Senators ask if Facebook really lets users opt out of location tracking

Enlarge / The Facebook logo is displayed on a TV screen on September 9, 2019 in Paris, France. (credit: Chesnot | Getty)

Back in September, Facebook updated its location privacy settings for users. "Facebook is better with location," the company stressed, but users were free to turn off location tracking, and the company would be happy to tell them how. That setting, however, comes with an enormous loophole, and two US senators want the company to explain itself.

Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) today sent a letter (PDF) to Facebook asking the company how, exactly, it tracks users' locations-even when location access and location history are disabled.

"We appreciate Facebook's attempt to proactively inform users about their privacy options," the senators wrote. "However, we are concerned that Facebook may not in fact be offering users the level of control that the company suggests these settings provide."

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