Facebook has admitted in a letter sent to two US senators that it can track the position of all its users even if they have not activated the geolocation function

Facebook has admitted in a letter sent to two US senators that it can track the position of all its users even if they have not activated the geolocation function. “When location services are turned off, Facebook can know the geolocation of people using the information it shares through its Facebook activities or IP addresses and other network connections they use,” says the Zuckerberg company’s head of the Facebook Security Office, Rob Sherman in the letter, dated December 12.

The letter, sent to Democratic Senator Chris Coons and Republican Josh Hawley, was published Tuesday by a journalist for the American newspaper ‘The Hill’ through his Twitter account. In it, the company explains the different ways in which it can access the location of its users even though they have the geolocation function disabled, among others by the location they include in their photos and their IP addresses.

Sherman has detailed that Facebook uses this type of information to notify users when someone has accessed their account from another location, as well as to stop the spread of false information.

The company has also explained that it uses this data for advertisements. “By necessity, virtually all Facebook ads are based on location,” Sherman emphasizes in his letter. “Otherwise, people in Washington DC would receive announcements of services or events in London, and vice versa,” he adds.

For his part, Republican Senator Josh Hawley has said that despite users deactivating geolocation services, Facebook “uses your location to make money”. “There is no other option. There is no control over your personal information,” Hawley said in his Twitter account. “That is why Congress must take action,” he added.