Meta has officially confirmed a feature it has quietly rolled out to select users over the past few months.
Initially reported by Gizmodo, "Link History" will soon be available to all Facebook users on iOS and Android, while a desktop version has yet to be announced by the tech giant.
Link History allows users to keep track of all the links they have interacted with while on the Facebook app.
Some users have already reported receiving a prompt from Facebook to enable the feature: "Easily get back to recent links you've visited with your Facebook browsing activity now saved in one place."
Additionally, the prompt states that allowing Link History would also allow Meta to access user information in order to improve ads across its services. Users may also manage their Link History via Browser settings.
While the feature may come in handy for users wanting to keep track of links they visit, Facebook has noted that it will only track visited links in a browsing session, and not links visited in chats via Messenger. Additionally, Meta will delete the Link History it has created within 90 days if a user decides not to use the feature.
Meta has not given a timeline as to when the feature will be available in all regions, but is working on rolling it out to all Facebook mobile users.
Despite the feature being of use to some Facebook users, netizens have brought up concerns surrounding data privacy, as the feature lets Meta gain access to user data.
Digital Content Next CEO Jason Kint expressed concern in an X post, claiming Meta's move merits another investigation from the FTC.
Woah. This is a huge deal, demands tech press attention. If Facebook moves forward, the FTC should be ready with (another) inquiry. This report says Facebook is going to start tracking web activity for users who have turned off “Off-Facebook Activity.” First, some background. /1 pic.twitter.com/jTCc1Bp2Cf
— Jason Kint (@jason_kint) January 2, 2024
"Again, FTC should be all over this. Meta is a desperate surveillance capitalist with much of its 97% in revenues and profits jeopardized by “signal loss” meaning your privacy rights," he explained in a thread.