How To Block Facebook Ads

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Whether you find them irrelevant, distracting, or simply annoying, there’s a good chance you’ve wanted to get rid of ads on Facebook. While you can’t completely opt-out of ads, there are ways to limit the number of ads you see and the information advertisers receive about you. Let’s delve into how you can block Facebook ads.

1. Adjust your Facebook settings

Facebook provides settings that allow you to control what types of ads you see and how advertisers use your data. To access these settings, click on the triangle icon on the top-right corner of the main Facebook page, then click on ‘Settings & Privacy’ and then ‘Settings’. Here, you can navigate to the ‘Ads’ section.

Ad settings:

In the ad settings, there are three important options you should consider tweaking:

  1. Ads based on data from partners: Turning this off will prevent Facebook from using data it receives from its partners to show you targeted ads.
  2. Ads based on your activity on Facebook Company Products that you see elsewhere: Disabling this will stop Facebook from using your activity to show you ads outside of Facebook’s own platforms.
  3. Ads that include your social actions: If you don’t want your friends to see ads including your interactions (like liking a page), turn this off.

2. Use an ad blocker

Ad blockers are software that can be added to your browser to block ads. They work on all websites, including Facebook. There are various ad blockers available for free like Adblock Plus and uBlock Origin. Installing an ad blocker is usually as simple as going to your browser’s extension or add-on store, searching for the ad blocker, and clicking ‘Add to browser’. 

// A sample code for adding an extension in chrome
// Go to chrome web store
chrome.webstore.install(url, 
    function() {
        alert('Successfully installed');
    }, 
    function(err) {
        alert('Install failed with error: ' + err);
    }
);

3. Use a specialized Facebook ad blocker

Some extensions are specifically designed to block Facebook ads. F.B. Purity, for example, is an extension that not only blocks ads but also provides a range of customization options to change how Facebook looks and operates.

Remember, ads are a major source of revenue for Facebook and allow many services to remain free for users. While it is your right to choose whether to see these ads, consider the impact on the services you use.

In conclusion, while you can’t completely get rid of ads on Facebook, you can limit your exposure to them. By adjusting your ad settings on Facebook and installing ad blockers, you can significantly reduce the number of ads you see and protect your data from being used for advertising purposes.