Facebook announced that users would be able to control the data that applications and businesses share with the platform.

After Mark Zuckerberg promised to redouble his efforts for transparency, Facebook announced a new tool for users. can see and control the data that other sites and applications share with the platform direct advertising.

The function was baptized by the social network as "Activity outside of Facebook". For the moment, it is implemented as a test in Ireland, Spain and South Korea. According to a statement from the company, the global launch will take place in "the coming months".

From Facebook explained that this tool will allow users can see in detail a summary of information that other applications and websites have sent to the platform. If they want to disable it, they can do it specifically or directly for all external services.

In case of choice of the latter option, the company has badured that will eliminate the data you send to segment the advertising audience. "We will not know what websites you have visited or what you have done and we will not use any of the data you dissociate to display ads on Facebook, Instagram or Messenger," said Erin Egan, director of Privacy and Policy, and David Baser, Director of Product Management "We hope this can have an impact on our activities, but we think the most important thing is to allow users to control their data, "they added.

Before this initiative, it was impossible for users to know which companies had sent their information to Facebook and how often. "It's an unprecedented tool, there was no template to follow, our engineering teams redesigned our systems and built a new way of handling the data," said the leaders. . According to the announcement, this will allow greater transparency and allow users to have more control.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal

The announcement took place a month after the social network was fined for violating privacy in the Cambridge Analytica case. The Federal Trade Commission sanctioned her with a penalty of $ 5 billion.

The scandal sparked considerable controversy over the use made by the Zuckerberg platform of user data, following the discovery that Cambridge Analytica had illegally obtained data over 87 million Facebook profiles.

"Despite repeated promises to its billions of users around the world to control how their personal information is shared, Facebook undermined consumer optionssaid FTC President Joe Simons.

The decision of the body also establishes a framework for the technology company, according to which any new product launched by the social network, as well as any update of its existing applications, must be accompanied by a report documenting decisions made in relation to the network. Privacy of the user.