What is Meta?
Meta is a technology and communications company with a market capitalization exceeding $1,500 billion USD. It provides online communication services through various products such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Although most people consider Meta a social media platform provider, the reality is quite different.
How Does Meta Make Money?
Meta is not just a social media company; rather, its revenue primarily depends on targeted advertising, which relies heavily on data collection. The company tracks users’ digital footprints and delivers highly personalized ads based on collected data. For example, Meta lost billions in revenue when Apple introduced a privacy policy limiting tracking on iPhones, highlighting the extent to which its business model depends on users’ private data.
Photo by Shikhsha.com
This surveillance process is not limited to Meta’s own platforms; it extends to tracking tools embedded in millions of websites and apps. As a result, even if you stop using Facebook or Instagram, you may still be monitored. “Meta Pixel,” one of Meta’s key tracking tools, captures user behavior across digital platforms and is embedded in 30% of the world’s most popular websites. Such tracking poses a direct threat to personal data, including financial and mental health information. A 2022 investigation by The Markup revealed that a third of the top U.S. hospitals had unintentionally transmitted confidential patient information to Meta through this tool.
Meta’s tracking extends beyond the digital world and into the offline environment. Businesses collect data on daily purchases and transactions, allowing Meta to continuously gather user data even when they are not actively engaging online. Consequently, deleting Facebook or Instagram does not fully protect individuals from Meta’s surveillance. In 2018, the company admitted to tracking non-users, collecting their contact details and browsing history without direct engagement.
Steps to Reduce Meta’s Data Collection
Although Meta’s tracking is extensive, there are several steps you can take to limit the amount of data the company collects.
Update Meta Account Settings
- From Accounts Center
- Open the Facebook or Instagram app.
- Go to Settings and look for Accounts Center (found in both apps).
- If you have trouble finding it, visit Meta’s help pages for Facebook and Instagram.
- From Web Browser Instead of the App
- If you prefer to adjust settings on a browser, go to:
- Linked Accounts: If Facebook and Instagram are linked in Accounts Center, you only need to update settings once. Otherwise, adjust them separately.
- Changing Settings:
- Navigate to Accounts Center via Settings in Facebook or Instagram.
- Use accountscenter.facebook.com or accountscenter.instagram.com if using a web browser.
Photo By Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Meta intentionally makes it difficult to find these settings by frequently updating their options, sometimes adding complex settings. Steps discussed here may vary from region to region, however, each of these settings should exist under some variation of the options described.
Once you’re on the Accounts Center page, follow these steps:
- Stop Meta from Targeting Ads Based on Your Activity on Other Apps and Websites
- Click Ad Preferences under Accounts Center.
- Select the Manage Info tab (or Ad Settings, depending on your region).
- Click Activity Information from Ad Partners, then Review Setting.
- Choose No, don’t make my ads more relevant by using this information.
Click Confirm when prompted
Photo By Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
- Prevent Meta from Using Your Facebook & Instagram Data for Ads Outside Its Platforms
- Go to the Ad Preferences page in Accounts Center.
- Click the Manage Info tab (or Ad Settings, depending on your location).
- Select Ads shown outside of Meta (or Ads from ad partners, depending on your region).
- Choose Not allowed.
Click the “X” button to close the pop-up.
Photo By Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
- Prevent Other Companies from Sharing Your Data with Meta
- In Accounts Center, click Your information and permissions.
- Select Your activity off Meta technologies → Manage future activity.
- Choose Disconnect future activity.
- Click Continue, then confirm by selecting Disconnect future activity again.
Note:
- This change may take up to 48 hours to take effect.
It will also clear past activity, which might log you out of apps and websites you’ve signed into using Facebook.
Photo By Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Install Privacy Badger to Block Meta’s Trackers
Privacy Badger is free browser extension that block trackers like Meta’s Pixel at the time of loading on visited websites. Furthermore, it helps to replaces embedded Facebook posts, Like buttons, and Share buttons with click-to-activate placeholders which stop Meta from collect activity through these elements.
How to Install Privacy Badger
- Visit privacybadger.org to download and install the extension.
- Supported Browsers: Works on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera.
- Mobile Support: Currently, only Firefox on Android supports Privacy Badger.
Conclusion
Preventing a company you don’t trust from profiting off your personal data shouldn’t require navigating hidden settings or installing browser extensions. Instead, privacy should be built-in by default. Strong, transparent federal privacy laws are necessary to ensure users have control over their personal data. Such legislation would prevent companies like Meta from bypassing privacy protections or monetizing user data.
References:
- Facebook Inc Company Profile – Facebook Inc Overview. GlobalData. (n.d.). https://www.globaldata.com/company-profile/facebook-inc/
- Cohen, L. (2025, January 18). Mad at meta? don’t let them collect and monetize your personal data. Electronic Frontier Foundation. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/01/mad-meta-dont-let-them-collect-and-monetize-your-personal-data
- Meta Business Model – how Facebook makes money? – shiksha online. Study in India. (n.d.). https://www.shiksha.com/online-courses/articles/how-meta-facebook-makes-money/
Great! This blog offers valuable insights and actionable steps to protect privacy from Meta’s extensive tracking. Stronger regulations are essential to ensure users have absolute control over their data.
Informative post Shuvo ! The article did an excellent job of exposing the depth of Meta’s data collection practices and the risks they pose to user privacy. It is a sharp reminder that “if you’re not paying for a product, you are the product”. Meta’s business model thrives on making money out of user data, and as the post highlights how even non-users aren’t safe from its pervasive tracking tools like Meta Pixel. The practical steps provided to limit data collection, such as adjusting account settings and using Privacy Badger, are helpful, but stronger regulations are a must to stop this invasion of privacy. After all, nothing is truly free—on Meta’s platforms, your data is the price.
This was a well-written and eye-opening post-Shuvo! Meta’s tracking mechanisms are deeply embedded throughout the web which causes major concern. Learning that deleting Facebook or Instagram fails to stop surveillance shows how much power tech companies hold over our personal data. The detailed information you provided about privacy settings and tools like Privacy Badger helps users understand options that many people are unaware of. The method Meta uses to collect offline business data is worrisome because people incorrectly believe tracking ends when they exit the app. Meta’s continuous adaptation of tracking methods makes it seem like we face a never-ending battle instead of reaching a permanent solution. We should expect more powerful privacy regulations in the future to stop this kind of data collection practices.
Interesting post!
This article highlights the growing concern for digital privacy. This article provides a good overview of how Meta tracks users data and provides steps to limit it. While, the platform provides valuable services, the extent of its tracking raises serious ethical questions. However, by following the highlighted steps, users can reduce the surveillance and protect their privacy up to some extent. However, to fully protect the privacy of users, strong data privacy regulations and strict laws are must needed.