Facebook announced Thursday that it is going to give its users the option to control what ads are used to target them.
According to NBC News, Facebook is going to allow users to see what information it has collected on them , as well as allow them to change what ads they wish to see on their news feeds and which ones they don’t want to see. Users will be able to do this by going to their profile to edit their interests and “likes”. There will also be an option for users to see why that specific ad is being shown to them by clicking on the link, “Why am I seeing this ad?” Users will even have the option to get rid of entire ad categories, such as restaurants.
The change, which many privacy advocates would consider a victory, also comes with a twist. While Facebook will give users more control over targeted ads, it also announced Thursday that it will be collecting information from users in new ways.
Facebook currently collects data on its users by what they posts to their profiles. After new changes it will begin collecting data on its users by tracking what its users do on the internet in addition to its current practices. For those who don’t want to be tracked, Facebook claims they can refuse tracking by changing setting on their iPhones or Android phones. Users can also refuse tracking by going to the Digital Alliance Opt Out page, PC World noted.
The Facebook changes will go into effect in the next two weeks.