In case you haven t given up all hope about having some semblance of control over your online privacy, Facebook says you can adjust the settings for the new targeted advertising it s rolling out: ads based on your likes and shares.
Many of you might have thought Facebook was already doing this. Facebook said last year it would be doing this. But this week the company said it s about to get real. The kinds of articles and listicles and memes you like and share when you re browsing the Web will soon influence what kinds of ads Facebook will serve you. Some people will find that useful and relevant, as Facebook says. Others might not.
Here s what you can do about it: Go to Settings and click on Ads in the left column. You ll find Ads based on my use of websites and apps, Ads with my social actions, and Ads based on my preferences. Edit away.
Feel better? Keep in mind that adjusting your preferences won t stop Facebook from tracking your moves. It just means the ads you see might not be as on point as they could be.
Promising not to use information is not the same as promising to actually delete the data, Rainey Reitman, activism director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told MIT Technology Review.
Photo from Associated Press
