Facebook received massive backlash after it failed to convince lawmakers it needs to track users' location at all times.
Responding to a letter by US Senators, Facebook revealed that in cases where the user has turned off his location services, the location-related information can still be tracked, thanks to the associated IP address.
anyone want a granular accounting of how Facebook knows your location
— Emily Birnbaum (@birnbaum_e) December 17, 2019
no?
well here you go anyways and there's 5 more pages where that came from pic.twitter.com/tzaSQ2mU6H
US senator Hawley wrote the letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding the privacy practices of the company concerning user location information, asking Facebook a set of seven questions including whether the company collects any information about a user’s location when the user has turned off or limited Locations Services for the app.
.@Facebook admits it. Turn off “location services” and they’ll STILL track your location to make money (by sending you ads). There is no opting out. No control over your personal information. That’s Big Tech. And that’s why Congress needs to take action https://t.co/R1LuLcP1LP
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) December 17, 2019
The social network noted that in such cases, rough location information is derived from IP addresses or other network information for that person. However, Facebook has admitted that this type of data can be inaccurate sometimes.
“For instance, an IP address assigned to a mobile device by a wireless carrier might reflect only the city or area where the device connected to the network, while a computer located on a company’s corporate network may have an IP address associated with that business’ offices. For this reason, IP addresses are generally considered to be imprecise ways of understanding location and can be inaccurate,” the letter read.
Facebook is using your location data, even if you opted out of sharing your location data.
— Jai (@JaiTunes) December 18, 2019
Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone. ?
Facebook is constantly tracking you even when the GPS is disabled Facebook has admitted that its application uses techniques to collect location data from users Disabling GPS on your smartphone does not prevent the social network from using your location for advertising targeting
— Fadéla ? فضيلة (@fadela2408) December 18, 2019
On the other hand, some people are defending Facebook, arguing that most websites have access to user’s locations, not just Facebook.
An IP address can be mapped to a physical location. It’s a fundamental piece of how the internet works and one of the biggest privacy flaws. Every website can easily and freely estimate your location, just like Facebook is doing. The Facebook inquiry is only broadly exposing it.
— Jason Bejot (@jasonbejot) December 18, 2019
However, the issue comes after Facebook admitted to using location data for people that have opted out of sharing location data with the social media platform. Facebook’s exploitation of its user’s privacy has been an issue over the past few years, and with this latest privacy concern, the social media network is once again risking losing users due to its questionable privacy policies.
