They're monitoring our every moment: Your sensitive data is at risk! They can even manipulate your location.
Recent research from VPN service provider Surfshark has exposed the location data collection habits of social media platforms.
According to the study, X was the application that collected and processed the location information of its users most intensively.
It was followed by Instagram , Threads, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and YouTube. It was noted that LinkedIn and YouTube process location data to a much lesser extent than the others, using it only for algorithms and the basic operation of the app.
The research examined the default location permissions of the 10 most popular social media apps on the Apple App Store. The resulting picture reveals that many platforms request extensive data from their users. Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, owned by X and Zuckerberg, are particularly prominent in collecting location information.
Smartphones store two types of location information: general (which shows only your current location) and precise (which determines precise coordinates via GPS, Bluetooth, and IP address) data.
Surfshark CTO Donatas Budvytis emphasizes that precise location data is the most valuable category of user information. According to Budvytis, this data can be used to infer people's routines, behavioral patterns, and habits, and can even be used for a variety of purposes, from advertising to political manipulation.
X COLLECTED THE MOST DATAThe study found that eight social media apps requested precise location data. X led the list, with Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and Pinterest also among those requesting detailed location information from their users.
While Snapchat makes do with more limited data, LinkedIn and YouTube hardly ever request precise location.
This collected information allows social networks to offer more targeted options to advertisers. There are also claims that X and Pinterest may use this data to track users.
VPN ALONE DOES NOT PROTECTWhile VPNs increase online security by encrypting internet traffic and hiding IP addresses, they are not effective against sensitive location data collected from GPS and nearby networks.
So even if your IP address appears in one city, social media platforms rely on GPS data when your GPS points to a different location.
This shows that VPN use is especially necessary on public Wi-Fi networks, but social networks continue to collect location.
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