Meta announced on Sunday that it's expanding how it uses activity data shared by third-party businesses — things like online purchases and games played on other websites. Until now, that data was used solely for ad targeting. Going forward, it'll also shape what you see in your Facebook and Instagram feeds, and how Meta's AI responds to you.

And here's the part worth sitting with: this isn't about Meta collecting anything new. It's about the company doing more with what it already has.

What's Actually Changing

In a blog post on its newsroom, Meta explained that the update doesn't involve gathering any new data. Instead, it broadens how the information businesses already share with the company gets applied across its products.

"We already use this data — like games you play or purchases you make on other websites — to make the ads you see more relevant," the company wrote. "In the future, we'll use this information to personalize other parts of your experience, including the content you see in your Feed and AI responses."

Think about it this way: you buy a tent online from some outdoor retailer. Before, that purchase might have followed you around as camping gear ads. Now? Meta says you might start seeing more Reels about camping in your feed, too. That's the company's own example, and it captures the shift pretty cleanly — the same data, reaching further into your experience.

Privacy Controls Are Being Consolidated

This is where things get a little trickier for anyone who actually manages their privacy settings.

The "Your Activity Off Meta Technologies" Setting Is Going Away

Alongside the expanded data use, Meta is removing the "Your activity off Meta technologies" setting — the one that previously let users disconnect off-platform activity from their accounts. In its place, the company is consolidating everything under a single setting called "Activity from other businesses."

That one toggle will now govern how off-platform data shapes both your ads and your non-ads content.

How to Opt Out

If you don't want your off-platform activity influencing your feeds or AI interactions, you'll need to turn off the "Activity from other businesses" toggle. Meta says that if you disable it, the company won't use that information for either ads or content recommendations.

It's an all-or-nothing switch. Off means off for everything; on means on for everything.

Rollout Timeline and Regional Exclusions

The changes go into effect in the United States and a number of other countries next month, with more countries to follow after that.

But three regions are sitting this one out, at least initially:

  • The European Union
  • The United Kingdom
  • Brazil

These are regions where stricter data protection rules — including the EU's General Data Protection Regulation and the Digital Markets Act — impose tighter constraints on how platforms can use personal data for personalization. So if you're in one of those markets, nothing changes for you yet.

Part of a Bigger AI Push

This move doesn't exist in isolation. Meta has been steadily weaving AI deeper into its products, and the pattern is hard to miss.

In December 2025, the company started using people's interactions with Meta AI to personalize content and ad recommendations. It has also signaled plans to fully automate ad creation and targeting by the end of 2026. Seen against that backdrop, Sunday's announcement reads like another step in the same direction: more signals feeding more personalization, across more surfaces.