One of the biggest concerns with tech these days is having your location tracked via your smartphone. Some may not realize that the apps on your phone can play a big part in this.
Smartphones access a lot of our information, and there are many apps and features that end up needing or at least wanting your location to function in certain ways. Though it can be tempting to give apps access to this kind of information, it’s often advised that you avoid it when possible. However, there are some apps that you might not realize are tracking your location, and if you want to stay safe, it’s best to know which ones they are, so you know how to proceed. Read more about two of them below.
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1. Having Too Many Apps
If you get a full storage notification on your phone, before you start scrolling through your photo library to see which snaps and videos you should delete, it's a good idea to take a look at all the apps you have downloaded, as they can make a big difference in how much space you have.
"They grow constantly due to the project files in the background," explains tech pro Thanassis Giannakelis. "Most of the files are imperceptibly recorded to facilitate access to previously viewed content, search results, and downloads. Stream, social media, and shopping applications fall in the same situation. People are left with the impression that an app has a small footprint, but in an actual sense, that app can grow to several gigabytes, insidiously, over time."
2. Facebook
When people think of Facebook, they often think about status posts, photo albums, games, and more. Not many think about how it might be keeping track of their location, as, other than occasionally including where you are in your status, it's not mentioned too often.
"Facebook needs location data to enable features like 'nearby friends' and marketplace listings that are more relevant and doable for you," explains tech expert Steven Athwal. "It gets this data from your background activity, using Wi-Fi signals and device data. As Facebook operates within a wider ecosystem of apps, it shares location insights across the platforms, so even if you turn them off here but keep them on Instagram, it can still create a detailed image of your location and behavior."
