In case you hadn’t noticed, people are onto Facebook’s little game in a big way. While many users and investors are ditching the service, others are looking to inhibit the firm’s data guzzling shenanigans.
As such, users of the Firefox web browser may want to consider a new add-on called Facebook Container.
The free-to-install extension, as the same suggests, keeps Facebook browsing in a separate container, thus prohibiting Zuckerberg and co. from tracking your other activity around the web.
Related: How to delete your Facebook account
“When you first install the add-on, it signs you out of Facebook and deletes the cookies that Facebook uses to track you on other websites” the makers say.
It’s developed by Firefox creator Mozilla itself, which has halted ads on Facebook in order to put pressure on the social network to better protect its users.
In a blog post, Mozilla’s VP of Firefox Product Nick Nguyen says: “As a user of the internet, you deserve a voice and should be able to use the internet on your own terms.”
Not the total solution
Unfortunately, the Container would not have protected you from the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, nor any others we’re probably yet to hear about.
If users authorise apps that give access to their data when browsing Facebook, there’s nothing Mozilla’s tool can do to prevent it.
He added (via The Register): “The type of data in the recent Cambridge Analytica incident would not have been prevented by Facebook Container.
“But troves of data are being collected on your behavior on the internet, and so giving users a choice to limit what they share in a way that is under their control is important.”
Facebook itself continues to reel from the data harvesting saga with governments in the US and UK keen to speak with CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The company’s stock price continues to tumble, wiping around $80 billion off its market cap as of Wednesday.
The beleaguered firm is currently rolling out more transparent privacy settings in a bid to regain public trust. One senses there’s a long road ahead.
Will you ever trust Facebook again? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
