Instagram test constantly pass location to Facebook
Instagram is testing a function that affects our privacy even further. According to Techcrunch, the social media app is for some users to pass on their GPS location to Facebook. This means that your location can be seen on Facebook, even if you are no longer active there, and that your location data can be used to send you targeted advertisements via Facebook.
Facebook says via a spokesperson that they do test ideas that do not end up in the app and that nothing has changed structurally for the location settings. However, the researcher who found the position is not yet so sure: his previous finds, such as video calling and music stickers, finally ended up in the app.
Not (yet) automatically
Fortunately, it is not that bad (at least in this test phase) that your location is automatically shared because you have to activate the function yourself. However, it goes against the agreements that Facebook has made with the EU. The company had already problems because they had put a similar system in WhatsApp and the ‘mixing of data’ between the different apps is not desirable for the EU.
It is a problem for Facebook because Instagram is currently the best running app they have. As Facebook grows further and Insta grows, the company will increasingly try to satisfy the advertisers via Instagram, which is nothing wrong with it, as long as it happens in a responsible and transparent manner. Unfortunately, the experience is that these kinds of features are often added half secretly so that a bit more data is taken from you without asking. Facebook’s reputation has already been shattered, but if this transfer of data mines continues, the Instagram will not go away.