With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook has become an integral part of many people’s lives. The popular social media platform allows users to connect with friends and family, share photos and videos, and stay up to date on current events. However, Facebook’s massive reach also raises concerns about user privacy. One common question is whether Facebook can see your search history when you use their site.
Can Facebook see your searches within Facebook?
Yes, Facebook does keep track of searches you make within their platform. When you search for a person, Page, Group, or hashtag on Facebook, that query gets associated with your account. This allows Facebook to customize your News Feed and serve you ads based on your interests. For example, if you search for cooking pages on Facebook, you may later see more cooking-related posts and ads.
Facebook records information about your searches within the app to personalize and improve your experience. Their Data Policy states that they collect data on the features you use, including search. Facebook uses search data internally to rank results and make recommendations. However, they do not share individual search queries outside of the company to advertisers or other third parties.
Does Facebook track searches I make outside of their platform?
No, Facebook cannot see your search history on Google, Amazon, or other external sites. They only have insight into searches conducted directly on facebook.com or within the Facebook mobile apps. Any search terms you enter on non-Facebook websites will not be known to Facebook.
Facebook does allow advertisers to target users based on off-Facebook activity. For example, if you visited a clothing brand’s website, you may later see an ad from that brand on Facebook. However, this is made possible through aggregating web activity data from various sources. Your individual search history remains private.
How does Facebook target ads without seeing my full search history?
Facebook relies on tools like Facebook Pixel and device-level identifiers to target ads based on off-Facebook browsing. Here’s an explanation of how they do it while preserving privacy:
- Facebook Pixel – Many websites include Facebook Pixel code, which lets Facebook know someone visited that site. They can target ads to groups who visited certain sites, without seeing who specifically.
- Device IDs – Mobile apps often use device-level identifiers like IDFA on iOS to track activity across apps. Facebook matches these to their own user IDs for targeting.
- Brand Safety – Advertisers can provide Facebook with lists of sites or categories relevant to their products. Facebook fits users into buckets based on browsing habits without sharing personal data.
So in summary, Facebook does not have access to your full off-Facebook search history. They use aggregated browsing data and identifiers to determine audiences likely to be interested in a product based on sites visited. Your individual activity remains anonymous.
Does Facebook see incognito/private browsing history?
No, Facebook cannot see your search history when you use incognito or private browsing modes on various internet browsers. Incognito browsing does not save your browsing history, cookies, or site data. Therefore, there is no data for Facebook Pixel or other tools to collect.
However, Facebook will still have access to any searches made while logged into their platform. And they may still receive some basic information like IP address that could be used for aggregated targeting. But full search history remains hidden from Facebook when using private browsing.
Can you prevent Facebook from tracking any search history?
There are a few steps you can take to limit Facebook’s visibility into your search history both on and off their platform:
- Use private/incognito browsing when searching on Google or other engines to prevent tracking.
- Install browser extensions like Privacy Badger that block Facebook Pixel and other invisible trackers.
- Opt out of personalized ads on Facebook to prevent targeting based on inferred interests.
- Clear cookies and cache frequently to delete tracking data Facebook may have picked up.
- Use a VPN or anonymous browsing tools like Tor to hide your IP address from tracking.
However, the only way to fully prevent Facebook from seeing any of your search activity is to avoid logging into their service altogether. As long as you have an active Facebook account, they will have some visibility into your actions.
Can you delete your Facebook search history?
Yes, you can remove your past search queries from Facebook’s records by deleting them from your account history. Here are the steps:
- Go to your Facebook profile and click on the down arrow in the top right.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” then click “Settings”.
- Click on “Your Facebook Information” in the left column.
- Select “Activity Log” then “Your Searches”.
- Click on the “X” icon next to any individual searches you wish to delete.
- To delete your full search history, click on “Clear Searches” at the top.
This will remove saved search queries from your Facebook account. However, data already used by Facebook for advertising purposes cannot be fully erased. Clearing your history just limits future tracking.
Conclusion
Facebook only has direct access to searches conducted on their own platform. They rely on aggregated web tracking data and identifiers to target ads based on off-Facebook browsing behavior. While Facebook may infer your interests based on sites you visit, they do not have visibility into your full Google/Amazon search histories. There are steps you can take to minimize search tracking by Facebook, but avoiding their platform altogether is the only foolproof method.