December 21, 2018
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How Facebook knows where you are - even if you turn off location tracking
Facebook has made it nearly impossible for users to avoid having their location tracked. A new report has found that even if users turn off location tracking on Facebook, the firm will still use their IP address, as well as other information like their check-ins and the city listed on their profile to discern where they are and generated targeted ads, according to Gizmodo. This experienced was recounted by Aleksandra Korolova, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California, who examined how Facebook tracks a user's location.
Korolova explained: 'When it comes to one of the most privacy-sensitive types of data, location, Facebook does not provide meaningful controls and is misleading in its statements to users and advertisers. Taken together, Facebook creates an illusion of control rather than gives actual control over location-related ad targeting, which can lead to real harms.'
Korolova turned off location tracking on Facebook, doesn't check into places and doesn't list a city on her profile, yet she continued to see location-specific ads on Facebook. For example, when she visited Glacier National Park, she saw an advertisement for things to do in Montana, Gizmodo noted.
She discovered that this is because the firm looks at a user's IP address and may use that to show targeted advertisements on their feed. A user's IP address gives internet firms a rough idea of where they live, including their state, city or zip code, according to Gizmodo. This information is then utilized by many brands so they can show users advertisements relevant to their location, interests, age, gender and other demographic information.
Users can avoid being tracked by deleting the Facebook app on their phone, using a virtual private network or deleting their Facebook altogether, Gizmodo noted.
Facebook maintains that this is a common practice and that internet users should already be aware of it. A Facebook spokesperson told Gizmodo: 'Facebook does not use WiFi data to determine your location for ads if you have Location Services turned off. We do use IP and other information such as check-ins and current city from your profile. We explain this to people, including in our Privacy Basics site and on the About Facebook Ads site.'
So while users can do things like turn off location services and opt out of location tracking on Facebook, they can never keep their location entirely private.
A Facebook spokesperson told Gizmodo 'There is no way for people to opt out of using location for ads entirely. We use city and zip level location which we collect from IP addresses and other information such as check-ins and current city from your profile to ensure we are providing people with a good service - from ensuring they see Facebook in the right language, to making sure that they are shown nearby events and ads for businesses that are local to them.'
The move presents a shift in policy for Facebook, which said in a blog post in 2014 that 'people have control over the recent location information they share with Facebook and will only see ads based on their recent location if location services are enabled on their phone.'
Facebook's change of heart is likely to spark the ire of privacy advocates who say users should be given greater controls over their information and how they're tracked.
And while Facebook isn't the only one who looks at a user's IP address, Kolokava believes Facebook should be held to a higher standard. Kolokava wrote: 'The locations that persons visit and live in reveal a great deal about them. Their surreptitious collection and use in ad targeting can pave way to ads that are harmful, target people when they are vulnerable, or enable harassment and discrimination.'
Extracted from: www.dailymail.co.uk
