Facebook Launches Bulk App Removal Tool To Clean Up Your Privacy Settings

It has been a crazy year so far for the social media giant- Facebook-, following the recent event that caused Cambridge Analytica data lost. As a part of Facebook’s damage control activity following the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, the social media website has introduced a new app removal tool which lets users select third-party apps in bulk in order to stop sharing information with them

Facebook now lets you remove third-party apps in bulk, including any post those apps may have published on your behalf- a welcome privacy change that should make it easier to strip access to your profile from services you no longer use. The change, precipitated by the ongoing Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal, is part of a series of sudden changes Facebook is making to mitigate fallout from the revelation that third-party developers have had generous access to users’ data and could use it in ways Facebook had little to no control over. Facebook confirmed the bulk removal option to TechCrunch today, after The Next Web’s Matt Navarra publicly commented on the policy change on Twitter which read:

“Facebook’s bulk app removal tool in settings is now live! Thanks @finkd @boztank @mosseri @facebook.

Facebook did not officially state a roll-out of the new tool but it was Matt Navarra, the director of Social Media for The Next Web who found that the tool had gone live. While Navarra confirmed that the tool was out for the App, we at TechBooky also confirmed that the tool is available for desktop users as well.

How it works

Now, the tool is not as easily accessible as Facebook makes it sound which was stated by the company in a blog post on the 28th of March. But at least it won’t take users an hour to delete all apps. To find the tool on the Facebook Android or iOS app, head to your Facebook settings, found by tapping on the downward-facing arrow in the upper right of the main desktop website, or on mobile by tapping on the three horizontal lines on the navigation bar at the bottom and scrolling down to settings. From there, head to the Apps section.

Next, tap on any number of the apps you’d like to disconnect, and use the remove button at the top of the screen to do so. You’ll also be given a prompt to delete all posts those apps may have posted to your timeline / profile.

From there, you’re all set. Just repeat this process for whichever apps you’d like to proactively remove. For the others, Facebook will automatically remove them in three months unless you make sure of the app or service through Facebook Login.