Facebook is giving users more information about the outside apps and websites that send information about their activity back to Facebook — and a way to disconnect that kind of information from their account. If users decide to clear that off-Facebook activity, Facebook won’t able to use it to target ads at them.

The feature comes as Facebook continues to grapple with its privacy practices and lawmakers’ scrutiny over how it uses personal data to display ads. But it will likely not have much effect on Facebook’s business, as it requires users to turn the feature on.

In a blog post, Facebook provides a walkthrough of how to use the new feature.

CNBC notes that "This is likely a move to stay ahead of regulators in the U.S. and abroad that are cracking down on Facebook’s ad targeting practices, eMarketer analyst Jasmine Enberg said in an emailed statement. But it won’t hurt Facebook’s business unless people actually take the time to opt out.

Enberg further noted that "The impact of the 'Off-Facebook Activity' tool on Facebook’s ad business depends on consumer adoption. It takes a proactive step for consumers to go into their Facebook settings and turn on the feature.

As we’ve seen in the past, there is a disconnect between people who say they care about privacy and those who actually do something about it. If not enough people use the tool, it’s unlikely that it will have a material impact on Facebook’s bottom line."  For more, read the full CNBC report.

If it's to truly work, then the U.S. Government should force Facebook to make this standard forcing customers to opt in if they want tracking to continue rather than forcing users to opt out. Facebook's methodology is cleverly designed to "sound good," especially to regulators, but in reality, they know that not many will user will actually make the effort to opt out.  

Apple remains the true leader on privacy issues.  

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.