If you're worried about cybersecurity, you might question whether texting apps can follow you. Yes, but it's not as big of a deal as you believe. Understanding how location monitoring works on major messaging applications, as well as the risks associated with it, is critical.
Many social media apps require location information in order to streamline the services they provide. Road directions, food delivery, and other features that require access to your location to serve you better are examples of these services. So messaging applications can easily and precisely follow you, and they collect this information from you in a variety of ways.
One of the most typical methods is to simply ask you to enable your location and grant the app permission to access it. The GPS technology allows the programme to access your latitude and longitude coordinates, pinpointing your location, after you grant it permission. For example, several free messaging programmes, including your standard SMS app, iMessage, and WhatsApp, provide a live-location function that allows you to share your current location if necessary.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals from your phone can also provide location information. Apps that monitor the signal strength of adjacent Wi-Fi routers and Bluetooth devices can track your whereabouts. However, this technology is less dependable than GPS tracking and can only provide an estimated location.
Some photo-sharing social networking apps, such as Instagram and Snapchat, leverage location-based functionality on your device, such as geotagging photos or providing more accurate search results. Then there's Twitter, which uses algorithms to serve your feed items based on location.
Another culprit is your IP address. When a device connects to the internet, it is assigned a unique IP address. This address may expose your general location, such as your city or area. Location history (a record of where your phone, i.e. you, has been) can be stored on the servers of apps like Snapchat.
Most messaging apps provide thorough information about their privacy policies and how they track your location and keep your data. So, rather than skipping them without reading the material, you should go into them. If you are uncomfortable with their practices, you can restrict their access through your device settings. However, doing so may result in inconsistencies and inaccuracies with the app's location-based functionality. The most serious hazards linked with location tracking by messaging media apps are invasions of privacy and data breaches.
How to Prevent Messaging Apps from Tracking You
Using airplane mode is the best approach to prevent your location from being tracked. However, doing so would disable incoming calls as well as your data connection. Fortunately, there are less restrictive methods for preventing messaging apps from seeing your location data.
You can always disable your location. Most phones feature a button in the quick panel for this. However, if yours does not, you can do so using a Samsung Galaxy phone:
- Go to your phone's Settings.
- Head over to Apps.
- Select the app you want to turn on/off privacy access.
- Tap on Permissions, and then Location.
- Tap Deny, and WhatsApp won't have access to your location anymore.
VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks: They protect your privacy by routing your internet traffic through a remote server operated by the VPN operator. A VPN uses a variety of approaches to prevent tracking. First, it switches your IP address to that of the VPN server in another location, which is usually far away. Any programme that attempts to trace your location using your IP address will be unable to do so because it has been changed to that of the VPN server.
Premium VPNs also encrypt your data, disguising the data transmitted between your device and the VPN server. Any third party attempting to intercept it will find it illegible as a result. They frequently feature firewalls and ad blockers that they can employ to avoid any problems.
Utilize Private Browsers: Some web browsers include firewalls and ad blockers that restrict third-party cookies and delete your browsing history when you close the app. So, if you use these private browsers to access social media, you can be confident that your location is hidden from prying eyes.
One must also study the privacy policies of these apps and take steps to limit the location sharing to trusted contacts only.
