Facebook does test with tracking location of Instagram users

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Facebook has done a test, merging the location data of Instagram and Facebook. The test was opt-in, so users had to turn it on themselves. If the feature is on, Facebook can access the location data of both apps.

Facebook has been tracking users’ location for years, but Instagram has never done that before. If the function is enabled, data from both apps will appear in the location history, reports Techcrunch on the basis of the discovery of a security investigator . Facebook does not deny the test and promises to notify users when the company turns on tracking of Instgram users’ location.

The feature is opt-in and users must therefore give permission to store the location history. It is obvious that the function will also appear as opt-in when Facebook releases it, because it concerns the collection of private data and that has an impact on the privacy of users.

When the function is on, appears the location history of Facebook an Instagram icon. Instagram will occasionally save the location, even if users do not have the app open. According to Facebook, this location is necessary to show what is happening in the neighborhood on the social network and for more relevant advertisements. The test comes a few weeks after the founders of Instagram announced their departure .

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