There has been a lot of talk about Atlas, Facebook’s new ad network. Some is accurate, while some plays on fears and ends up on the side of overexaggeration.
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In a nutshell, here’s what you should know:
The amount of information Facebook has about you is likely massive. Every time you click like or post about a topic, Facebook learns more. Atlas lets Facebook take that data and instead of just serving up ads on Facebook allows advertisers to target you on other websites. You gave Facebook your blessing long ago when you agreed to its terms of service.
Remember that while Facebook knows who you are, it’s not giving your name to third parties. But Atlas will allow advertisers to better measure the effectiveness of ads with plenty of data.
You can read more about how Atlas works with a simple Google search. I want to use the rest of this space to tell you what you can do to limit Atlas and Facebook’s reach. I can’t guarantee an ad won’t reach you, but there are ways you can help yourself.
“Like” wisely: We hit that like button as though there’s a prize for who presses it the most. There isn’t, so we shouldn’t. If you come across a brand on Facebook and you want to hit like because you really want more information and you’re really a fan, then do it. But don’t do it just for the sake of hitting it, because that’s more data Facebook now has about you.
Limit ad tracking: The iPhone version: There are different ways to limit ad tracking, but here’s one easy way to get started. On your iPhone, go to settings–>privacy–>advertising. You’ll see a button called “Limit Ad Tracking.” Turn it on. On Android-based devices, you want to find ads under settings and then enable “Opt Out of Internet-Based Ads.” The menus and wording may vary depending on the version of software you are using.
Limit ad tracking some more: Best done at facebook.com on a computer, go to settings and click on ads. Under there, you’ll see two sections where you can make changes: Third party sites and ads with friends. These will affect your Facebook ads in several ways, and there’s a great section that explains it all.
More? OK, limit ad tracking even more: You can opt out of Internet-based ads via the Digital Advertising Alliance. (Note: This page is in beta, so changes are possible.) Facebook is one of the many companies you’ll find on the list, which takes a look at the cookies in your browser. So this means you should repeat the process based on the browsers and devices you use. There are other ways to stop tracking, too, so you should find one that works for you.
At the end of the day, remember that the Internet isn’t anonymous. You can try to hide and you can control the information that goes out. But no one is going to do it for you, so start with these tips.
What questions do you have about social media? Tweet them to @scottkleinberg with hashtag #SoSocial. He might select yours for use in a future column.