How to uncover and block the apps tracking you on Facebook
With claims a firm used 50 million Facebook users to develop controversial political campaigns for Donald Trump, many people are promising to cull the social media platform.
On Wednesday, Malcolm Turnbull's cyber security chief Timothy Pilgrim said it's likely Australians have been caught up in the Facebook data scandal.
But for anyone who wants to feel safer using Facebook, there are steps you can take to secure your privacy and prevent apps sharing your information.
Firstly, if you’re using Facebook on a computer, click on the arrow in the top right-hand corner and select settings from the drop-down menu.
This will take you to your general account settings. There’s a list of security and notification settings on the left. At the bottom is “Apps”, which sits above “Ads” and “Payments”. Click on it.
This will bring up a list of apps tracking you via Facebook. Many of them are apps you may have forgotten about, such as quizzes or phone games you’ve downloaded.
Use your cursor to hover over each app and change its permissions – alternatively you can delete an app completely.
If you look below the icons, you’ll see a panel called “Apps others use”. By clicking on this, it will show you information your friends are sharing about you through their apps via Facebook.
It should list your birthday, your family and relationships, and your hometown with various boxes ticked. Untick them to stop the information being shared.
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Finally, for anyone wanting to change information on their phone, open the Facebook app and click on the three lines next to the notification bell on the bottom panel. Select account setting and select apps from the bottom section.
