Want to stop Facebook from tracking location? Here's the way
What's the story
By now, we all know that Facebook has been mining user data for long. It then uses that information for ad-targeting. The company has long been following this practice to generate revenue, capturing a massive chunk of data, including your location information. But now, it has also launched a dedicated option to prevent location tracking. Here's how you can use it.
Location control
Facebook location control: How it works
Facebook has enhanced location control setting in its app, giving users an additional option to choose if they want the platform to collect location data from the background. For those unaware, only Android users had the option to turn location history on or off, something that left them wondering if the platform collected location when they didn't use the app but had location on.
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Location was shared when you had the setting on
"If you enabled this setting, two things happened: you would share your location when you weren't using the app and you would allow Facebook to store a history of your precise locations," Paul McDonald, Facebook's engineering director, said in a blog post.
Benefit
Now, you can use the new setting to stop tracking
Either way, with the latest update, you can make sure that Facebook doesn't collect your location details when it isn't running. To do this, head over to the 'Settings and Privacy' section of the Facebook app and tap on 'Settings'. From there, tap on the 'Location' option listed under 'Privacy' and tweak the new location controls given there.
Controlling location
Note: Different controls for iOS and Android
The interface of the upgraded location setting varies for Android and iOS devices, but the function remains pretty much the same. On Android, you can restrict tracking permission by toggling the 'Background Location' option off or turning off 'Location services' altogether. Meanwhile, on iOS, you can simply tap on the 'Location services' button and choose between 'Don't allow' or 'Allow while using the app'.
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Also, you can turn location history off
In addition, you can also turn the 'Location history' toggle off to prevent Facebook from recording the places you have visited. This option works in the same way on both iOS and Android version of the app.