrow icon at the top-right corner.

Step 3: Tap on Settings & Privacy option and then tap on Privacy Checkup option.

Step 4: Go to "Your ad preferences on Facebook" option.

Step 5: Tap on Continue button and Next button. Under Profile Information screen, disable all the profile information that you see on the screen by toggling off the options available.

Thereafter, the third-party advertisers cannot use your profile information for targeted advertisements.

2. Disable Off-Facebook Activity

Off-Facebook Activity is a platform where you can see which apps and websites are sending your browsing data to Facebook. It shows which data are tracked by Facebook even when you are off on Facebook. You need to disable Off-Facebook Activity so that the apps and websites do not send your browsing data to Facebook in the future.

Step 1: Open Facebook on your web browser and tap on Downward Arrow at the top-right corner.

Step 2: Go to Settings & Privacy ＞ Settings option.

Step 3: Go to Your Facebook Information option.

Step 4: Tap on View option again Off-Facebook Activity.

Step 5: On Off-Facebook Activity screen, tap on Disconnect Future Activity option at the bottom.

Step 6: Toggle off Future Off-Facebook Activity option. Tap on Confirm button when asked.

You will be logged out of all the apps and websites where you logged in with Facebook. It is better you sign up on those apps and websites with your email address manually. Besides, you need to delete all the data Facebook has collected so far from these connected apps and websites.

Step 1: Open Off-Facebook Activity screen, tap on Clear Previous Activity.

Step 2: Tap on Clear Previous History button on the next screen.

Step 3: On the confirmation message, tap on Clear Previous Activity button.

3. Use a Third-Party App

There are certain apps that can act as spyware on your phone and record all your phone and online activities. These apps can sell those collected data to Facebook and put your personal information and private data in danger. That is why you need to install a professional anti-spy app and we recommend ClevGuard Anti-Spy app.

How ClevGuard Anti-Spy Guard Your Facebook and Online Privacy?

Here are all the features of ClevGuard Anti-Spy app that can protect your online privacy and prevent Facebook from accessing your browsing data.

Detect Spyware & Remove Spyware Radically:

ClevGuard Anti-Spy app scans your phone to detect any spyware that can hamper your privacy. After thorough scanning, it lists all the spyware and threats present on your phone. You can review them instantly and remove them with a single tap.

Protect Your Facebook & Phone in Real-time:

ClevGuard Anti-Spy app offers real-time protection to protect your Facebook and phone all the time. It can find hidden spy apps or privacy threat that gets downloaded on your phone and notify you immediately. Based on the alert, you can act promptly and protect your phone any and all the time.

Check Email Data Leakage:

There are chances that your email address security has been compromised in any data leak incident. If your email address is linked with your Facebook account, there could be privacy and security concerns.

You can check if your email address security has really been compromised with ClevGuard Anti-Spy app. The app also recommends steps to strengthen the security of your email address.

Protect Phone Camera & Microphone:

ClevGuard Anti-Spy app can detect if any app tries to spy on your via your phone camera or microphone secretly and infringes on your Facebook and phone privacy. It notifies users immediately so that they can review the related apps and take a decision on whether to remove them.

Clean Junk Files:

Last but not least, you can clean junk files on your phone such as temporary files, app junk files with ClevGuard Anti-Spy app. This will speed up your phone performance by clearing up space in your storage.

3 Steps to Protect Your Facebook and Online Privacy

Here are the steps to install ClevGuard Anti-Spy app and protect Facebook as well as online privacy.

Step 1. Install ClevGuard App

Click "Google Play" button below to install ClevGuard Anti-Spy on your Android phone.

Step 2. Scan Your Phone

Launch the app and tap on "Scan" option. Wait for the app to scan your phone thoroughly and spot the spyware that possess threats to your phone.

Step 3. Review and Remove Threats

After the scan gets over, you will see all the different threats on your phone. You can review them and select the ones that you want to remove. With a single tap, you can fix all the issues on your phone.

4. Limit App Tracking on Phone

You must have seen that when you open a newly installed app, it asks for permission to use your location or your camera as per requirements. You get the choice to allow the app or deny and there is also an option to allow the app to get required data only when the app is active.

By selecting only when the app is active, you are limiting app tracking on your phone. You can also check which app has permission from your phone and limit them if they have unnecessary permissions to certain services.

Step 1: Open Settings app.

Step 2: Go to Privacy option.

Step 3: Tap on Location, Camera and Microphone options one by one.

Step 4: You can check which apps are allowed all the time and which ones are allowed only while in use. You can revoke the permissions as per your preference.

5. Quit Facebook

The best way on how to turn off Facebook tracking is to quit Facebook. By quitting, we mean to say you need to delete your Facebook account so that Facebook stops tracking and collecting your browsing data. Here are the steps to follow.

Step 1: Open Facebook and go to Settings & Privacy＞ Settings.

Step 2: Go to Your Facebook Information＞ Deactivation and Deletion option. Click on View option.

Step 3: Select Delete account and tap on Continue to account deletion.

Step 4: Confirm your decision by tapping on Delete Account option.

We must warn you that once you delete your Facebook account, you cannot retrieve it back.

FAQ about Facebook?

Q1. What happens when you turn off Off-Facebook Activity?

Once you disable off-Facebook activity, Facebook stops collecting your data from third-party apps and websites, and your online privacy stays intact. However, you will be logged out of all the apps and websites that you have logged in with your Facebook account.

Q2. Can Facebook track my browser history?

Yes, Facebook tracks your browser history so that it can show relevant ads to you on your Timeline. Facebook also sells your browsing data to third-party companies that use the same for targeted advertisements.

Q3. Can Facebook listen to my conversation?

Facebook has made it clear that it does not get access to your phone microphone to listen to your phone calls and conversations. However, there are still doubts if Facebook listens to your conversation when you use Facebook calling feature.

Final Words

It is an established fact that Facebook tracks your online activities. To keep your online privacy intact, we have stated how to turn off Facebook tracker. You also need to tighten Facebook privacy settings and limit app tracking on your phone. Most importantly, you need to install ClevGuard Anti-Spy app to protect your Facebook and online privacy from spyware.