iWorld
Meta’s ‘Link History’: Decoding privacy dilemma
Mumbai: In a move that has sparked conversations about digital privacy and user tracking, Meta, the parent company of social media giants Facebook and Instagram, has introduced a new feature called ‘Link History.’
Meta’s ‘Link History’ is a feature designed to provide users with a comprehensive record of the websites they visit through Facebook and Instagram. This means that every link clicked while using these platforms will be logged and stored in a personal archive accessible to the user. The intention behind this feature, as Meta claims, is to allow users to revisit and manage the content they engage with on a daily basis more easily.
This feature, while aiming to enhance user experience, also raises concerns about the extent to which our online activities are monitored and recorded. While Meta emphasises the user-centric benefits of ‘Link History,’ critics argue that it raises red flags concerning privacy. The concern primarily revolves around the vast amount of personal data that Meta already possesses about its users and how this new feature might contribute to a more extensive and detailed user profile.
In this article, we reached out to some experts who delved into the details of Meta’s ‘Link History’ and explored the implications it holds for user privacy.
Edited excerpts
Content creator Akshat Tongia
While the concept of increased accessibility seems promising, there’s a level of uncertainty surrounding how Meta intends to leverage our data for understanding our online behaviours.
What stands out is the somewhat intricate process of turning off this feature, suggesting a preference for users to keep it enabled. Additionally, many users may not be aware of these settings, contributing to heightened privacy concerns.
From a content creator’s perspective, where my digital presence is integral to my work, I appreciate tools that enhance efficiency. However, the ambiguity surrounding the use of this data prompts a thoughtful consideration of striking the right balance between convenience and privacy.
Newton Consulting India & Newton PR COO Smita Khanna
Meta’s ‘Link History’ isn’t convenient, it’s an off-site surveillance dragnet. This granular record of our non-Facebook journeys raises not just ethical alarms, but blatant hypocrisy for a company notorious for data stumbles. We deserve an online world where our clicks don’t morph into targeted nightmares. Meta needs to ditch the Big Brother act and grant users control over their digital footprints.
iWorld
WPP Opendoor and Snapchat launch AI Lens for Prime Video India
Generative AI Lens personalises content discovery with real-time user integration.
MUMBAI: In the age of main characters, Prime Video is handing users the script and the spotlight. WPP Opendoor, WPP’s dedicated Amazon unit, has teamed up with Snapchat to roll out an India-first generative AI-powered Lens for Prime Video’s latest campaign, ‘Stories for Your Every Era… it’s on Amazon Prime’. The activation taps into the rising “era-core” trend, where identities shift with moods, moments and mindsets and content is expected to keep up.
The Lens does exactly that. Using generative AI, it places users directly into the worlds of popular Prime Video titles such as Maxton Hall, Beast Games, The Boys and The Traitors, embedding their faces into key visuals in real time. The result is less browsing, more becoming.
The idea is rooted in a behavioural shift: audiences increasingly see themselves as the centre of their own narratives, especially on social platforms. By turning viewers into participants, the campaign blurs the line between content discovery and content experience.
It also introduces a layer of personalisation that goes beyond algorithms. Whether someone identifies with a “trust no-one era” or an “infinite aura era”, the Lens curates recommendations that align with that evolving identity making discovery feel intuitive rather than instructed.
This marks a shift in how streaming platforms approach engagement. Instead of pushing titles, the focus is on pulling users into the story itself transforming passive scrolling into interactive storytelling.
The collaboration also underscores how platforms like Snapchat are becoming key playgrounds for content marketing, particularly when paired with emerging technologies like generative AI. The format is native, immersive and built for participation three things traditional discovery often struggles to deliver.
In a crowded streaming landscape, where attention is the real currency, Prime Video’s bet is clear, if viewers feel like the story is about them, they are far more likely to press play.
