Instagram is experimenting with a feature that would allow the photo-sharing app to share your location data with Facebook -- even when you’re not using the app, media reported.
“The option, which is being tested as a setting you have to opt-in to, allows Facebook products to ‘build and use a history of precise locations’ to helps you explore what’s around you, get more relevant ads and helps improve Facebook,” Techcrunch quoted popular app researcher Jane Manchun Wong as saying.
When activated, the service will report your location even if you leave the app, added Wong.
The testing of such a feature comes soon after Instagram’s co-founders abruptly resigned from the company, reportedly due to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s interference with the service.
Examples of this interference include removing Instagram’s attribution from posts re-shared to Facebook and badged notifications inside Instagram that encouraged people to open the Facebook app.
“We often work on ideas that may evolve over time or ultimately not be tested or released. Instagram does not currently store Location History; we’ll keep people updated with any changes to our location settings in the future,” a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying.
It seems like Instagram is not the only service that Facebook plans to use share data. Earlier in 2016, Facebook announced that it would be sharing user data between WhatsApp and Facebook to offer better friend suggestions. And while WhatsApp CEO and co-founder left the company over data privacy issue soon after the announcement, the feature was later halted in the European Union thanks to its GDPR legislation.
Facebook is also reportedly testing a Snapchat lookalike map view feature to see friend’s locations. If Instagram officially rolls out data sharing feature it could provide additional data to Facebook to better target its ads.
