How to disable geolocation in Facebook ?

As part of an article discussing IP geolocation, a reader recently shared their issues with geolocation on Facebook. They experienced a peculiar problem where their posts were being geolocated in various regions such as Aquitaine, Brittany, Limousin, or Lorraine, despite living in Picardy.

To address this issue, I recommended disabling the geolocation feature for their Facebook posts to avoid such errors. If you also wish to deactivate geolocation for your Facebook posts, follow this step-by-step guide that explains how to turn off location tagging on your Facebook publications.

Understanding Geolocation

Geolocation, also known as georeferencing, is a technology used by devices such as computers, smartphones, and tablets to determine their geographical coordinates (latitude/longitude) and locate their position with varying degrees of accuracy.

Several methods exist to geolocate a device, including satellite-based geolocation, Wi-Fi-based geolocation, GSM-based positioning, IP geolocation, and more.

With the proliferation of smartphones, geolocation has become widely used by various applications for navigation, personal safety, asset protection, transportation management, and other purposes.

Geolocation on Facebook

Since 2010, Facebook has incorporated location data into its features. This includes helping users find friends near their location, indicating the location in posts, and personalizing the news feed based on geographical location. Facebook Messenger also utilizes geolocation for its messaging service.

Disabling Geolocation for Facebook Posts

By default, when you specify a location (e.g., a shop, monument, city, restaurant) on Facebook, the mobile application automatically adds a location tag to your posts. However, the usefulness of geolocating your Facebook posts is debatable, and you may prefer not to disclose your geographical location. Here’s a concise tutorial on how to disable geolocation on Facebook.

1. Disable Facebook Geolocation by Disabling Device Geolocation

To prevent Facebook from using the geolocation data sent by your smartphone or tablet, you can disable geolocation for your device. The steps may vary depending on your device’s operating system. Here, we will focus on Android and iOS, which are the most commonly used mobile operating systems.

Disabling Geolocation on Android:

• Go to your device’s Settings.
• Look for “Location” or “Advanced settings,” then select “Location data.”
• Disable “Location” to prevent all applications from using your location information.

Note: Many devices have a shortcut in the notification bar that allows quick toggling of device geolocation.

Configuring Facebook on Android to Not Use Geolocation:

• Go to your device’s Settings.
• Tap on “Apps.”
• Find and select “Facebook” from the list of apps.
• Tap on “Permissions.”
• Disable the “Your Location” permission.

Blocking Geolocation on iOS (iPhone, iPad):

• Tap on the Settings icon.
• In the menu, select “Privacy & Security” then “Location Services“.
• You can either disable geolocation for all apps by changing the “Location Services” setting or specifically disable it for the Facebook app.
• To disable geolocation for Facebook, select “Never” in the Facebook app’s settings.

2. Configure the Facebook Mobile App (Android) to Not Use Geolocation

Alternatively, you can directly configure the Facebook mobile app on Android to determine which location data it can access.

If you’re concerned about Facebook’s data usage, you can also deactivate or delete your Facebook account.

Remember, by deactivating geolocation for Facebook posts, you can enhance your privacy and prevent unintended location tagging.