How to OPT OUT of Facebook Instant Personalization

Facebook recently implemented a feature called Instant Personalization. You've probably noticed it on your Facebook page. It says "Connect with your friends on your favorite websites."


Facebook is offering a "Like" button for websites. When clicked, the sites can use your public Facebook information, which includes your name, picture, gender, Friends list, and possibly more - depending on your privacy settings - to "personalize" your experience. Hmmm.

Many Facebook users want to know how to "opt out" of this new feature. They don't want their personal information shared by Facebook. By default, you are OPTED IN!

To preserve your privacy, there are a few things you need to do.

First, opt out of Instant Personalization

1) Open a separate browser tab or window and sign into Facebook. Click Account (upper right corner) and, from the dropdown menu, click Privacy Settings. Then click Applications & Websites.

2) At the bottom of the "Applications & Websites" page, uncheck the box next to "Instant Personalization." Then click Confirm on the popup window that warns you of all you will be missing by opting out...

Next, prevent your friends from sharing your information. Facebook says to stop your friends from sharing your information, you must block three applications: Microsoft Docs, Pandora, and Yelp.

1) Make sure you are still signed into Facebook in another browser window or tab. Then click on the first link below. It will open in a new browser tab or window so you don't lose this post. On the Facebook page, click Block Application in the upper left corner under the icon.

2) When you do, a small window opens. Click the Block button. Wait for Facebook to quickly flash a confirmation window (that disappears almost immediately) and then cancel out of the browser tab or window.

3) Come back to this post, click on the second link below, and repeat the process. Then return and click on the third link.

Link to "Microsoft Docs.com" Facebook page
Link to "Pandora" Facebook page
Link to "Yelp" Facebook page..

Hope this helps.

PS: This might be a good time to review other privacy settings in Facebook. Go back to the "Privacy Settings" window (Account / Privacy Settings) and click on each heading and select Everyone, Friends of Friends, or Only Friends.

Remember, many of Facebook's default settings are Everyone, so you may be sharing your personal information, photos, and wall posts with the world and not realize it.

Another important security setting is where you specify What your friends can share about you. It is found under "Applications and Websites" on the "Privacy Settings" menu. Uncheck what you don't want shared, and click Save Changes.

However, on this page you are informed that: ... Applications will always be able to access your publicly available information (Name, Profile Picture, Gender, Current City, Networks, Friend List, and Pages) and information that is visible to Everyone. (The information that is available to "Everyone" is per your settings that we are discussing..)

You can hide your Friend List from everyone except you and your friends. In Facebook, click Profile. Click the little pencil in the upper-right corner of the Friends box, and uncheck "Show Friend List to everyone."

Cheers!

►  Take a look at some of our other interesting posts, such as Facebook's New "Community Pages" Explained

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