Facebook And Snap Can Tell Your Friends Where You Are At All Times Wherever You Are In World

The creepiness of the internet knows no bounds.

A few weeks ago, Snap made headlines with the Snap Map, which uses your phone’s GPS sensor to display your location while you’re using the app. You can choose to share your location with all friends, select friends, or none at all.

The results have already been amusing.

https://twitter.com/ALBY_LAD/status/879691207005413376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smosh.com%2Fsmosh-pit%2Fmemes%2Ffunniest-reactions-snap-map

The feature has done its part to bring together global communities.

And locate lost icons.

https://twitter.com/texas_hellboy/status/878311746703839233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smosh.com%2Fsmosh-pit%2Fmemes%2Ffunniest-reactions-snap-map

It’s also thrown some friendships into question.

https://twitter.com/Drops/status/879062156569964544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smosh.com%2Fsmosh-pit%2Fmemes%2Ffunniest-reactions-snap-map

But the feature has also raised serious privacy concerns internationally, leading schools and police forces to issue warnings.

The UK Safer Internet Centre said: “It is important to be careful about who you share your location with, as it can allow people to build up a picture of where you live, go to school and spend your time. Given how specific this new feature is on Snapchat—giving your location to a precise pinpoint on a map—we would encourage users not to share their location, especially with people they don’t know in person.”

https://twitter.com/briaatortillaa/status/877993198722752512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smosh.com%2Fsmosh-pit%2Fmemes%2Ffunniest-reactions-snap-map

Similarly, Facebook’s ‘Nearby Friends’ feature, originally released in 2014, shows you the whereabouts of—you guessed it—friends near you. Facebook displays these locations in a list, rather than a map, and doesn’t give precise locations. But the feature still raises privacy concerns.

Here’s how to turn them both off:

To turn Snap Map off, open the feature from the Snapchat home screen by pinching your fingers from the outside of the frame in toward the middle. Press the cog icon in the upper righthand corner (across from the “search” bar). Select “Ghost Mode.”

How to disable Snap Maps with Ghost mode

To disable Nearby Friends, turn off your location services for Facebook. Tap the menu button. Tap ‘Nearby Friends’ or ‘See More’. Tap the cog. Swipe to turn the feature off.

About the author

Claire Lancaster

Tech & Entrepreneurship Editor

English-American, Claire has lived and worked in the U.S., South America, Europe and the UK. As Culture Trip’s tech and entrepreneurship editor she covers the European startup scene and issues ranging from Internet privacy to the intersection of the web with civil society, journalism, public policy and art. Claire holds a master’s in international journalism from City University, London and has contributed to outlets including Monocle, NPR, Public Radio International and the BBC World Service. When not writing or travelling, she can be found searching for London's best brunch spot or playing with her cat, Diana Ross.