Being on social media is like a rite of passage for most smartphone users, especially those from a younger crowd. However, it doesn’t mean they don’t come with their own risks.
Social media has come a long way since its early days, and although most popular apps have safety features built in, there are still a lot of ways you can risk your privacy and personal information through them. For instance, there are some social media apps with features that end up tracking your location, and this might be happening when you don’t realize it. We spoke to tech experts about four social media apps that you may not have noticed can track your location. Read more about them below.
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1. TikTok
TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps these days, and some people are so 'addicted' to it that they spend several hours of the day scrolling through it. Although it might just seem like innocent video scrolling, there are some ways that the famous app can get access to more information than you'd think.
"TikTok collects multiple layers of location data, including GPS (when allowed), IP geolocation, SIM region, device locale, and network identifiers," explains cybersecurity pro Darren Kimuli. "Even without precise GPS, TikTok can maintain a reasonably accurate location profile using passive signals. Its algorithm relies heavily on local content distribution, which incentivizes continuous location inference."
2. Pinterest
Pinterest has been around for a while, but it's still a commonly used app for iPhone users. People use it for decor inspiration, fashion tips, vision boards, and more. It doesn't seem like the kind of app that would need access to too much of your information, but it's quite capable of collecting it.
"While users treat Pinterest as a private digital scrapbook for recipes or home decor, the app utilizes 'background location' to serve localized ads and 'trending near you' content," says tech expert Russell York. "This creates a significant privacy gap; because users aren't "posting" their location as they do on Instagram, they often leave location services on, allowing the app to silently map their retail habits and frequent haunts to build a behavioral consumer profile."
3. Snapchat
Snapchat has greatly evolved over the years, as it went from an app where you simply sent temporary pictures back and forth to a place to share stories, save memories, and be on the 'Snap Map.' That one feature, however, can end up not only tracking your location but also making it visible to others.
"Snapchat's design philosophy is inherently location‑centric," notes Kimuli. "Features like Snap Map, geofilters, and AR lenses require continuous access to GPS, Wi‑Fi, and motion sensors. Even when Snap Map is disabled, the app still collects location signals to support advertising and AR functionality. From a cyber perspective, Snapchat has seen multiple cases where attackers used location‑based cues, such as login alerts from unexpected regions, to compromise accounts or stalk users."
4. Facebook
Many people consider Facebook to be the blueprint for most social media apps, and now it's become part of Meta, which is a tech company that can easily keep track of a lot of your information, to the point that it can make many people uncomfortable.
"Facebook operates one of the most sophisticated data‑collection ecosystems in the world," adds Kimuli. "Even when users deny GPS access, the platform can triangulate location using Wi‑Fi SSIDs, Bluetooth beacons, IP geolocation, device motion sensors, and proximity to other Meta‑linked devices. From a cybersecurity perspective, Facebook's location graph is powerful enough to infer home addresses, daily routines, and social proximity patterns. Historically, Facebook has been involved in multiple privacy controversies where location inference played a role."
