Facebook is facing a global firestorm after reports a data research firm connected to the 2017 trump campaign illicitly harvested personal data from 50 million users.
A new tool in the fight for data privacy has been launched by Mozilla for its Firefox internet browser.
Mozilla has unveiled an add-on, named Facebook Container, that aims to make it harder for Mark Zuckerberg's firm to track your movements outside of the social network.
The plugin is aresponse to recent allegations that Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy, gained inappropriate access to data on 50 million Facebook users, according to the Daily Mail.
This was used to build psychological profiles on American voters that were used to target adverts that helped elect US President Donald Trump in 2016.
When you install the extension, it deletes your Facebook cookies and logs you out of the social network.
You also may not be able to log in to third-party apps with your Facebook log-in details.
The embedded Facebook comments and Like buttons on other sites also won't work.
This stops Zuckerberg's network of ad trackers, found on tens of thousands of sites across the web, from linking your activity to your Facebook profile.
This should stop, for example, items you have bought or browsed online popping up in adverts while you navigate Facebook.
In a written statement, a spokesman for Mozilla said: "The pages you visit on the web can say a lot about you. They can infer where you live, the hobbies you have, and your political persuasion.
"There's enormous value in tying this data to your social profile, and Facebook has a network of trackers on various websites.
"Facebook container isolates your Facebook identity from the rest of your web activity. When you install it, you will continue to be able to use Facebook normally. Facebook can continue to deliver their service to you and send you advertising.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo / AP
"The difference is that it will be much harder for Facebook to use your activity collected off Facebook to send you ads and other targeted messages."
While Mozilla admits that the new feature wouldn't have stopped the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it represents a growing trend for tools that help manage online privacy and security.
The move follows an announcement last week that Mozilla was suspending advertising on Facebook's social media platform over data privacy concerns.
"This news caused us to take a closer look at Facebook's current default privacy settings given that we support the platform with our advertising dollars. While we believe there is still more to learn, we found that its current default settings leave access open to a lot of data – particularly with respect to settings for third party apps," the company said in a blog post on March 21.
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg apologised for the company's handling of a row over user privacy, while promising tougher steps to restrict developers' access to such information.
Mozilla said it would consider returning to Facebook if the company strengthens its default privacy settings for third-party apps.
