The following message has been floating around Facebook and being shared among users:

“As of today, the New FB Privacy setting called “Instant Personalization” goes into effect. The new setting shares your data with non-Facebook websites & it is automatically set to “Enabled”. Go to Account>Privacy Settings>Apps & Websites>Instant Personalization>edit settings & uncheck “Enable”. BTW, If your friends don’t do this, they will be sharing info about you as well. Please copy and repost”

While you do need to opt out of Instant Personalization, the message isn’t entirely true. This feature was launched by Facebook last year at their developer’s conference. Instant Personalization gives approved sites (Bing, TripAdvisor, Clicker, Rotten Tomatoes, Docs, Pandora, Yelp, and Scribd) access to your information and content that you have made available to everyone. The user must be logged in to Facebook when visiting the site, and it allows the site to offer a “customized” user experience. Most people are not comfortable with Facebook sharing their data, and you must choose to opt out of the feature. In typical Facebook fashion, instant personalization is turned on by default.

1. Click “Account” at the top right of the page and then select “Privacy Settings

2. Select “Applications & Websites”

3. Locate “Instant Personalization” at the bottom of the page and click “Edit Settings”

4. Uncheck the box (You don’t have to confirm or press save. It is safe to navigate away from the page after you uncheck the box.)

5. Tell your friends and family to do the same.