Bonkers Facebook App question

[SummerBlueBells]

I'm an occasional Facebook user but don't have the App on my phone due to poor storage. However, that won't be an issue anymore as I bought a new one today and am in the process of setting it up. The salesman in Carphone Warehouse was chatting away to me about 'must-have' apps and security etc and he advised me not to have the Facebook App on my phone as it monitors /spies on everything you do across other apps and what you google etc and makes links and assumptions about you!

If this is true would it be a good idea to log out of the App every time I've finished using it or should I use a separate email address just for Facebook to avoid links to other apps / forums being made? It seems like an invasion of privacy if for instance, I made an anonymous post on Mumsnet and I was then 'outed' on Facebook to all my FB friends!

I'd like to think that salesman was over reacting big time!

If you were that bothered about privacy, you wouldn't be using mumsnet...

@Pix56 why wouldn't I use MN, it's anonymous! My query was about links being made that's all

You think MN doesn't track your browsing data, cross references it with other 3rd parties and sells it on?

I get that everything is tracking you but would that be shown / announced to your FB friends because of an App being left logged in all the time? What if I was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and didn't want to tell anyone, would that info somehow be revealed or suggested to make people wonder?

That’s not how it works. They use your browsing to suggest ads to you. They don’t share it to their people.

But FB doesn't do that.

I'm on all sorts, and nothing is announced on FB.

@cardibach yes that makes more sense. Do you know if your're browsing is still tracked if you log out of the App?

No idea but I wouldn’t think so. Also, apple puts up a ‘let this app track usage’ message for new apps. Just decline.

I've been on 2 shopping websites this afternoon.
Only mumsnet, I at this moment, but all the adverts are for the shops and the items I was looking for

@Flopsythebunny I guess it's just you though who can see these adverts for particular shops and items and not your FB friends?

There was a report a few years ago where Facebook was tracking people who didn't even have an account. Many different news outlets cover it.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2021/05/08/all-the-ways-facebook-tracks-you-and-how-to-stop-it/

You need to understand the settings on your phone and not let apps such as Facebook use your microphone. I've switched mine off but I'll be tracked hundreds of other ways I'm sure.

No, it wouldn't be made public. You might get targeted ads.