Facebook denies using location to send friend suggestions

In the past, it has been revealed that Facebook utilises user data for numerous purpose including targeting ads and boosting businesses.

In a recent development, Facebook has denied allegations that it uses a user’s phone location to suggest new friends.

The company was forced to retaliate after recent reports blamed the social networking site of utilising a user’s location to add new unknown friend suggestions to its popular ‘People you may know” feature.

The report by Fusion writer Kashmir Hill initially pointed out that Facebook uses a person’s location data, including places visited and cities lived in, to recommend new friends. Besides, other factors such as education, mutual friends, workplace, and even related networks come into play while suggesting new friends.

Hill further explained that she had written the story after a Facebook spokesperson had confirmed that location is one of the factors which determine friend suggestions.

The Facebook Spokesperson said: “We show you people based on mutual friends, work and education information, networks you’re part of, contacts you’ve imported and many other factors. Location information by itself doesn’t indicate that two people might be friends,” said the Facebook spokesperson. That’s why location is only one of the factors we use to suggest people you may know.”

However, the world’s biggest social media site has now refrained from the earlier comment and suggested that the company does not use location for friend suggestions after conducted an inspection on the matter.

The spokesperson told Hill, “We’re not using location data, such as device location and location information you add to your profile, to suggest people you may know.”

In the past, it has been revealed that Facebook utilises user data for numerous purpose including targeting ads and boosting businesses. The fact that the company changed its statement so fast is amusing.

When Facebook can notify users when their friends are close by or in the same city, it is really hard to believe that the company doesn’t use the same logic to connect other users.