This myth was eventually debunked. If an application has the ability to perform such actions, it does not mean that it does it 24 hours a day. You can find similar requests for tracking your location, camera access, or text messages in a lot of applications. And the problem arose because Android and iOS did not particularly control this process. The developers simply asked: "do you allow it or not", — and got access to the full information.
In iOS 8, Apple offered three options for geo-location tracking: Always, Never, or While using the app. Facebook Instagram representatives* have already stated that in iOS 8 Messenger and Instagram* will only get access to geo-location while using applications. This means that applications will not be able to access this information if they are not open.
And if anyone now claims, as some journalists did a few weeks ago, that Facebook* Messenger is constantly monitoring you, point him to the application settings.
"We never collected your location data in the background, even if the device allowed us to do so," said Yul Kwon, Facebook's privacy manager*. "Even if we don't use all these features, it's hard for people to explain it, so we only welcome such a detailed setup."
The "Always" setting in the main Facebook app* on iOS 8 is necessary for the new Nearby Friends feature, which allows you to find friends who are close to you. If tracking your location is switched to the "While using the application" mode, this function will not work.
Apple gave an excellent example with the settings for tracking your geo-location, but in order to completely reassure users, it is worth making the same points in camera control. Otherwise, how can we be sure that Facebook* is not taking photos while we are sitting in the toilet? Yes, it may seem ridiculous, however, a lot of users are concerned about this. With the help of more specific settings, Apple and Google at once relieve people of some fears and reduce the amount of misinformation.
Apple should find a middle ground between a lot of settings that can confuse the user, and minimalism, which, according to device owners, gives too much power to various applications. Otherwise, users will continue to accuse some services of surveillance and will be afraid to use certain applications. Instagram Facebook and social networks owned by Meta Platforms Inc. are prohibited from operating in the territory of the Russian Federation.*
