Facebook, one of the biggest social media platforms, has added a new ‘Link History’ feature on its mobile app. This feature keeps track of websites a person has visited through Facebook in the last 30 days. This extra choice is turned on by default, but people can choose to switch it off.
When it is turned on, Link History keeps a record of websites visited using the Facebook phone browser. But, links clicked in Messenger talks are not counted. Facebook says this tool lets people find recently visited links quickly in one spot.
Privacy supporters have raised worries, but this tool for bookmarking is said to be helpful. Facebook says it might use people’s link history information to show ads on its platforms. Link History is a way to learn about what users like and how they use the internet. This information can be used for making ads more personal.
To control this option, people can start the mobile browser from the app and get to the Browser Settings menu. The Link History switch lets you turn on or off quickly. But, Facebook says it might take up to 90 days to fully clear saved link history data after turning it off.
This new addition came into being after Meta put link history in the Instagram app. This also happens while the company tries to make Messenger chats private by default. But its feature of Link History is not protected with encryption.
In general, the use of Link History means there is a balance between being simple to use and keeping information private. Many people will find it helpful to quickly see recent links, but some might want to keep Facebook from seeing too much of their online history. The best part is that, people can pick either options based on what they like.
