Facebook is warning iOS 13 and Android users that new mobile operating systems may prevent the platform from tracking its users as closely as it did before.
A new report from Forbes points out that Facebook is warning iOS 13 and Android 10 users that they should enable real-time location tracking on their devices as Facebook just works better when it knows where its users are at all times. Zak Doffman writes for Forbes:
Facebook works better when it is tracking you, in real-time all of the time. That’s the warning being issued to users of the all-conquering social media platform ahead of imminent upgrades to Android 10 and iOS 13. Facebook’s features, says Facebook in a blogpost, work better when they can “use precise location even when you’re not using the app to make sure that alerts and tools are accurate and personalized for you.”
Facebook, whose privacy trespasses have dominated the tech headlines for 18 months is being fettered by new smartphone lockdowns. It’s almost reason enough to smile.
Forbes notes that privacy protection has become a marketing tool for many firms, with the new Apple and Google mobile operating systems including settings that let users control when their device’s precise location is shared. Unsurprisingly, Facebook which benefits greatly from collecting users personal information is not happy about this:
With iOS 13, it is even more complex, providing more user choice about when and how to share tracking information—especially in background. And there is the new tantalizing “allow once” setting that gives an app the ability to geolocate a user for a single instant and then not again unless a further permission is granted.
“If you are using iOS 13,” Facebook warns, “you will begin to receive notifications about when an app is using your precise location in the background and how many times an app has accessed that information.” One can’t help but think that the “warning” might be more for Facebook than the user.
Apple’s iOS 13 will reportedly include a map of location data sent to an app and will explain why the app uses that type of location. Forbes adds:
“You’re in control of who sees your location on Facebook,” says Facebook—at least you will be now. “We’ll continue to make it easier for you to control how and when you share your location,” is the promise. The question now, more so than ever before, will be exactly how much users really value their privacy versus the raft of convenient features that trade mostly trivial functionality for inordinate privacy compromises.
Read the full article in Forbes here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com
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