How to opt out of Facebook data sharing

Here’s how to keep your data safe from being brokered and sold.

Facebook knows a lot about you. I mean, a lot. If you’ve ever been creeped out by a scarily on-point ad while visiting Facebook, that’s why. But some of you might wonder where Facebook gets its data. The answer is simple: data brokers.

A data broker collects your information from various sources and depending on the broker in question, this information could come from online, offline, or both. Whenever you make a purchase online or utilize your grocery store’s loyalty card, the data on your purchases is collected by at least one company. Facebook buys this data and, letting advertisers use it to more specifically target ads towards you. Though Facebook says that the data brokers anonymize what they collect, the details can still be matched against your Facebook profile, building for Facebook and its advertisers a complete picture of who you are.

Creepy, right?

There’s some good news here, though. You can opt-out of this sort of data collection at a lot of data brokers including the companies with which Facebook has partnered.

• Who has your data
• How to remove your data from or stop tracking by Facebook’s data providers
• Acxiom
• Epsilon
• Experian
• Oracle
• Quantium
• KBM Group

Who has your data

Right now, Facebook lists seven companies as “Audience Data Providers” on its Marketing Partners Program. These are the companies that currently provide data to Facebook from around the world:

• Acxiom
• Epsilon
• Experian
• Oracle Data Cloud
• Quantium
• KBM Group
• CCC Marketing

The bad news is that these companies are Facebook’s partners for now. The social network sometimes rotates between different data providers, meaning that if another company starts providing its data to Facebook, you’ll probably want to opt-out of them, as well.

How to remove your data from or stop tracking by Facebook’s data providers

In your quest to wrench your data from the grips of these data brokers, know that it will take awhile. One thing in common with all of these companies is that you’ll need to specify exactly what you want to be left out of any data collection, including your name, phone number, and any email addresses.

Here’s how to suppress your data or prevent tracking at the Facebook data partners that provide such tools.

Acxiom

In addition to options for opting out of data collection by phone or mail, Acxiom provides an online form that you can fill out in order to prevent your data from being collected. Note that this opt-out form covers only one identity at a time.

Head to https://isapps.acxiom.com/optout/optout.aspx in your browser or choice.
Click the checkboxes under the type of information that you want to remove (mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses) from Acxiom’s data tracking under Acxiom Corporations’s Online Opt-Out.
Choose who is the subject of this data removal: yourself, someone over whom you have guardianship, or a deceased family member.
Click the green + sign on the box that says Full Names.
Add your name to the fields presented to you that you want to be removed from Acxiom’s data tracking.
Click Add to complete adding the name to the opt-out list.
Repeat steps 4-6 to add more names to the list, including nicknames, former names, and married names. This list, like the other three, accepts up to 10 entries.
Click the green + sign on the box that says Phone numbers.
Add a phone number that you want to be removed from tracking.
Click Add to add the phone number to your opt-out list.
Repeat steps 8-10 to add more numbers to your list.
Click the green + sign on the box that says Email Addresses.
Add an email address that you want to be removed from tracking.
Click Add to add the email address to your opt-out list.
Repeat steps 12-14 to add more email addresses to your list
Click the green + sign on the box that says Mailing Addresses.
Add a mailing address that you want to be removed from tracking.
Click Add to add the mailing address to your opt-out list.
Repeat steps 15-17 to add more mailing addresses to your list.
Click Submit.
Enter the email address to which you’d like Acxiom to send your opt-out confirmation.
Click Submit. Acxiom will send you an email with a link you need to complete your opt-out request.
Click the link in the email from Acxiom.
Click Submit on the confirmation page.

The data you submitted on Axiom’s forms should now be removed from Acxiom’s marketing packages.

Epsilon

Contacting Epsilon to opt-out of its databases is all about direct mail. Epsilon doesn’t actually own anything like email data, so all it can do is stop providing your name and mailing address to clients. In order to opt-out of mail from Epsilon clients, you’ll need to send an opt-out request to optout@epsilon.com and provide your full name and address for the opt-out procedure.

Experian

Ugh, Experian. This company offers its databases to clients for several different purposes and, as a result, has seven different products from which you might want your information removed. Some of these can be opted-out of by a link, while others require you to email, mail, or call in your opt-out request. You can opt out of Experian’s databases via link for the following services:

• OmniActivation Strategic Services
• Targeted Advertising
• Partner Programs

On each of these pages, there will be a link labeled “Click here” that you can click to opt-out of the tracking performed for these services. Unfortunately, all this opt-out process does is embed a cookie in your browser so that Experian’s trackers around the web knows not to track you. This means that the opt-out is only for activity performed in your current browser on your current computer.

If you want Experian to suppress the information that it has collected on you and continues to collect across its direct mail, telemarketing, and online targeted advertising services, you’ll need to send an email containing all of the relevant information that you want suppressed to optout@experian.com. If you’re looking to opt out of Experian’s email marketing databases, you’ll need to send an email from the address you want to opt out to unsubscribeall@experian.com, which will remove you from the company’s permission-based email database used by Experian and its partners.

Finally, opt out of pre-approved offers like credit cards and insurance mailing lists by calling 1-888-567-8688.

Oracle Data Cloud

Like Experian, Oracle offers an opt-out cookie for its Internet Based Advertising product. This will prevent Oracle tools from tracking your activity in your current browser on your current machine. Here’s how to use it.

Head to Oracle’s Opt-Out Tool website.
Click the big, orange Opt-Out button.

You can also opt-out of Oracle’s offline marketing information collection. Follow these steps:

Head to Oracle’s offline opt-out website.
Fill out the available form with your name, address, and email address.
Click Submit.

Quantium

Quantium, compared to the rest of these companies, makes it fairly easy to opt-out of having your information shared with the company’s partners, including Facebook. It provides a number of links that let you opt-out of being targeted by a Quantium partner’s advertisers using Quantium-provided data.

For instance, opt out of Facebook ad targeting with these steps:

Head to Quantium’s Opt Out website
Click Confirm under Facebook Targeted Advertising.

Like other services, this opt-out only applies to your current browser and computer, so you’ll need to opt out again if and when you get a new machine or start using a new browser.

You can also click on the following links and follow the quick instructions to limit tracking in your browser on Quantium’s partner sites:

• News Corp
• Adobe Targeted Advertising and Yahoo7
• Quantcast

KBM Group

Like some of the others, KBM offers a cookie-based opt-out solution for your current web browser. Follow these steps to activate it.

Head over to the KBM Group Interactive Opt-Out website.
Click the click here button on the line that begins. “To complete the opt-out process,”.

If the opt-out it successful, you’ll be taken to a screen that says so.

A quick note

These are by no means the only data brokers out there. Data collection and brokerage is a massive industry. If you’d like to try and opt out of data collection by more brokers, check out this list of companies, which also features links to their opt-out tools or instructions. Keep in mind that this list is a few years old, so some of its information might be out of date. But it’s a good resource for getting started.

If all of this seems a bit confusing, that’s probably because it’s supposed to. These companies really don’t want you opting out of their data collection because that’s how they make money. The important thing is to keep slogging through it.

Something to be aware of as you complete these processes is that your data won’t actually be removed from the databases these companies keep. They’ll suppress it, and not send it to their marketing partners like Facebook, but they’ll hang on to it to make sure that it a piece of your data hits their database again, it stays out of their marketing services.

Also yes, it does seem counterintuitive that getting these companies to suppress information they collect about you often involves sending them a lot of information about you.

Questions

If you have any other questions about stopping data brokers from selling the data that they’ve collected on you, let us know in the comments.

Alexa calling and messaging is coming to tablets — and not just Amazon’s

Alexa works on more devices than ever.

At this point, there’s a pretty good chance that you or someone you know has an Amazon Echo device. Since the launch of the Echo Show, Alexa users have been able to call and message each other through their various Echo devices, or by using the Alexa app on their smartphones.

Now Amazon is bringing these features over to tablets, ranging from its own Fire line to Android and iOS tablets to reach as many users as possible. You can call your friend’s Echo Spot from your Galaxy Tab S3, or shoot a message to their Echo Show from your iPad. It even works with Amazon’s Drop In feature, which lets you take control of another Echo device to use as an intercom.

As far as the setup process, it’s actually really simple. Just download the Alexa app on your tablet, verify your phone number, import your contacts list, and you’re free to start making calls and sending messages right away.

Download: Amazon Alexa

If you don’t already have an Alexa-capable device, now’s a good time to pick one up — the Echo and Echo Dot are both currently on sale!

Let this $180 Eufy RoboVac clean your dirty floors while you kick back and relax

Sit back, relax, and let it clean!

The popular Eufy RoboVac 11+ is down to $179.99 at Amazon. This model has sold pretty steadily at the $250 mark since its release, and it’s even jumped as high as $384.99 before.

It offers 100 minutes of constant, powerful suction, has a wide rolling brush to clean the floors well, and comes with a remote to help you control it.

Odds are this won’t last long at this price, so don’t miss out!

See at Amazon

Honor View 10 finally gets a release date and U.S. pricing

Better late than never.

We’ve written quite a lot about the Honor View 10, but nearly every article ends with the same frustrating conclusion: this would be a great phone to buy … if you could. Since its announcement in December of last year, the View 10 has been continually pushed back and out of the spotlight, but months later we finally have an official release date — and U.S. pricing.

Shipping out on March 23, the unlocked Honor View 10 is up for pre-order now, available in blue or black for $499. It comes with a clear silicone case, as well as Huawei’s AM116 3.5mm headphones — a $19.99 value.

$499 is quite a leap up from the company’s more budget-minded Honor 7X, but the View 10 is Honor’s flagship model, with beefy specs including 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and Huawei’s most powerful Kirin 970 chipset. It features the same Neural Processing Unit (NPU) found on the more expensive Huawei Mate 10 Pro, and an impressive dual camera module that stacks up well against similarly priced phones like the OnePlus 5T.

See at Honor

Best Heavy Duty Cases for Galaxy Note 8

Keep your Note 8 well protected with a rugged case!

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is here, and as expected it sports a gorgeous (and ginormous) all-glass design.

It’s big, it’s expensive, and no matter what phone makers say about the ruggedness of Gorilla Glass 5 it may shatter on you if it takes a nasty fall.

If you lead an active life (or just know you’re prone to dropping your phone) you may need something a bit more heavy duty than your average case.

• Samsung Rugged Military Grade Protective Cover
• Supcase Unicorn Beetle Shield Series Case
• UAG Plasma Rugged Case
• Spigen Tough Armor Case
• Zizo Static Series Case
• OtterBox Commuter Series Case

Samsung Rugged Military Grade Protective Cover

Samsung offers a compelling design for a rugged case with a built-in kickstand. Branded with the Samsung logo on the back, this case adds texture to help add grip to your phone. There are precise cutouts on the bottom for access to the headphone jack, charging port, and S Pen and again you really got to appreciate how Samsung incorporated the kickstand into the design — always there when you need it without being clunky and adding bulk.

You can grab this case in black for $28 or deep blue for $35.

See at Amazon

Supcase Unicorn Beetle Shield Series Case

Are you the type that can’t be trusted with nice things? Needs to keep your phone fully encased in plastic to protect it from yourself? No judgments here — the first step is admitting you have a problem.

The next step is finding the right solution, which just might be the mighty rugged Supcase Unicorn Beetle Shield Series case. Combining a polycarbonate outer shell with a flexible and shock-absorbing TPU sleeve, this case goes an extra step further by including a built-in screen protector around front to prevent scratches from ruining your Note 8’s display.

It’s otherwise a pretty standard design for a rugged case — beefy in the corners where it needs to be yet slim and sporty enough as to not turn your phone into a thick brick of plastic. You can get yours from Amazon for just $20.

See at Amazon

UAG Plasma Rugged Case

The go-to rugged case for many smartphone users, the UAG Plasma is a rugged and lightweight case that’s arguably the coolest looking case on this list — although that’s always a matter of personal opinion.

It’s a remarkably slim case with a great amount of texture and ridges along the side edges and back to assist with in-hand grip. With reinforced corners to take the brunt of any falls that also provides relief from your screen when you put your phone face down, this is a case style that’s been perfected over the years to offer maximum protection for premium devices such as the Note 8. It’s also thin enough to remain compatible for NFC and Qi wireless charging functionality.

But you will pay a somewhat steep price for all that premium design and build quality — as low as $22 for some color options and up to $55.99 for the all-black Monarch model. Completely justifiable for smartphone peace of mind.

See at Amazon

Spigen Tough Armor Case

Spigen always offers a wide array of case options, but if you’re looking for something rugged look no further than the Tough Armor case.

It offers the rugged dual-layer protection you want while keeping the outer shell clean with a matte finish and a kickstand that’s there if you need it, but otherwise kept flush with the back of the case and out of the way. It’s all shock absorbing TPU around the top and corners — the main areas to take the brunt of a fall — with a polycarbonate shell around the back. If you’re worried about adding a bunch of bulk to your phone, you can rest easy with the Spigen Tough Armor — it adds only 2.5mm of girth to the back of the Note 8. The buttons along the side are covered as you’d expect and kept flush with the design of the case, with the power button given some extra texture so you can always find it.

The Tough Armor is available in five different color options, with the base model (in black) starting at $16.99.

See at Amazon

Zizo Static Series Case

Some case makers add a whole bunch of “stylish” accents to the back of their case — Zizo is one such company.

These cases sure stand out from the rest of the pack with sharp angles around the corners and all the ridges and textures on the backside. Whether you like the look of these cases or not is a matter of personal taste, but there’s no denying that all those ridges will help with your grip and if it still manages to slip out of your hands it should survive most drops. There’s also a pop-out kickstand which is always a handy feature.

The Zizo Static Series is available in seven different color combinations, all for the low price of $11.

See at Amazon

OtterBox Commuter Series Case

OtterBox is one of the most trusted brands for offering rugged cases that are always backed by great customer service.

The OtterBox Commuter Series balances its dual-layer design while maintaining a fairly compact form for a rugged case. It’s compatible with screen protectors (of course OtterBox recommends their own brand) and features a generous lip around the screen to protect the display from scuffs and scratches.

If you’ve held off on buying a case like the OtterBox Commuter Series you’re in luck! Usually sold for $50, you can get this case in black for just $19. Backed by OtterBox’s limited lifetime warranty, you can buy with confidence.

See at Amazon

What’s your top pick for heavy duty cases?

How are you planning to keep the Note 8 safe? Or maybe you’re one of those rebels who forgoes a case — even with a phone that costs nearly $1000. Plead your case in the comments below!

Update March 2018: Added the Samsung case to the list and updated pricing options.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

• Galaxy Note 8 review
• Galaxy Note 8 vs. Galaxy S8+
• Which Note 8 color is best?
• Complete Galaxy Note 8 specs
• Join our Galaxy Note 8 forums

Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint
Best Buy

Music.ly stumbled in moderating self-harm content

One issue that many tech start-ups must face is how to deal with harmful content, especially when services start amassing a loyal following. Lip-syncing app Music.ly is facing just this challenge. Writer Anastasia Basil was screening the app to see if it would be appropriate for her 10-year-old daughter. She found that the platform is rife with keywords referencing self-harm, such as #cutting and #selfhate.

BuzzFeed News took note of Basil’s Medium post on the topic and contacted Music.ly. At that point, the service took steps to ban searches for keywords mentioned in the article. Music.ly told BuzzFeed that “its process for banning terms from search is always evolving.”

But the question is whether that’s enough. Clearly, it took a news organization reaching out before Music.ly took steps to address the issue. As a service primarily aimed at and used by teens, the company should have already considered its approach towards moderating sensitive issues like self-harm.

Back in 2016, Instagram rolled out suicide prevention tools that allowed users to report posts from people who might need help, as well as offer support options for specific hashtag searches. The company worked with the National Eating Disorders Association and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to craft language. Now, when a person searches for self-harm and eating disorder-focused hashtags on the service, a there’s a pop-up that allows users to get support with one click. The examples are there for Music.ly to follow; let’s hope the company addresses these issues as proactively as is possible.

Source: Medium, Buzzfeed

PGA Tour AR app puts a golf course on your coffee table

Sports and augmented reality (AR) apps are nothing new. The technology has been used by the NFL, NBA and even German soccer teams to promote their respective leagues, with results varying from the gimmicky to the interesting. Now the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) has its own AR app on iOS that lets you watch real-time shot trails appear on select holes during live competition. You can also compare up to four different players’ shots, if that’s your thing.

PGA Tour AR uses your iPhone camera and iOS 11’s ARkit to place a virtual map of six different golf holes onto any flat surface. The app currencly has hole seven from the Pebble Bead Golf Links, hole six at Bay Hill Club and Lodge, TPC Sawgrass’ hole 16, 17 and 18 and the 18th hole from the East Lake Golf Club on offer. The data is taken from previous competitors, for now, but you’ll be able to watch the real-time competition as it happens starting with the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 15th. The PGA plans to add more holes as time goes on, and hopes to feature one hole from every tournament on this year’s PGA tour.

So far, all you can do is place a golf course on your coffee table, which seems kind of limited in appeal. However, an update to the app later this year is set to enable on-course AR, where you can hold up your device in front of any hole to see shot data for selected golfers live or from an archive. Other additions may include AR maps to help you find venues, merchandise stands and concessions, or even for finding specific players on a given course. Of course, there’s also potential for displaying branded data for each hole, highlight video clips and 360-degree views of various products.

Source: App Store

Apple nabs ‘Bob’s Burgers’ creator for new animated comedy

Apple has been moving pretty aggressively into the entertainment business lately. With a reported $1 billion budget for original programming, the tech company can afford to acquire high-value projects like the Kevin Durant childhood drama, a Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon-led dramatic project and Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories reboot. According to a report over at Variety, Apple has just ordered a new musical animated comedy, Central Park, from the creator of Bob’s Burgers, Loren Bouchard.

The show is apparently being written by Bouchard, Josh Gad and Nora Smith. Variey reports that Central Park has been described as a story about a family of caretakers who live and work in the titular park in New York, and how they save the park as well as the world. According to Variety, the 26-episode, two-season show will star Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Titus Burgess, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci, Daveed Diggs and Kathryn Hahn, with Bouchard and Gad executive producing.

Source: Variety

I built a vibrator at SXSW

Crave is trying to open up the conversation about female sexual pleasure. The company sells beautifully designed vibrators in a range of styles, from the $60, stainless steel Bullet to the $150 Duet, a discreet and powerful vibe packed with a variety of pulsing combinations. There’s even the Vesper, a slim, stainless steel vibrator that dangles from a delicate chain and doubles as a necklace — “designed for beautiful experiences in public and private,” as Crave describes it.

At SXSW, Crave hosted a workshop where participants had a chance to build their own vibrators, specifically the Duet. The experience was entirely unique, engaging, informative and personal, even when surrounded by a table of strangers. The mix of genders at our table — that was myself and Engadget Reviews Editor Cherlynn Low — was split evenly between women and men, though that hasn’t always been the case with Crave workshops over the years.

Crave’s Jack Morocco said they saw more men than ever before at this year’s Build-A-Vibe sessions, and it’s been a welcome evolution of the brand. Part of the workshop involves a quick history of female sex toys, covering the restrictions and societal pressures women have faced for centuries when it comes to personal pleasure. Just like the workshop itself, it’s a message designed for both women and men — anyone interested in learning more about the modern history of sex.

Actually building the Duet requires just the right amount of elbow grease and hardware skills, making the process satisfying rather than frustrating. Two screws, silicone grease, a USB-tipped battery, vibrating prongs, a silicone sleeve (in three colors!) and a few waterproofing pieces are just about all it takes to put the Duet together. Morocco led our group with a series of large printed images demonstrating each step — and a bit of light-hearted innuendo to make the entire experience relaxed and informative.

That tone is important as Crave’s business expands. At SXSW, the company announced the Build-A-Vibe tour that will take the show on the road, travelling across the US in a refurbished 1961 Airstream trailer. Crave wants to bring vibrator-building and open conversation to people wherever they are, whether at weddings, college campuses, trade shows or local events. It’s $99 per person to build a vibrator in the Airstream factory, which is a pretty sweet deal considering the Duet itself retails for $150.

Catch up on the latest news from SXSW 2018 right here.

Apple buys Texture, the ‘Netflix of magazine plans’

Apple’s bids to promote digital magazines haven’t always been fruitful (remember The Daily?), but it’s about to give them another boost. The company has acquired Texture, the Netflix-style magazine subscription service that gives you access to a host of publications for a flat monthly fee. Apple wasn’t specific about its intentions for the Texture team, but the deal reflects its commitment to “quality journalism from trusted sources.” It also noted that the buyout gave it an “impressive catalog” of magazines — the connection to major publishers (Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith and News Corp) may be as important as the service itself.

The terms of the deal haven’t been made public, although Recode understood that investors who pumped $50 million into Texture owner Next Issue Media will “get their money back.” The publishers are reportedly happy, too.

We’ve asked Apple what will happen to Texture’s existing apps and service. The software is currently available across a variety of platforms, including Android and Windows 10. Apple doesn’t always discontinue apps right away (it kept HopStop running for two years), but it has been known to scale back and eventually discontinue services as it integrates their features.

Apple’s Eddy Cue is expected to discuss the Texture purchase at SXSW, and we’ll let you know if he has more to add. It’s not certain if this will augment the company’s existing services (such as the News app or iBooks) or will lead to something entirely different, but this could significantly change the nature of online magazine distribution. Heavyweight publishers launched Next Issue and Texture in 2012 precisely to take control of digital magazines rather than handing the reins to companies like Apple or Google. The deal brings that plan to an end — Apple will now play a major role in the fate of those magazines.

Via: Recode

Source: Apple