The scale of Meta’s surveillance is staggering.
As the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Meta is collecting massive amounts of user data every day, and what it wants most is what people aren’t posting. The company’s products, from the well-known to the relatively unheard-of, are designed to track and monetize your habits, even if you’ve never logged into Facebook.
The emergence of AI has emboldened its surveillance strategies.
To keep up with AI giants like Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI, Meta feeds every interaction across Facebook, Instagram and Threads into its AI model. Facebook knows who you are and where you are. It knows the names of the files on your device, your politics, your sexual orientation, and your life events, all of which it uses to sell ads. It’s a profitable pursuit: Nearly 99% of Meta’s annual revenue comes from advertising.
You can’t avoid Meta by simply staying off social media either. The Facebook Software Development Kit — which allows developers to integrate their websites, applications and games with Facebook’s ecosystem — grants developers access to Facebook’s performance analytics. But the data exchange goes both ways, meaning you may unknowingly be using apps that communicate with Meta.
That’s just scratching the surface.
Meta’s surveillance is harder than ever to circumvent, but quick adjustments can help protect your personal information. Avoid using Facebook’s in-app browser, and consider switching to a privacy-focused browser or plug-in. Finally, follow the checklist below to fine-tune your privacy settings and spot Meta’s monitoring.
Update your privacy settings in Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads
1. Find your Meta account settings
Some of Meta’s settings apply across multiple platforms, including WhatsApp, Threads, Facebook, and Instagram. If those accounts are connected in the same Meta Accounts Center, you’ll need to change your preferences only once. You can find your Meta settings and connected accounts at accountscenter.Facebook.com(nouvelle fenêtre) or by following these steps:
Find your Meta account settings on Facebook
- Open Facebook in your browser.
- Click the dropdown arrow under your account photo.
- Select Settings & privacy, then Settings.
- Click Accounts Center at the top of the left-hand menu.
Find your Meta account settings on Instagram
- Open Instagram in your browser.
- Click the menu (three lines) in the bottom-left corner.
- Select Settings.
- Select Accounts Center at the top of the left-hand menu.
Find your Meta account settings on WhatsApp
- Open WhatsApp on your phone or computer.
- Click You in the bottom right.
- Scroll to the bottom, and select Accounts Center.
Find your Meta account settings on Threads
- Tap the menu (two lines) in the bottom-left corner.
- Click Settings, and then click Account.
- Click Personal information, which will take you to the Accounts Center.
2. Prevent Meta from tracking your off-platform activity
Quick summary:
Settings > Accounts Center > Your Information and Permissions > Your activity Off Meta Technologies > Manage Future Activity > Disconnect Future Activity
Step-by-step:
- Go into your Meta account settings.
- Select Your information and permissions from the left-hand menu.
- Click Your activity off Meta technologies.
- Select Manage future activity.
- Click Disconnect future activity.
- Confirm your changes in the pop-up dialogue box.
3. Limit Meta’s targeted advertising
Quick summary:
Settings > Accounts Center > Ad Preferences > Manage Info
Step-by-step:
- Go into your Meta account settings.
- Select Ad preferences.
- Click the Manage info tab.
From there, you can customize how Meta’s ads reach you and the information. advertisers can use to target you.
Phone privacy
1. Check which apps contact domains owned by Facebook
Quick summary:
Phone Settings > Privacy & Security > App Privacy Report
Step-by-step:
- On an iPhone, open your settings and select Privacy & Security.
- Click on App Privacy Report to see which apps communicate with Facebook.
2. Turn off app permissions on your smartphone
iPhone quick summary
Settings > Privacy & Security > Select Feature/Data Type > Select App > Don’t Allow
Step-by-step:
- Open your phone settings, and click Privacy & Security.
- Select the feature or data type (camera, microphone, etc.) that you want to change.
- You’ll see a list of apps with access to that specific data. Scroll to find Meta-owned apps, and select Never allow or Don’t allow.
Android quick summary:
(Note: This guide was created using a Samsung OneUI phone. Details may differ slightly on other Android devices.)
Settings > Security and Privacy > More privacy settings > Permission Manager > Select Feature/Data Type > Toggle Off
Step-by-step:
- Open your phone settings and scroll to select Security and Privacy.
- Select More privacy settings
- Tap Permission Manager.
- Select the feature or data type (camera, microphone, etc.) that you want to change.
- Select the app whose permissions you wish to change
- Select how that app can use the permission:
- Allow only while using the app
- Ask every time
- Don’t allow
