Facebook started out as a great way to connect the world, find old friends, and upgrade this whole “face-to-face” talking thing we’ve been stuck with. It ended up as a way for marketers to Hoover up our information and sell stuff to us. The recent fiasco with Cambridge Analytica is a perfect example of everything that’s wrong with the social network.
But maybe, just maybe, there’s still some good left in Facebook. Maybe you don’t want to leave — how else would you stay in touch with Cousin Margo and that friend who moved to Australia? There are a variety of ways you can protect your private data, ensure your confidentiality, and in general prevent all those bad actors from latching onto your data. Follow the steps below to protect yourself without deleting Facebook entirely — or just go whole hog and delete your Facebook account completely.
This first alternative removes Facebook from connected apps. You’re essentially turning the platform off so third-party apps don’t have access to your account and its information. Here’s how to block them:
Step 1: Click on the down arrow button next to the question mark icon on the navigation bar.
Step 3: On the resulting “General Account Settings” page, click the “Apps” category in the menu on the left.
Step 4: On the resulting page, locate “Apps, Websites and Plugins” listed under the apps and click the “Edit” button.
Step 5: On the pop-up, click the blue “Disable Platform” button.
With this method, you’re controlling the data friends and family take with them to other apps, such as your birthday, relationships, education, employment, and so on. Here’s how you can cut off their data supply:
Step 1: Click on the down arrow button next to the question mark icon on the navigation bar.
Step 3: On the resulting “General Account Settings” page, click the “Apps” category in the menu on the left.
Step 4: On the resulting page, locate “App Others Use” and click the “Edit” button.
Step 5: On the pop-up window, choose the data you allow other people to bring with them in their apps.
Step 6: Click the blue “Save” button.
Finally, our third alternative pertains to your Facebook information used for advertisements. These include your use of websites and apps, and advertisements paired with your social actions. Here’s how to nuke this use of your data:
Step 1: Click on the down arrow button next to the question mark icon on the navigation bar.
Step 3: On the resulting “General Account Settings” page, click the “Ads” category in the menu on the left.
Step 4: On the resulting “Your ad preferences” page, scroll down to “Ad Settings.”
Step 5: Switch on or off “Ads based on your use of websites and apps.”
Step 6: Switch on or off “Ads on apps and websites off of the Facebook Companies.”
Step 7: Choose “Only my friends” or “No One” for “Ads with your social actions.”
Step 8: While you’re here, scroll up to “Your information” and switch off the available settings to your preference.
Still want to delete your Facebook account? Fine then. Let’s move on.
You just opened X and started typing your thoughts. Imagine the jump scare when a hand suddenly pops up on your screen, pointing at the promote button. It doesn’t say a word and simply points. For a growing number of X users, this isn’t a made-up scenario but something they have been seeing since yesterday, and very few of them are amused.
Most of us have learned to tune out the usual in-app upsells, whether it’s a glowing upgrade banner or a pop-up about a premium plan. A floating hand hovering over your draft is much harder to ignore, and that’s probably the whole point.
Scroll through any app for five minutes, and you’ll find someone maxxing something. Their skin, their sleep, their protein intake, even their Friday night on the couch. That little suffix has been everywhere this year, and now it has a trophy to show for it. In a recent announcement, Dictionary.com named maxxing its 2026 Word of the Year.
What are people actually doing when they’re maxxing?
Instagram is testing a new format for long-form videos called Features. It allows select creators to upload horizontal videos running up to 90 minutes long. Instagram has already tested the new format with creators in Brazil, and now, it's expanding to tens of thousands of creators across the US.
How will Instagram's new Features format work?