Facebook announced on May 26, Thursday it will start pushing ads to every person who uses third-party websites that have signed up to its advertising program including those without Facebook accounts. In the past Facebook only showed advertisements to people on third-party sites that were members of Audience Network. However, the social giant can now track browsing behavior and collect data for all Internet users by using tools such as the cookies, Like buttons, and other plug-ins.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) first reported Facebook's new move. In the past the world's largest social network only tracked what Facebook users on Audience Network members did online, according to Mirror.
The social platform's change will now power all advertising on the entire Internet. It will track any web browsers with or without a Facebook account.
Facebook will use the data it collects to target advertisements to non-Facebook users. Andrew Bosworth is Facebook's ads and business platform VP. He explained that the company's buttons and plugins send it basic data about the browsing sessions of Facebook account holders, and now such data will also be collected for non-Facebook users, according to The Wall Street Journal.
However, non-Facebook users can opt-out of its interest-based ads. They must first visit the Digital Advertising Alliance site to see which companies show interest-based ads in browsers.
They must select which ones they want and then press "submit your choices." Another option is to tap the AdChoices icon beside any Audience Network ad.
Meanwhile, Facebook users can also opt out of interest-based advertising in Facebook settings.
Facebook's move comes at a time it has been criticized by European regulators about privacy issues. The company just added a new banner notification in Europe at the top of News Feed. It informs people of its cookies policy, which is required by an EU mandate.
A Princeton University report recently showed that Facebook and Google lead targeted web advertising.
However, last year the Belgian Privacy Commission complained that Facebook tracked users after they logged out, and browsers without Facebook accounts. Facebook opposed the report's findings and blamed the tracking on a coding bug.
Here's a video on a privacy case against Facebook: