In a letter sent to the U.S senators, Facebook can find where users are even if they are opting-out for their whereabouts to be tracked.
In the word that was shared widely on social media on Tuesday, the company revealed the ways it can still figure out where people are even after they have chosen not to share exact location data to them.
The social media giant in response to a plea for information by two senators claimed, having a user’s whereabouts has advantages extending from showing ads for nearby shops to combating hackers and battling misinformation.
There is no opting out. No authority on your personal information. That is a Big Tech, and that is why Congress needs to take action.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley
Facebook said that the signs to figure out the location of a user include getting tagged in a photo at a particular place, or check-ins at a location such as a restaurant during a dinner with friends.
At Facebook, people might share an address for purchases at a shopping section, or just include the address in their profile information.
On sharing the location information in their posts, the user’s IP addresses and whereabouts can be noted. The address includes locations. The location will not be precise for the mobile devices associated with telecom services. It may only note a town or city.
Facebook said that getting a user’s general location can help them and other Internet firms to protect accounts by detecting a suspicious login. For Example, if there is a login by someone in South America when he lives in Europe.
IP addresses also help companies like Facebook to encounter misinformation by dispensing the general origin of probably nefarious activity, such as streaming of politically oriented posts that might be aimed at a particular country.
Facebook recently said that it is eager for a data privacy law. The law is to go into effect in its home state of California at the beginning of next year. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) will provide the users of the Internet, a right to see what data big tech companies collect and with whom the information is shared.
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