MEMPHIS, Tenn. — If you're tired of pesky ads for things you just looked at on another website popping up on Facebook, iPhone users can now turn it off.
Facebook is the most popular social media site in the world with nearly three billion users. It's also a powerhouse for other things, consumer protection attorney Curt Runger said.
"Facebook has turned into a great and very profitable platform for online advertisers," Runger said.
When you download the latest update for your iPhone, the option if Facebook and Instagram can track you, like other apps such as Venmo, will come up when you open the apps. The advice from experts is to click "no."
These apps, specifically Facebook, pull data from your phone, including the websites you visit and search, to create targeted ads. They also sell your information to other third party companies.
"They are basically tracking you from your IP address and basically are able to remarket to you every time you log on," Runger said. "The reason they are able to do that is because you clicked on a Facebook ad the first time."
Runger said this is a win for your privacy.
"It is kind of scary how much information that you are able to get about the people who click on your ad," Runger said.
Even if you said "no" to letting it track you, Runger advised to remain cautious.
"Just because a privacy policy says your information is not sold, how are we to know it’s really not?" Runger said. "How are we to really know that Apple is really continuing oversight on this to make sure that this doesn’t happen."
Runger said this new feature will likely put pressure on other companies to follow, even if it means losing a profit from advertisers.
"I think it’s a good thing because number one it gives consumers the ability to decline to have that information shared and number two it also brings awareness to the fact that this actually going on," Runger said.