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  • Facebook keeps guessing where I am

    From Davey@21:1/5 to All on Sun Dec 22 11:05:37 2024
    Recently, Facebook has been asking me if I am in this city, or that
    town, or another town, whenever I log on. And it's always wrong.
    I checked Settings in Facebook, and it says that location detection is
    only available via the 'app', which I don't use. In theory, if it is not available, it should not be enabled, but this is is Facebook.

    My Ubuntu 22.04 has location services disabled.

    Does anybody have any idea what is happening, and how can I stop it? It
    only comes up with this on the first, and only, time I log in on a day,
    so it is reacting to me, and presumably not anybody else.

    I will ask Facebook, but I have little faith in getting any help from
    them.

    --
    Davey.

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  • From Chris Elvidge@21:1/5 to Davey on Sun Dec 22 11:37:10 2024
    On 22/12/2024 at 11:05, Davey wrote:
    Recently, Facebook has been asking me if I am in this city, or that
    town, or another town, whenever I log on. And it's always wrong.
    I checked Settings in Facebook, and it says that location detection is
    only available via the 'app', which I don't use. In theory, if it is not available, it should not be enabled, but this is is Facebook.

    My Ubuntu 22.04 has location services disabled.

    Does anybody have any idea what is happening, and how can I stop it? It
    only comes up with this on the first, and only, time I log in on a day,
    so it is reacting to me, and presumably not anybody else.

    I will ask Facebook, but I have little faith in getting any help from
    them.


    It's using geolocation from your IP address, probably. See:
    whatismyip.com or similar.


    --
    Chris Elvidge, England
    I WILL NOT MOCK MRS. DUMBFACE

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  • From Davey@21:1/5 to Andy Burns on Sun Dec 22 11:57:37 2024
    On Sun, 22 Dec 2024 11:47:52 +0000
    Andy Burns <[email protected]> wrote:

    Davey wrote:

    Facebook has been asking me if I am in this city, or that
    town, or another town, whenever I log on. And it's always wrong.

    I don't use facebook, but other services "guess" where I am, and
    they're often inaccurate, I like that.

    I only correct them if there's a reason for them to know my address.

    Indeed. I have concluded that this is not Facebook identifying some spoofing/phishing attempt, but more likely making a bad guess at where
    I am, as you say you get.

    --
    Davey.

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  • From Davey@21:1/5 to Chris Elvidge on Sun Dec 22 11:54:59 2024
    On Sun, 22 Dec 2024 11:37:10 +0000
    Chris Elvidge <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 22/12/2024 at 11:05, Davey wrote:
    Recently, Facebook has been asking me if I am in this city, or that
    town, or another town, whenever I log on. And it's always wrong.
    I checked Settings in Facebook, and it says that location detection
    is only available via the 'app', which I don't use. In theory, if
    it is not available, it should not be enabled, but this is is
    Facebook.

    My Ubuntu 22.04 has location services disabled.

    Does anybody have any idea what is happening, and how can I stop
    it? It only comes up with this on the first, and only, time I log
    in on a day, so it is reacting to me, and presumably not anybody
    else.

    I will ask Facebook, but I have little faith in getting any help
    from them.


    It's using geolocation from your IP address, probably. See:
    whatismyip.com or similar.



    The problem with that that is that my IP Address is identified,
    correctly, as that of my ISP, Zen, in Rochdale. Usually, Facebook
    thinks I'm somewhere in or near Oxford or Pinner. Never Rochdale. Never
    where I actually am, either.
    Speedtest.net thinks I am in London, which is closer.

    But thanks for the reply.

    --
    Davey.

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  • From Andy Burns@21:1/5 to Davey on Sun Dec 22 11:47:52 2024
    Davey wrote:

    Facebook has been asking me if I am in this city, or that
    town, or another town, whenever I log on. And it's always wrong.

    I don't use facebook, but other services "guess" where I am, and they're
    often inaccurate, I like that.

    I only correct them if there's a reason for them to know my address.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Davey@21:1/5 to Daniel James on Sun Dec 22 16:00:05 2024
    On Sun, 22 Dec 2024 15:24:08 +0000
    Daniel James <[email protected]d> wrote:

    On 22/12/2024 11:05, Davey wrote:
    Does anybody have any idea what is happening, and how can I stop
    it?

    It sounds like Facebook is trying to get you to tell it where you are
    because it can't get the information via location services because
    you've turned them off.

    The best way to stop it is not to Facebook (or any of Meta's other
    means of monetizing the user).


    I use Facebook for two purposes:
    1. To find old, lost contacts. It still works for that.
    2. To read some news and comments from an old friend, who makes posts
    most days and also send out some very good cartoons.

    So my use is minimal, but I do not intend to stop using it. I have never
    paid meta anything.

    --
    Davey.

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  • From Daniel James@21:1/5 to Davey on Sun Dec 22 15:24:08 2024
    On 22/12/2024 11:05, Davey wrote:
    Does anybody have any idea what is happening, and how can I stop it?

    It sounds like Facebook is trying to get you to tell it where you are
    because it can't get the information via location services because
    you've turned them off.

    The best way to stop it is not to Facebook (or any of Meta's other means
    of monetizing the user).

    --
    Cheers,
    Daniel.

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