5 ms·

Facebook tracks your external web browsing history through the use of their embedded buttons, and links that history with your profile. So even if you don't pos

Facebook tracks your external web browsing history through the use of their embedded buttons, and links that history with your profile. So even if you don't post private information to Facebook, they're tracking your private activity unless you take measures to block such buttons across the web.

VikingCoder 13y ago
...or use Facebook in a different browser (or Incognito), or specifically log out of Facebook when you're not using it. Or only use it in the Facebook App on your phone, but never log your browser in to it. "Logging in" is completely broken on the internet - no argument, there.
- chris_mahan 13y ago
  or on a different computer.
  - crpatino 13y ago
    connected to the neighbor's open wifi?
- LoganCale 13y ago
  The other two approaches may work, but > or specifically log out of Facebook when you're not using it will probably not, because they set tracking cookies that remain even when you log out. Complete speculation here, but if they're willing to do that, who's to say they don't link traffic from known IP addresses as well? It might be linked less strongly but in many cases could still be associated in some way. They track web browsing for non-users already anyway, so if they can connect that to existing users by IP I'd be fairly surprised if they didn't. In order to prevent this, you have to block trackers in all your browsers and devices with Ghostery or similar tools.
  - Orva 13y ago
    Browser user agent string alone is quite accurate identification [1]. Just add IP/country data on top of that..
- wutbrodo 13y ago
  With the immaturity of the app permissions model and Facebook's abysmal record, I feel like you're far better off using a mobile browser (in incognito, of course) than the mobile app.
- flyinRyan 13y ago
  If people can't be bothered to care about security, they won't be interested in doing this.
cdrxndr 13y ago
They say they don't keep shadow profiles of your external Web traffic [though I can't imagine that's true]. In line with other responses, I use a browser plugin that blocks all traffic to Facebook when I'm not on a facebook.com domain, and I exclusively sign in via incognito mode so the session is destroyed when I'm finished.
marssaxman 13y ago
Easy enough: I have a separate browser for connecting to Facebook. I also have the usual set of tracker-blocking plugins installed on Firefox, which I use for normal browsing.
rhizome 13y ago
Facebook tracks your external web browsing history through the use of their embedded buttons, and links that history with your profile Not if you log out of FB. Conveniently, the "Like" button tells you when you're logged in and the "(Not You?)" link allows you to log out of FB whenever you notice you're still logged in. Hmm, this gives me an idea for an indicator browser extension.
- LoganCale 13y ago
  Yes, it does, through the use of tracking cookies that persist after you log out. They also track non-users.
ahsiduhfisuh 13y ago
Google also tracks you on non-Google sites that use Google-hosted Ajax libraries, which is a huge chunk of the web.
- pyre 13y ago
  If they do, that's a lot more devious that Facebook's "like" button, because if you block it, then the site doesn't work.
  - gcb0 13y ago
    That's silly. I block it (via the someonewhocares host file) and not it works but makes browsing faster. Only downside is when i click done actual useful advertising result on gsearch i get a 404 :)
    - pyre 13y ago
      How is it silly? When someone loads jQuery from Google, and their site depends on jQuery, do you expect the site to still work when you block Google's CDN?
      - gcb0 13y ago
        no major provider serve ads and jquery/yui mirrors from the same CNAME... i know your example is moot because google doesn't
rcabrillo 13y ago
Facebook can't track you regardless of whether you have an account much less whether are logged in IF you use Firefox's RequestPolicy plugin.
- GoodIntentions 13y ago
  was about to post the same. Request policy + noscript ftw
disgruntledphd2 13y ago
Nope, not if you're outside the US. Seriously getting sick of repeating this, but whatever. Facebook Ireland (mmm, double Irish) is the data controller for all Facebook users outside the US, and they released a report which prevents facebook from doing this. AFAIK, they said that this data can only be retained for 30 days and cannot be linked to user profiles and/or used for targeted advertising. For some strange reason, the same requirements do not apply to Google, and Twitter are currently being investigated.

VikingCoder 13y ago

...or use Facebook in a different browser (or Incognito), or specifically log out of Facebook when you're not using it. Or only use it in the Facebook App on your phone, but never log your browser in to it. "Logging in" is completely broken on the internet - no argument, there.

chris_mahan 13y ago
or on a different computer.
- crpatino 13y ago
  connected to the neighbor's open wifi?
LoganCale 13y ago
The other two approaches may work, but > or specifically log out of Facebook when you're not using it will probably not, because they set tracking cookies that remain even when you log out. Complete speculation here, but if they're willing to do that, who's to say they don't link traffic from known IP addresses as well? It might be linked less strongly but in many cases could still be associated in some way. They track web browsing for non-users already anyway, so if they can connect that to existing users by IP I'd be fairly surprised if they didn't. In order to prevent this, you have to block trackers in all your browsers and devices with Ghostery or similar tools.
- Orva 13y ago
  Browser user agent string alone is quite accurate identification [1]. Just add IP/country data on top of that..
wutbrodo 13y ago
With the immaturity of the app permissions model and Facebook's abysmal record, I feel like you're far better off using a mobile browser (in incognito, of course) than the mobile app.
flyinRyan 13y ago
If people can't be bothered to care about security, they won't be interested in doing this.

cdrxndr 13y ago

They say they don't keep shadow profiles of your external Web traffic [though I can't imagine that's true]. In line with other responses, I use a browser plugin that blocks all traffic to Facebook when I'm not on a facebook.com domain, and I exclusively sign in via incognito mode so the session is destroyed when I'm finished.

marssaxman 13y ago

Easy enough: I have a separate browser for connecting to Facebook. I also have the usual set of tracker-blocking plugins installed on Firefox, which I use for normal browsing.

rhizome 13y ago

Facebook tracks your external web browsing history through the use of their embedded buttons, and links that history with your profile Not if you log out of FB. Conveniently, the "Like" button tells you when you're logged in and the "(Not You?)" link allows you to log out of FB whenever you notice you're still logged in. Hmm, this gives me an idea for an indicator browser extension.

LoganCale 13y ago
Yes, it does, through the use of tracking cookies that persist after you log out. They also track non-users.

ahsiduhfisuh 13y ago

Google also tracks you on non-Google sites that use Google-hosted Ajax libraries, which is a huge chunk of the web.

pyre 13y ago
If they do, that's a lot more devious that Facebook's "like" button, because if you block it, then the site doesn't work.
- gcb0 13y ago
  That's silly. I block it (via the someonewhocares host file) and not it works but makes browsing faster. Only downside is when i click done actual useful advertising result on gsearch i get a 404 :)
  - pyre 13y ago
    How is it silly? When someone loads jQuery from Google, and their site depends on jQuery, do you expect the site to still work when you block Google's CDN?
    - gcb0 13y ago
      no major provider serve ads and jquery/yui mirrors from the same CNAME... i know your example is moot because google doesn't

rcabrillo 13y ago

Facebook can't track you regardless of whether you have an account much less whether are logged in IF you use Firefox's RequestPolicy plugin.

GoodIntentions 13y ago
was about to post the same. Request policy + noscript ftw

disgruntledphd2 13y ago

Nope, not if you're outside the US. Seriously getting sick of repeating this, but whatever. Facebook Ireland (mmm, double Irish) is the data controller for all Facebook users outside the US, and they released a report which prevents facebook from doing this. AFAIK, they said that this data can only be retained for 30 days and cannot be linked to user profiles and/or used for targeted advertising. For some strange reason, the same requirements do not apply to Google, and Twitter are currently being investigated.