Facebook Denies Tracking Users' Location to Suggest New Friends

Facebook has dodged (maybe) its second PR nightmare of the year (remember when it was accused of suppressing conservative news) by denying it uses cellphone location data to inform its "People You May Know" suggestions. A Facebook spokesperson had initially toldFusion the company did use location information to recommend new friends but later backtracked.

A Fusion reporter was prompted to ask Facebook about using location information after reportedly meeting a man who grew suspicious when Facebook suggested a friend. The man said he went to a meeting for suicidal teens and the next day saw a Facebook friend suggestion for one of the attendees, despite the two not sharing contact information or friends.

"People You May Know are people on Facebook that you might know," a Facebook spokesperson explained to Fusion in an email. "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."

You know, the "normal" information you overshare on social media.

A Facebook spokesperson later revealed location data was one of those "other factors."

"Location information by itself doesn't indicate that two people might be friends," wrote a Facebook spokesperson to Fusion. "That's why location is only one of the factors we use to suggest people you may know."

However a Facebook spokesperson sent a new statement Monday night backtracking:

"We're not using location data, such as device location and location information you add to your profile, to suggest people you may know. We may show you people based on mutual friends, work and education information, networks you are part of, contacts you've imported and other factors."

That's not to say Facebook hasn't used location data to suggest friends in the past. Late last year a Facebook spokesman revealed Facebook tested using location to "better rank" People You May Know suggestions.