A new report has revealed the voracious appetite of social media apps in continuously collecting users’ precise geographic location data, with “X” (formerly Twitter) leading the list.
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According to the report published by VPN provider Surfshark, most social media apps—including X, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook—constantly seek to collect accurate user location data on maps.
There are two types of digital location data:
Coarse Location: Provides an approximate position on the map, showing the general area without pinpointing the exact location.
Precise Location: Shows the user’s exact location using multiple sources of information, such as Bluetooth data, GPS, and device identifiers like IP addresses.
Tracking User Locations
Donatas Budvytis, Surfshark’s Chief Technology Officer, noted that precise location data is among the most sensitive personal information because it allows services and apps to create detailed profiles of user behavior, including routine movements, making it easier to target them with ads.
The report highlighted eight social media platforms that collect such data to varying degrees. At the top is X, followed by Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Pinterest; Snapchat ranks third, followed by LinkedIn and YouTube.
Interestingly, X is the only platform that uses precise location data to track users’ movements on the ground, while other networks primarily use the data for advertising purposes—except LinkedIn and YouTube. All networks also use location information to run personalized experiments and app features.
Adjusting Your Settings
Users can control the type of data collected through app settings. While some people willingly share photos, ideas, or even potentially sensitive opinions, privacy options can at least limit tracking.
For X, users can navigate to: Settings > Privacy & Safety > Location Information, and disable all three options, including “Explore Settings,” to reduce the app’s tracking intensity.
Other apps provide similar privacy controls. Additionally, users can turn off GPS on their phones when not needed and regularly review the location services settings on their devices.
