One way or another, we all know the internet has its ways of identifying us—but some companies, like Meta, might be able to do it more than others. Amid the rise of AI, concerns about privacy on Meta have reached fever-pitch, and if this TikTok video is true, Meta has a big problem.
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In a video that’s amassed 4.8 million views, Jess (@slyguyjess) asked viewers, “Did y’all know that Facebook Messenger, when you give the terms and conditions, and you check and you do whatever you’re allowing Facebook Messenger that when you connect to a Wi-Fi, they can go into that Wi-Fi map, and they can find all of the devices that are also connected to that Wi-Fi?”
She also claimed that in this way, Facebook Messenger, and by extension, Meta, “has access to all of your passwords, every app you’ve ever downloaded, all the apps that you do have.”
“The Government’s so worried about TikTok, I’m deleting Facebook Messenger,” she added.
In the comments, users were equally skeptical of the tech giant. Many claimed that they had deleted not just Facebook Messenger but other Meta devices like Instagram and WhatsApp.
“Meta is a trojan horse,” one wrote.
“This is how they populate the ‘people you may know’ suggestions,” another claimed.
While a third asked the obvious question: “Ok, but all of the other people connected to that Wi-Fi didn’t agree to those terms… how is this legal?”
Jess didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
Can Facebook identify devices connected via Messenger?
Although it remains unclear whether Facebook Messenger can identify users and their devices via a “Wi-Fi map,” it should be noted that Meta does receive specific location information if you use its products.
“Whenever you use our products, we may receive location information based on things such as the settings that you’ve chosen on your device, or your activity across our products,” Meta says in a post on the Meta Privacy Centre.
“We’re also able to receive location information from the network that you connect your device to, including your IP address and Wi-Fi connection.”
Moreover, the site says that if you enable location services on your device, Meta says that it may receive information about your “precise location” via GPS, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi.
If you don’t enable location services on your device, Meta says that it won’t receive details like your device’s precise location. However, the company notes that through your “activity” on its apps and information like your IP address, it can estimate an approximate location.
Meta didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
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