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John Oliver Is Trolling Meta With a Memorably Named Website

John Oliver’s absurdly named website leads to a practical guide for changing Meta privacy and ad settings. Here is what it does, what it cannot do, and how to find the controls as Meta’s menus change.
Opened Runtime8 min Written byDocumentaryTube Team
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John Oliver’s memorable new website is real, but the joke is only the wrapper. JohnOliverWantsYourRatErotica.com leads to a guide for changing Meta settings so Facebook and Instagram users can reduce some of the data available for ad personalization and targeting.

John Oliver’s memorable new website is real, but the joke is only the wrapper. The site, JohnOliverWantsYourRatErotica.com, points visitors to a practical guide called How to Change Your Meta Settings. Its goal is to help Facebook and Instagram users reduce some of the off-platform activity and advertising data Meta can use to personalize ads and target audiences.

It does not delete a Meta account, block every advertisement, make a user anonymous, or stop Meta from collecting all information about them. It is a satirical privacy intervention: change several settings, give Meta fewer useful signals for advertising, and—at least in Oliver’s framing—make yourself less commercially valuable.

What John Oliver’s website is about

The website appeared alongside the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver segment “Facebook & Content Moderation,” published on the official show’s YouTube channel on February 23, 2025. The segment addressed Meta’s decision to end its U.S. third-party fact-checking program, move toward a Community Notes-style system, loosen restrictions on some subjects, and concentrate enforcement on illegal and high-severity violations.

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Near the end of the segment, Oliver promoted the deliberately absurd domain name JohnOliverWantsYourRatErotica.com. Despite the name, the site is not a repository of sexual material. The domain is a comedic attention device leading to a privacy-settings guide. Contemporary reporting described the guide as having been produced in collaboration with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It is more accurate to call it a Last Week Tonight-associated guide than to suggest that Oliver personally wrote every technical instruction.

What the “make yourself less valuable to Meta” guide recommends

The guide directs users toward Meta controls that affect advertising personalization, activity shared from other websites and apps, and connected services. The exact menus can differ between Facebook and Instagram, between mobile and desktop, and by country or account configuration. Meta also periodically reorganizes Accounts Center and its privacy pages, so a label that appeared in the original guide may not be in precisely the same place now.

1. Review ad preferences

Meta’s advertising controls allow users to review how information from activity on websites and apps outside Meta technologies is used to show ads. They also include controls for ad topics, advertisers and whether ads can be shown in other apps.

Look for Ad Preferences in Meta’s Accounts Center or Privacy Center. Depending on the product and interface, the route may resemble:

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  • Facebook or Instagram → Settings and privacy → Accounts Center;
  • then Ad preferences or a similarly named advertising section; and
  • controls concerning activity from ad partners, ads on other apps, ad topics and advertisers.

Choose the most restrictive available option when it matches your goal. Meta’s labels and available choices are not necessarily identical for every account, so follow the explanation shown on your own screen rather than assuming that an old screenshot or menu path is still current.

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2. Disconnect activity collected from outside Meta

Meta uses the term activity off Meta technologies for information that businesses share about interactions on other websites and apps. Such sharing can occur through tools including the Meta Pixel or Facebook Login. The activity may help Meta associate visits or actions elsewhere with an account or device and use those signals for advertising and measurement.

In Meta’s current privacy controls, look for a section resembling Your information and permissions → Your activity off Meta technologies. There, users may be able to:

  • review businesses that have sent activity to Meta;
  • disconnect previous activity;
  • turn off or limit future activity; and
  • manage related apps and websites connected through Facebook or Instagram.

Read the warning before disconnecting the history. Meta says that clearing or disconnecting this activity can log a user out of some apps and websites. It may also affect convenience features and account connections that rely on Facebook Login.

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3. Repeat the review across linked accounts

Facebook and Instagram can be linked through Accounts Center, but a setting is not automatically universal merely because the accounts appear together. Review the relevant advertising, off-Meta activity and connected-app controls for each account and product you use. If a setting is presented as applying to multiple accounts, confirm the accounts listed before saving it.

What these changes can—and cannot—do

Possible effect What it does not mean
Less use of some off-platform activity for ad personalization Meta stops collecting all data about you
Less historical activity connected to Meta’s advertising systems Every copy of that information is erased from every system or third party
Ads may become less tailored to your interests All ads disappear
Some Facebook or Instagram-connected services can be reviewed or disconnected You can use every connected service without possible logouts or inconvenience
Some targeting signals become less available Advertisers can no longer reach you through any method

Meta says users may continue to see the same number of ads after disconnecting past off-Meta activity. The likely difference is that some ads may be less personalized. Advertisers can still use information gathered on Facebook, customer lists they upload, and other targeting methods.

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That limitation is central to understanding Oliver’s joke. The guide aims to reduce the usefulness of particular data streams—not to assign a measurable dollar value to an individual or prove that Meta has become unable to target them.

Why Meta’s ad system is the target of the joke

Meta describes its advertising system as using signals such as activity and content on its products, interactions with ads, app and device information, cookies and similar technologies, and information supplied by partners or other third parties. Those signals can be used to infer interests, personalize advertisements and match an advertiser’s desired audience with people who may be interested.

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That makes the privacy tactic easy to understand: if fewer signals flow into the system, some personalization and off-platform matching may become less useful. Oliver turns that technical idea into a punchline about reducing a user’s value to Meta.

The real-world benefit is better described as narrower ad-data use and greater control over certain activity. It is not a guaranteed reduction in Meta’s revenue attributable to one person, and there is no public setting that lets an individual see exactly how much their advertising profile is worth.

How to use the guide without getting lost in changing menus

  1. Start from the account you actually use. Open Facebook or Instagram and enter Settings and privacy, then open Accounts Center if it is available.
  2. Search the settings interface. If you cannot find a menu, search for terms such as ad preferences, activity off Meta technologies, businesses, connected experiences or apps and websites.
  3. Review the explanation next to each switch. Meta may distinguish past activity from future activity, or advertising on Meta products from advertising on other apps.
  4. Save changes and verify them. Return to the control after saving or check the account’s privacy center to make sure the intended option remains selected.
  5. Expect side effects where warned. Disconnecting off-Meta history or Facebook Login connections can require sign-ins again and may affect linked services.
  6. Repeat for linked Facebook and Instagram accounts. Do not assume that changing one product changed every account.

Is the rat-erotica domain an official Meta privacy tool?

No. It is a Last Week Tonight-associated satirical website that directs people toward Meta’s own controls. It is not a Meta product, Meta support page or official Meta privacy service.

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Because the site’s domain status, certificate and availability can change, readers should verify the address before visiting. The useful destination is the guide titled How to Change Your Meta Settings; the memorable domain is the show’s way of getting attention.

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Where to watch the John Oliver segment

The official YouTube upload is the strongest source for the segment itself. For the wider series, Max’s U.S. help center lists Last Week Tonight with John Oliver among the programs available on the service. New episodes are generally added after the HBO airing, but schedules and availability can change by date and region. Readers looking to watch Last Week Tonight should confirm the current catalog and local availability directly before subscribing.

What this story says about privacy settings

Oliver’s website is memorable because the domain makes an ordinary settings walkthrough difficult to ignore. The underlying lesson is less theatrical: privacy controls are usually specific, partial and subject to change. Turning off one category of ad personalization does not undo every form of collection, inference or targeting.

For someone who wants to reduce Meta’s use of off-platform activity, reviewing Ad Preferences and disconnecting past or future activity off Meta technologies is a reasonable starting point. Someone seeking broader protection would need to consider additional layers—such as browser privacy controls, cookie settings, app permissions and other anti-tracking measures—without treating those tools as replacements for Meta’s account controls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is JohnOliverWantsYourRatErotica.com a real website?

No. The domain is associated with Last Week Tonight and points to a guide called “How to Change Your Meta Settings.” It is a satirical website, not a Meta product or official Meta privacy tool.

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Does the website stop Meta from tracking you?

The guide can help limit or disconnect some activity shared with Meta from other websites and apps, and can reduce certain forms of ad personalization. It does not make you invisible, stop all ads or prevent every type of targeting.

Will changing Meta’s settings remove advertisements?

Meta says you may still see the same number of ads, but some may be less personalized. Advertisers can also use information from Facebook, uploaded customer lists and other targeting methods.

Where are the Meta settings mentioned in the guide?

Meta’s menu labels vary by account, device and region. Start in Facebook or Instagram under Settings and privacy → Accounts Center, then look for Ad Preferences and Your information and permissions → Your activity off Meta technologies.

The Bottom Line

Bottom line: JohnOliverWantsYourRatErotica.com is a real satirical campaign site whose guide helps users limit some Meta advertising data, especially activity shared from other websites and apps. It can reduce personalization, but it will not remove all ads, erase every record or prevent every form of targeting.

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