Meta collects your location information — including precise GPS coordinates when available — even if you have turned off Location Services on your device, using your IP address and network data as alternative sources.
This analysis describes what Meta Ads's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
The provision establishes that Meta maintains continuous collection authority over location signals from multiple technical sources, enabling location-based service functionality and analytics even when users believe location tracking is disabled at the device level. This operational scope affects the categories of data available for service personalization and product improvement.
The updated Privacy Policy no longer explicitly directs US residents to the United States Regional Privacy Notice, which previously provided details about consumer privacy rights available under state laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act and similar regulations. This removal does not eliminate those rights themselves, but it makes the Privacy Policy less clear about where consumers can find information on how to exercise those rights. Consumers can still locate the Regional Privacy Notice through Meta's website or by searching for it directly, but the removal reduces the accessibility and prominence of that guidance within the primary policy document.
View change record →Even if you turn off Location Services for Facebook or Instagram on your phone, Meta continues to derive your approximate location from your IP address and network data — this inferred location data is used to target you with local ads and can reveal sensitive patterns like medical appointments or religious attendance.
How other platforms handle this
We collect information about your precise or approximate location as determined through data such as your IP address, GPS, and other inputs from your device, with your permission where required. We may use this information to provide, personalize, and improve our services, and for safety purposes.
Device and Connection Information. Consistent with your device or browser permissions, your device or browser automatically sends us information about when and how you install, access, or use our Services. This includes information such as your device type, operating system information, browser info...
Uber collects precise or approximate location data from riders' and order recipients' mobile devices when the Uber app is running in the foreground (app open and on-screen) or background (app open but not on-screen) of their device. Uber collects this data from the time a ride or order is requested ...
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"Location-related information: We collect location-related information when you use our Products, even if Location Services is turned off. This can include things like GPS and other precise location information you provide or enable, as well as information derived from your network location based on data such as your IP address.— Excerpt from Meta Ads's Meta Privacy Policy
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: Location data collection implicates GDPR Art. 5(1)(a) (lawfulness and transparency), Art. 6(1)(a) (consent as the appropriate legal basis for precise location processing), and Art. 9 (where location data reveals special category information such as health or religious behavior). The FTC Act Section 5 applies to deceptive location data collection practices. California Consumer Privacy Act §1798.140(o) includes geolocation data in the definition of personal information, and CPRA §1798.121 categorizes precise geolocation as sensitive personal information with associated opt-out rights. The FTC's 2022 enforcement action against Kochava established that selling precise geolocation data constitutes an unfair practice.
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Netflix updated its Privacy Statement on April 18, 2026, disclosing voice recording collection and expanded household ad profiling for the first time.
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The provision establishes that Meta maintains continuous collection authority over location signals from multiple technical sources, enabling location-based service functionality and analytics even when users believe location tracking is disabled at the device level. This operational scope affects the categories of data available for service personalization and product improvement.
Even if you turn off Location Services for Facebook or Instagram on your phone, Meta continues to derive your approximate location from your IP address and network data — this inferred location data is used to target you with local ads and can reveal sensitive patterns like medical appointments or religious attendance.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 17 platforms. See the full comparison.
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