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Daily Record
Daily Record
Science
Daniel Morrow

Facebook to axe a number of location-tracking features from app later this month

Facebook users have been notified that a number of location tracking services will be axed from the service at the end of this month.

The social media giant told users that Nearby Friends and Weather Alerts will be shut down from May 31.

The former of the services tracks the location of users to provide them with the local weather outlook, while the latter notifies them of when their pals are nearby.

Information collected through Location History and Background Location for both of these services will be deleted in August, according to a notification sent out to users that have recently used the services.

Users will be able to download their Location History data collected by Facebook until August 1. This information will then be deleted.

The company said: “Nearby Friends and Weather Alerts will no longer be available after May 31, 2022.

“Information you shared that was used for these experiences, including Location History and Background Location, will stop being collected after May 31, 2022, even if you have previously enabled them.

“You can access and download your Location History until August 1, 2022 in Access Your Information.

“After August 1, 2022, any Location History or Background Location Information you’ve previously shared will be deleted.

“Facebook will otherwise continue collecting location information for other experiences as described in our data policy.”

The Facebook app will continue to track information based on the location of users for a range of other services.

“We use location-related information - such as your current location, where you live, the places you like to go, and the businesses and people you’re near - to provide, personalise and improve our products, including ads, for you and for others”, the company states.

“Location-related information can be based on things such as precise device location (if you’ve allowed us to collect it), IP addresses and information from your and others’ use of Meta products (such as check-ins or events you attend).”

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