Instagram users can now choose which third-party apps and websites share their data with Meta. The company announced this on Tuesday, along with several updates that allow users to manage their data easily across Meta apps.
Previously only available on Facebook, the Activity Off-Meta Technologies feature allows users to control what type of data the apps and websites they use share with Meta and which platforms share this data.
Meta is also making it easier for users to access, download, and transfer their data by bringing these settings to the Accounts Center.
“Building on our efforts to simplify settings earlier this year, we’re moving a number of additional controls into Account Center to make it easier to manage your information across our apps,” Meta said in a post announcing the update to its settings.
‘Making It Easier to Manage Your Information’
Meta receives data from its “partners” whose sites and apps you use. This data is used to build a profile of you to deliver targeted ads, among other things.
“When you visit a website or use an app, businesses or organizations can send information about your activity to us by using our business tools,” Meta explains in the Accounts Center.
With the latest update, Meta is giving Instagram users the option to choose which apps and websites share data about them. You can access this setting via the Accounts Center.
If you don’t want Meta to show you ads based on data from third parties, you can disable this option in your Instagram privacy settings. Go to Accounts Center > Ad preferences > Ad setting > Activity information from ad partners.
Meta collects vast amounts of data from/about Instagram users. You’d be surprised to learn what Instagram knows about you.
Access Your Data Easily
Besides bringing the Off-Meta Technologies feature to Instagram, Meta has also shifted two key settings — “Download Your Information” and “Access Your Information” — to the Accounts Center.
This shift lets users simultaneously download information from their Facebook and Instagram accounts. This means you can get your Facebook and Instagram photos and other data in a single action. There’s still an option to download data separately for those who prefer that route.
Meta is also extending its “Transfer Your Information” feature to Instagram users. This lets users easily transfer Instagram photos and videos to third-party services.
“For example, if you’re interested in using a third-party service to create and print a photo album using photos you’ve uploaded to Instagram, this is now easier than ever,” Meta said.
Protecting Your Privacy
In January, Meta took its initial steps to streamline its privacy settings, allowing users to seamlessly manage various settings across its multiple apps. This involved centralizing settings such as personal details, passwords and security, and ad preferences in the Accounts Center.
“We’ll continue to find ways to make it easier for people to customize how they use and interact with our apps and technologies,” the announcement said.
If you use Instagram, we recommend optimizing your privacy settings and taking control of what data you share with Meta. Check out our guide to optimizing your Instagram privacy settings for privacy tips. We also have a Facebook privacy settings guide.
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