Did you ever browse online for a new jacket, and later discover ads for jackets on Facebook?
Businesses often share data about people's interactions on their websites with ad platforms and other services like Facebook to reach people who are more likely to care about what they are selling.
Facebook is introducing a new way for users to view and control what it calls 'off-Facebook activity'.
The new tool lets people see a summary of the apps and websites that send Facebook information about their activity.
It allows users clear this information from their account if they want to, and it lets users disconnect future off-Facebook activity from their account. This can be done for all off-Facebook activity, or just specific apps and websites.
The social media platform is making the new tool available to people in Ireland, Spain and South Korea first, before it is rolled out across the world.
Facebook says the tool is "another way to give people more transparency and control". It also expects that it could have some impact on its business, "but we believe giving people control over their data is more important".
