Facebook can locate users even if they opt-out of tracking

Facebook, in a letter sent to US senators, has revealed that it can track users even if they do not wish to be tracked. In the message shared widely on social media, Facebook detailed how it can still find out where people are despite them selecting not to share precise location data with them.

Facebook was replying to a request for information by two senators. They claimed that knowing a user’s location has advantages ranging from displaying ads, fighting hackers and countering misinformation. “There is no opting out. No control over your personal information,” said Josh Hawley, a Republican Senator, in a tweet.

Facebook also said that a user’s location can be found out when they are tagged in a photo at a specific place or when they check-in at a location, for example, a restaurant. Users may include their addresses in their profile information or during purchases at a shopping section at Facebook.

Along with this information, the IP addresses help know a user’s whereabouts. Facebook claimed that knowing a user’s location helps them and other Internet firms protect accounts when any suspicious login behavior occurs, for example by someone in Asia when a user lives in Africa.

IP addresses show the general origin of potentially nefarious activity and help companies such as Facebook battle misinformation. It could be a series of politically-oriented posts, aimed at a particular country. Facebook also mentioned that it is ready for a data privacy law that will take effect in California from next year.

The users will get the right to see the kind of data tech companies collect and with whom it gets shared, according to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Facebook has been in the discussions for a long time now over the user’s privacy and manipulation.

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