Facebook is introducing a “link history” setting in its mobile app that will track all websites visited on the platform in the past 30 days. This setting is now available in both the iOS and Android Facebook apps, and is optional but turned on by default. Facebook users will reportedly see an in-app popup informing them about the link history feature and giving them the opportunity to toggle the setting off. Facebook portrays link history as a convenient bank that stores all the links you’ve recently clicked, but of course, in true meta fashion, there’s a privacy trap.
According to Facebook’s support page, the link history toggle will be rolled out to the mobile app. The feature is currently available on his Facebook app on iOS and Android and is gradually being rolled out worldwide. As mentioned before, turning on the link history setting saves a list of websites that the user has visited on her Facebook mobile browser in the past 30 days.
Facebook also notes that this setting does not include links visited in Messenger chats. “You can choose to turn link history on or off at any time. When link history is on, any links you tap within Facebook or visit on Facebook’s mobile browser are stored here for 30 days.” The support page explains:
It has been reported that some users are now seeing a link history settings pop-up when they access the Facebook app. According to a report from Gizmodo, this feature is supposed to be a nifty tool that saves all your links. “You’ll never lose a link again,” the in-app prompt says, adding: “Your Facebook browsing activity is saved in one place, so you can easily get back the links you visited recently. ” is added.
However, there are also privacy concerns. Both the link history toggle and the in-app pop-up support page remind you that Facebook may use your list of saved links to send you targeted ads across its platforms and technologies. It’s clear. “Please note that if link history is turned on, link history information from Facebook’s mobile browser may be used to improve ads across metatechnologies,” the support page says. has been done. This effectively turns your link history into an all-in-one place interest board that Facebook can access and use to send targeted ads to you.
To turn link history on or off in the Facebook mobile app, open a link in the app to launch the Facebook mobile browser. Next, tap the three-dot menu in the bottom right corner and select “Browser Settings”. To turn a setting off or on, press the toggle and confirm your selection. According to Meta, when this setting is turned off, link history is immediately cleared and your browsing activity is no longer used to “improve advertising” across the platform. However, it is also noted that it may take up to 90 days to permanently remove the list of links.
Meta already offers a link history feature in the Instagram app on mobile phones. This setting can be accessed from the Activities option in the menu. Facebook announced last month that one-on-one chats and calls on its Messenger app will be protected by end-to-end encryption by default.