Facebook has been an integral part of most people’s lives in the past decade. People typically post whatever they want. But you may not be aware that some apps have access to your FB account. Of course there’s a way to know which ones are piggybacking on your account, and yes, there is a way to remove them.
Just to be clear, you may or may not remember it, but at some point you allowed these third party apps to access your account. Not in a way you may be aware of, still you gave permission. How did that happen? Well, remember the post you saw on Facebook which went something like ‘What would you look like if you were 70 years old?’ or ‘How would you look like if you were the opposite sex?’ Yeah, those quiz apps which seem hilariously fun.
When you use those apps, you are asked to log in. If you’re already logged in your account, you just have to click a ‘permission’ button. The apps do inform you that it will access your profile—it does this in a blur of words which lasts for seconds. But what it does not tell you is that even after the transaction, it keeps access to your account. The third party app gets your username, gender, network you belong to, user ID, full name and profile picture. Some even receive public information on your profile and your friends’ list.
Don’t worry though, you can see and remove which apps have become your regular ‘likers’. Here’s how:
- On the Facebook app or desktop, click drop-down menu located on the top-right side. Click ‘settings’.
- Next, select the ‘apps’. On desktop, you’ll see this on the left panel. If you can’t see it in mobile, just scroll down.
Now you can see all the apps you’ve accessed and given permission too.
Note that not all apps accessing your Facebook account may be bad for you. Some are worthwhile—after all, you did give permission to them. But some may be just for nonsensical fun. Luckily, you can remove apps you do not like.
To delete a third party app, just click the ‘x’ button beside them. You will be prompted, then select ‘remove’. Pretty easy. Removed apps can no longer receive data from your profile. However, it does not remove previous data it obtained.
What if you need the app but don’t want to give it permission to certain parts of your profile, like your friends list? Well, you can edit permissions for that particular app.
Just hover, then select ‘edit’. When the options show you can uncheck options you don’t like the third party to access, like your email or friends list.
Does this mean no more using fun apps? Not really, you can use the third party app, then remove it from the settings once you’re done.
