Facebook Rolls Out Tool To Block Data Gathering

Facebook users could soon see fewer familiar ads following them around the internet—but they'd have to work for it.

The company on Tuesday said it is launching a long-promised tool that lets you block the social network from gathering information about you on outside websites and apps. This includes the Facebook pixel, a piece of code that businesses can use to track activity on their sites by people who have a Facebook account, and Facebook login.

The company said it is adding a section where you can see the outside activity it tracks via its "like" buttons and other means. Users will be able to choose to turn off the tracking; otherwise, tracking will continue the same way it has been.

Formerly known as "clear history," the tool will now go by the somewhat awkward name "off-Facebook activity." The feature will be available in South Korea, Ireland and Spain on Tuesday, consistent with Facebook's tendency to launch features in smaller markets first. The company did not give a timeline for when it might expand it to the U.S. and other countries, only that it will be in "coming months."

It pays to target

Blocking the tracking could mean fewer ads that seem familiar — for example, for a pair of shoes someone decided not to buy, or a nonprofit they donated money to. But it won't change the actual number of ads a person will see on Facebook.

Boosting its privacy protections could be an attempt to stay one step ahead of regulators and pre-empt further punishment, some people said. But it's a delicate dance, as Facebook still depends on highly targeted advertising for nearly all of its revenue.

"We do think this could have an impact on our revenue," said Stephanie Max, product manager at Facebook, adding that this will depend on how people will use the tool. But she added that giving people "transparency and control" is important.

It's unclear how popular the tool will be. Facebook's privacy flubs have earned the company plenty of bad press but relatively little in the way of financial penalties.

Last year, immediately after revelations broke that Facebook allowed the data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica to access user data, the company lost several million users in Europe and North America. But one year later, it has regained those users—and its revenue from advertising is higher than ever. The company recently paid a $5 billion fine to the U.S. government in connection with the data leak, which amounts to about a month's worth of income.

The requirement that users actively opt out of being tracked makes it less likely people will use the option, said eMarketer social media analyst Jasmine Enberg.