By: Nick Gambino
Remember way back in the day when you’d be scrolling on some random website and when you reached the bottom of the article there was a little Facebook section where you’d have the opportunity to like or comment on what you just read?
It was this weird little extension that connected directly to your Facebook account so that whatever likes or comments you doled out on that random website would show up on your social media page.
Well, it turns out this little feature isn’t just a memory, there are websites where this Facebook extension still appears. Meta is finally doing something about it and getting rid of external website likes and comments for good.
“This change reflects our commitment to maintaining a modern, efficient platform that serves developers’ current needs while enabling us to invest in future innovations,” Thuan Le and Jennifer Lin said in a Meta blog post where they announced the change. “The plugins that will be discontinued reflect an earlier era of web development, and their usage has naturally declined as the digital landscape has evolved.”
That’s putting it lightly. This is a fossil era feature that looks as old as Windows 95 when compared to the current aesthetic and functionality of the internet. Imagine a TikTok plugin at the bottom of the ABC News website where you can like and comment and see that reflected in your TikTok app. It would be strange.
Thus, they’re finally getting rid of the Facebook Social Plugins on February 10, 2026. On that date, the plugins will “gracefully degrade by rendering a 0x0 pixel (invisible element).” By turning it invisible Meta is hoping to avoid accidentally breaking any websites that still use the archaic feature.
Websites can opt to remove the plugin before that date if they want to avoid any unforeseen issues when the element goes invisible in 3 months.
RIP Facebook Social Plugins.
