ZCZC
BFF-19
US-INTERNET-POLITICS-COMPUTERS-FACEBOOK
Facebook says it can locate users who opt out of tracking
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – 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 senators.
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.
“That’s Big Tech. And that’s why Congress needs to take action.” 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 a user lives in Europe.
IP addresses also help companies such as Facebook battle misinformation by
showing the general origin of potentially nefarious activity, such as a
stream of politically oriented posts which might be aimed at a particular
country.
Facebook said recently that it is ready for a data privacy law that is to
go into effect in its home state of California at the start of next year.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) will give internet users the
right to see what data big tech companies collect and with whom it is shared.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1010 hrs