• The company Facebook has been called Meta since the end of 2021. Now, in mid-2022, it has adjusted the terms of use and data protection guidelines for the Facebook and Instagram networks and other offers.
  • Meta explains in several places that it tracks its users across the Internet. However, you cannot completely protect yourself from it.
  • However, deleting cookies, making data protection settings, restricting Facebook app permissions and using different browsers can help.
  • We explain important points of the Terms of Use and Data Policy.

Facebook's data collections are repeatedly criticized. As of July 26, 2022, the network will amend its terms of use , as will Instagram. Both get the same privacy policy, namely the new meta privacy policy. This explains in more detail what data is collected and how it is used. Information is also provided on how Meta's services are financed. The rest remains almost unchanged.

Facebook and Instagram are currently asking you to agree to the changes by July 26th. If you don't do this by then, you still have a month to use the networks with the old regulations. “By continuing to use our products after August 26, 2022, you agree to the changes,” the explanation says.

The revised statements do not apply to WhatsApp. The messenger service is also part of Meta, but maintains its own privacy policy. There is no information there that data from users in Germany is shared with other meta-companies for advertising purposes.

In this article we explain the main points of the data protection declaration for the Facebook and Instagram networks. In this text we explain what you can do to influence the use of your data to select advertisements .

Meta records what you do elsewhere - sometimes offline and when you don't use a Meta product at all

You've just checked something out in an online shop and you've already seen the shop's advertising on your screen when you visit Facebook. This is called personalized advertising . This is made possible, among other things, by cookies : small files that are stored in the browser. Quite a few sites on the Internet use cookies. They are also necessary for some functions.

Meta can also track you online using so-called plugins For example, website operators can put a Like button or Meta pixel on their site and app providers can integrate a Meta code component, the so-called Software Development Kit (SDK), into their apps. Meta uses this to collect data from site visitors and app users and can assign it to user profiles in its networks. However, such data is also collected from people who do not use Meta Group products. And the tracking even goes beyond the online world. Meta also receives information from partner companies about activities that are carried out in person or offline - for example, if you use your email address to register for a store's customer program.

So a little tip from us: If you don't want advertising on Facebook or Instagram to be shown to you based on your purchasing behavior in the real world, use different email addresses. Because the email address is an important feature for Meta to choose the advertising that will be shown to you. Those who produce the advertising pay for this.

In both the Terms of Service and the Data Statement, Meta writes: “We provide advertisers with reports on the number and types of people who view or interact with their ads. However, we do not share with these advertisers and their business partners any information that, by itself, could be used to contact or identify you (such as your name or email address) unless you provide it to us your consent to this.”

Information is also shared within the Meta Group, including to personalize offers, advertisements and other sponsored or commercial content. For example, you might see an ad for an art fair on your Facebook account because a friend of yours follows a local art fair Instagram account.

Why is this critical?

Translated, Meta's statement means: The company can collect information about when you were on the homepage of an online shop, for example, and whether you ordered something there. So data is stored somewhere about how much time you spend on the internet and what you do during that time. The information can be combined into user profiles across many meta products and used, for example, to show you posts that are intended to specifically influence your opinion - such as the Cambridge Analytica . Advertisers can also place ads on Meta that are published in apps outside of Meta.

What can I do about it?

You can use one browser just for Facebook and open all other websites with a different browser. If this is too much of a hassle for you, you should set your browser to delete all cookies when you close it. You should do this before you log in to Facebook next time. It is more convenient to use your browser in private mode or to prohibit the storage of third-party cookies in the settings. Instructions for this can be found on the NRW consumer advice center website.

And you should definitely look into the settings in your Facebook profile, for example via the Privacy Center . Take your time! The settings for advertising are rarely done “just like that”. And because they can be confusing, we have explanations and instructions in this article .

Facebook and Instagram know where you are

Hey, are you at the train station right now? How about a burger – it only costs 99 cents here!

Do you want your phone to show you messages like this? This could happen if you use Facebook or Instagram as an app, for example. In its data policy, Meta grants itself the right to use your location to select advertising. Facebook locates your cell phone and therefore knows where you are and can show you advertisements from nearby shops. It also learns about your preferences when you tap the advertisement.

Why is this critical?

At first you might think: Well then let a few people in America know when I'll be where - I don't care. But is that really it? You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to imagine what others could do with such information. Would you like it if your parents could constantly track where you are? Why should strangers be allowed to do it then?

What can I do about it?

Option 1: Don't use Facebook and Instagram on your cell phone. Admittedly, this is particularly difficult on Instagram. prohibit Facebook and Instagram from accessing your location via the settings on your smartphone and thus protect some of your privacy. And you can block apps from using your advertising ID . This also applies to all other apps.

Meta looks closely at what devices you use and what you do with them

How fast is your computer? Is your mouse moving right now? Which cell phone do you have? And do you use Android, iOS or Windows? How much power does your battery still have? How good is your cell phone reception? What mobile network do you have – and what cell phone number? And most importantly: What files and apps do you have on your phone? And what other programs are running while you use Facebook or Instagram? In its data policy, Meta allows itself to read everything from your smartphone or PC. Of course, there is also permission to locate you via GPS, Bluetooth or WiFi. The meta makers can find out where and how you log in and use the Internet beyond their networks.

Why is this critical?

Counter question: Do you want your parents and all friends to know when you play which games or which photos and videos you have saved? Meta allows you to do this unless you adjust your settings accordingly.

What can I do about it?

Don't use Facebook and Instagram on the go. Do you always have to post from anywhere or is it enough that you just log in on your computer or tablet at home (of course with the cookie settings recommended above or a browser add-on to disguise your identity)? the Facebook app or Messenger at all. Because you have the most data on your cell phone - just think of all the contacts! If you do want to use the apps, make the appropriate settings so that Meta can collect less data from you and evaluate it. Apple has already made an advance and is asking whether apps can collect certain information from the iPhone. more about this here . We also dedicate a separate article to contact access

For everyone who wants to know more

What does Meta use all the data it collects for? Which data is used to display personalized advertising for me? And why was I never asked for my consent? For anyone who wants to know in more detail why Meta processes which data and why they think they are allowed to do so, the data protection guidelines contain a long table at the end. This assigns which category of information (e.g. created content or the GPS location of your smartphone) Facebook and Instagram use for what purpose (e.g. display of personalized advertising) and on what legal basis (e.g. to fulfill your user contract) it is processed.

Source: checked4you

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