Facebook can Locate Users Who Opt Out of Tracking
(2 min read)
Facebook can determine
where users are even if they opt out of having their whereabouts tracked, the
company revealed in a letter sent to US Senate. In the missive, which was
widely shared on social media Tuesday, Facebook explained ways it can still
figure out where people are after they have selected not to share precise
location data with the company.
The social network, which
was responding to a request for information by two senators, contended that
knowing a user's whereabouts has benefits ranging from showing ads for nearby
shops to fighting hackers and battling misinformation. “There is no opting out.
No control over your personal information," Republican Senator Josh Hawley
said in a tweet.
Facebook said that clues
for figuring out a user's location include being tagged in a photo at a
specific place or a check-in at a location such as at a restaurant during a
dinner with friends.
People may share an address
for purchases at a shopping section at Facebook, or simply include it in their
profile information. Along with location information shared in posts by users,
devices connecting to the internet are given IP addresses and a user's
whereabouts can then be noted.
Those addresses include
locations, albeit a bit imprecise when it comes to mobile devices linking
through telecom services that might only note a town or city. Facebook said
knowing a user's general location helps it and other internet firms protect
accounts by detecting when suspicious login behavior occurs, such as by
someone in South America when the user lives in Europe.
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