Facebook Follows its Users across Cyberspace

Facebook Follows its Users across Cyberspace

  • By Ginger Hill
  • Aug 06, 2014

You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you can feel someone watching you, but when you look over there’s no one there? Or, how about chowing down at your favorite restaurant only to discover that every time you look up from your plate, a person is staring at you from across the room? Annoying, right? Well, believe it or not, this is what Facebook is doing to its users.

Facebook Follows its Users across CyberspaceSimply put, Facebook is following us.

According to the social media giant, they follow us when we surf the web and use apps on our smartphone for “marketing research,” for lack of a better term, to create ads that appeal specifically to us.

On the flip side, Facebook is becoming more transparent, noted as the first major Internet company to offer an explanation as to why we’re seeing certain ads and will even allow us to control the types of ads we see in the future, if we know where to look.

How to Stop Facebook from Aiming Specific Ad Topics at You

  1. Find an ad and click on the corner icon.
  2. Select “Why am I seeing this?” from the menu.
  3. An explanation will pop up.
  4. Under the explanation click the “View and manage your ad preferences” link.
  5. Facebook’s data they have gathered about you will show and you can edit the list.

NOTE: If you remove all topics, Facebook will keep your gender, age and where you live in their ad-targeting system.

How to Stop Facebook (and other companies) From Tracking You

If your browser keeps cookies, there’s nothing you can do to prevent any company from tracking you; however, you can stop them from using that information to deliver ads. All you have to do is register with each company that tracks you and opt out at www.aboutads.info/choices/.

How to Stop Facebook from Knowing Your Smartphone’s Location

Turn off location sharing. For iPhone, go to Settings, then Privacy, then Location Services and flip the Facebook switch off.

How to Stop Facebook from Using App Data

This requires telling your smartphone, not Facebook. For iPhone, go to Settings, then Privacy, then advertising and turn on “Limit Ad Tracking.” For Droids, go to Settings, then Accounts, then select Google and then Ads. Click “Opt out of interest-based ads.”

The harsh reality of taking our privacy into our own hands when it comes to Facebook? The company can change the rules at any time.

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

Featured

  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

  • AI Is Now the Leading Cybersecurity Concern for Security, IT Leaders

    Arctic Wolf recently published findings from its State of Cybersecurity: 2025 Trends Report, offering insights from a global survey of more than 1,200 senior IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across 15 countries. Conducted by Sapio Research, the report captures the realities, risks, and readiness strategies shaping the modern security landscape. Read Now

  • Analysis of AI Tools Shows 85 Percent Have Been Breached

    AI tools are becoming essential to modern work, but their fast, unmonitored adoption is creating a new kind of security risk. Recent surveys reveal a clear trend – employees are rapidly adopting consumer-facing AI tools without employer approval, IT oversight, or any clear security policies. According to Cybernews Business Digital Index, nearly 90% of analyzed AI tools have been exposed to data breaches, putting businesses at severe risk. Read Now

  • Software Vulnerabilities Surged 61 Percent in 2024, According to New Report

    Action1, a provider of autonomous endpoint management (AEM) solutions, today released its 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report, revealing a 61% year-over-year surge in discovered software vulnerabilities and a 96% spike in exploited vulnerabilities throughout 2024, amid an increasingly aggressive threat landscape. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Mobile Safe Shield

    Mobile Safe Shield

    SafeWood Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of patented bullet resistant products, is excited to announce the launch of the Mobile Safe Shield. The Mobile Safe Shield is a moveable bullet resistant shield that provides protection in the event of an assailant and supplies cover in the event of an active shooter. With a heavy-duty steel frame, quality castor wheels, and bullet resistant core, the Mobile Safe Shield is a perfect addition to any guard station, security desks, courthouses, police stations, schools, office spaces and more. The Mobile Safe Shield is incredibly customizable. Bullet resistant materials are available in UL 752 Levels 1 through 8 and include glass, white board, tack board, veneer, and plastic laminate. Flexibility in bullet resistant materials allows for the Mobile Safe Shield to blend more with current interior décor for a seamless design aesthetic. Optional custom paint colors are also available for the steel frame.

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”