Don't you wish you could just "clear" your Facebook history?
Thanks to the Cambridge Analytics scandal and a host of other privacy scandals, many people are becoming increasingly aware of how much data Facebook tracks and holds on to them, as well as how their data can be easily turned (and weaponized against) by third parties. As a result, Facebook is under a lot of pressure and has promised to be more transparent about what it does with all of its data.
He was asked to give users more ways to manage their data. So, at F8 2018, Facebook gave a little. He described her contradictions as "major" breaches of trust. Going forward, he vows to "make sure this never happens again." As part of this effort, Facebook is developing a 'Clear History' tool. The idea is finally you will be able to clear your Facebook history.
The tool is not yet widely available, but here's everything we know about it.
What is Clear History on Facebook?
In a web browser, be it Chrome or Safari, you have an easy way to clear your cookies and browsing history.
Inspired by this possibility, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said onstage at the 8 F2018 Mainstream Developers Conference that Facebook is working on its own version so you can control and clear your browser history. Which includes what you have clicked on the websites you have visited and so on. Initially, Facebook said it would be called "Clear History". However, it is now called this "Facebook Activity Settings".
You will be able to use the tool to view the sites and applications that you have interacted with; you're going to be able to clear all of this information from your account, and you'll even be able to turn it off, Zuckerberg explained.
How does Facebook collect data?
Before we dive into how clearing your history is supposed to work, according to Facebook, you first need to understand exactly how Facebook collects data. It collects information about you in the following ways:
- Thanks to the information you provide or provide access through the site and applications.
- Via Facebook collects information about what sites you visit while you are not on Facebook. It also collects this information from people who are not on Facebook.
The second way we focus on… Facebook, in the background, magazines, sites and applications that you have visited, what you have bought, and what you have clicked on while browsing the web. This happens when you visit any site with a Facebook "Like" button, "Share" button, ad, bought through Facebook, etc.
The website may also place cookies on your browser to help Facebook follow you. These files can even be found if you are logged into Facebook. But, for years, when you have uploaded your Facebook data using data means, you will not see it in the "Facebook" data listed. So, it's not always clear what information Facebook collects about you.
However, Facebook wants to change this with a clear story.
How to clear work history?
Clear History is a new setting that shows you the browsing data Facebook collects about you. This will allow you to click on the "Clear" button to claim that we have collected data from your profile. When this setting is available, you will be able to view a list of your Facebook activities, including the apps and sites that track your activity for ad-targeting.
As noted by BuzzFeed, privacy experts believe that the tool will not remove browsing history from Facebook's servers. It will also prevent you from opting out of everything to follow on Facebook. It simply allows you to view your browsing history, block sites and apps from sending tracking data they collect about you to Facebook, and break all your Facebook view data from your profile.
But this does not mean that Facebook will remove the history from its server. It simply means that your data will be identified and not associated with you. More importantly, Facebook hasn't said how it will process your browsing history once it's off your Facebook profile.
In other words, Clear History looks great at first, but it could ring hollow in reality.
Today we are starting to roll out Facebook Activity, a new feature that gives you more control over your data https://t.co/GXpWUKeAyL
— Facebook News (@fbnewsroom) August 20 2019
When will it be clear the story will be available?
Clear History should initially be available in 2018. However, company David Lowland told Recode it is clear that the story will be available for testing "by spring 2019". This "take more" to run due to technical problems that appeared during development. It's obvious that spring has come and gone, so where is it? Well, after months of delay, Clear Facebook History is now rolling out in Ireland, South Korea, and Spain.
Other countries to follow “in the coming months,” the company said in a statement. Facebook said it's slow" to help ensure it works reliably for everyone." Her engineers had to build a new way for them to process information, and she spent months of research to get it from people.
If you want to see if the tool is available for your profile Now go here and watch yourself notice what says it's available. If you see "Facebook activity settings are not currently available to you right now" then it is not available yet.