Facebook’s new old way to follow you around!

The company pitches Link History as a useful tool for consumers “with your browsing activity saved in one place,” rather than another way to keep tabs on your behavior. With the new setting you’ll “never lose a link again,” Facebook says in a pop-up encouraging users to consent to the new tracking method. The company goes on to mention that “When you allow link history, we may use your information to improve your ads across Meta technologies.”

Meta has always kept track of the links you click on, and this is the first time users have had any visibility or control over this corner of the company’s internet spying apparatus. In other words, Meta is just asking users for permission for a category of tracking that it’s been using for over a decade. Beyond that, there are a number of ways this setting might give users an illusion of privacy that Meta isn’t offering. 

Gizmodo

Apple might have clipped Facebook’s ability to track users and collect data to sell more targeted advertising, but it hasn’t been able to fully stop the ZuckMachine from coming up with new ways of breathing new life into its giant internet spy machine. Whether it is launching new apps — Threads — to gather new data or breathe new life into old techniques like tracking and collecting the “links” of all the pages you follow when using the Facebook app.

While Facebook has always done this, serendipitously, now they are being a little more open about the new setting — “Link History.” By default, you are opted into agreeing that your “link history” is collected. Yes, you can opt-out — but it will take three months for Facebook to get around to doing that. And by then a new version of the app would have launched, and you would have to go and toggle off the link history. Rinse and repeat!

While this might not be as effective as using all-pervasive cookies, “Link History” does give the company the ability to collect more granular and more current data to effectively target advertising. Apple might have won a skirmish, but Facebook will always find a way to outwit Cupertino!