Facebook Unveils ‘Link History’ Feature on Mobile: Steps to Enable or Disable Website Tracking

Facebook’s latest addition, the ‘Link History’ setting within its mobile app, acts as a repository for all the websites users have visited through the platform within the last 30 days. This optional feature, accessible on both iOS and Android versions of the Facebook app, arrives enabled by default. Users are reportedly receiving in-app notifications detailing the link history feature and offering the opportunity to deactivate it. While Facebook portrays link history as a convenient archive of recently accessed links, the characteristic Meta privacy concerns come into play.

According to Facebook’s support page, the toggle for link history is gradually rolling out on its mobile app, currently available on both iOS and Android platforms. Once activated, this setting logs the list of websites visited through Facebook’s mobile browser, retaining data for a duration of 30 days.

Additionally, Facebook clarifies that the link history setting excludes links visited within Messenger chats. “You can choose to turn link history on or off at any time. When link history is on, any links that you’ve tapped inside of Facebook and visited in Facebook’s Mobile Browser will be saved here for 30 days,” elucidates the support page.

Some users have reportedly started receiving a pop-up for the link history setting when they access the Facebook app. According to a report in Gizmodo, the feature is posited as a nifty tool to save all your links. The in-app prompt reads ‘Never lose a link again,’ and adds “Easily get back the recent links you’ve visited with your Facebook browsing activity now saved in one place.”

There is, however, a privacy concern in the mix, too. In both its support page for the link history toggle and the in-app pop-up, Facebook clarifies that it might use your saved list of links to send targeted ads to you across its platforms and technologies. “Bear in mind that when link history is on, we may use link history information from Facebook’s Mobile Browser to improve your ads across Meta technologies,” the support page says. This effectively turns your link history an all-in-one-place interest board for Facebook to access and utilise to send targeted advertisements to users.

To turn link history on or off on the Facebook mobile app, open any link inside the app to launch the Facebook mobile browser. Then, tap the three-dot menu in the bottom right and select Browser settings. To turn the setting off or on, hit the toggle and confirm your choice. Meta says that it will immediately clear your link history when the setting is turned off and it won’t use your browsing activity to “improve your ads” across its platforms. But it also notes that it may take up to 90 days to completely delete your list of links.

Meta has implemented the link history feature on the Instagram mobile app. Users can access this setting through the “Your Activity” section available in the app’s menu. In a recent announcement, Facebook disclosed its plans to enforce end-to-end encryption by default for one-on-one chats and calls within the Messenger app, aimed at bolstering user privacy and security.