Facebook to stop location based services like Nearby Friends and Weather Alerts | Digit

Meta is pruning lesser-used features of Facebook like Nearby Friends and Weather Alerts. These services as you can see are related to location-tracking. So, besides making the blue app leaner, this new change will make the platform a bit more privacy-friendly for its users. Starting May 31, 2022, the location-based Facebook services will be depreciated, and by August 1, 2022, the previously collected data will be deleted from the Facebook servers.

So, here’s what you need to know and do about the new Facebook change.

Facebook getting leaner by shedding certain location data and features: What it means for you

Facebook’s location-powered features with “low usage” like Weather Alerts and Nearby Friends will be cut back from the social media app. These, location history and background location are some services that have been part of the platform from a time when location-based features were picking up.

However, now that the services are not that much used and could be a cause of concern for the privacy of its users, Zuckerberg and his team have decided to eliminate it and any possible risk associated with it.

So, the said services will be removed from Facebook from May 31, 2022. The location data you shared with the company for these services in the past will also be deleted on August 1, 2022. If you want to save, download, or create a backup of this data, you are advised to do so before Aug 01.

Now, Meta is not completely stopping the tracking of location data as it still needs some amount of location information of its users for personalized ads, check-ins, and other activities. You can find more details about its data collection and usage policy here.

As for other news, reviews, feature stories, buying guides, and everything else tech-related, keep reading Digit.in.