Facebook, one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, has announced that it has taken a decision that will surprise its users. The platform, which started to send notifications to users, announced that it will unplug location-based features called “Nearby Friends” and “Weather Alerts” as of May 31, 2022. Facebook did not mention why it took such a decision.
According to the statements made by Facebook, as of August 1, 2022, users’ location data used for these features will also be deleted from their databases. Moreover, Facebook will stop collecting location data for these features, even if the user has given permission.
Location data will continue to be collected for other features
Facebook’s statement, for many users, “Facebook will no longer collect location data.” can be interpreted as However, such is not the case. According to the statements made, location data of users will continue to be collected for other experiences offered by the platform. Facebook states that this process will be done within the scope of its data policies.
Facebook also announced that a limited time privilege will be offered to users in the new period. According to the statement, users will be able to download data in their location history until August 1, 2022. In the future, it will not be possible to access and download the data.