Facebook announced Tuesday it will allow users to opt out of letting the social media giant collect browsing history data.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement on his personal page, adding he will discuss the control in detail during Facebook’s annual developer conference later Tuesday.
The change — called “Clear History” — is the biggest since the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which allowed the research firm to improperly obtain data from millions of Facebook users without their permission.
”Once we roll out this update, you'll be able to see information about the apps and websites you've interacted with, and you'll be able to clear this information from your account. You'll even be able to turn off having this information stored with your account,” Zuckerberg said.
Collecting users browsing history is valuable to Facebook: The company uses a user’s browsing history to sell targeted adds.
“It's something privacy advocates have been asking for — and we will work with them to make sure we get it right,” Zuckerberg said on his personal Facebook page. “One thing I learned from my experience testifying in Congress is that I didn't have clear enough answers to some of the questions about data. We're working to make sure these controls are clear, and we will have more to come soon.”