X/Twitter Identified as Most Aggressive in Collecting User Location Data

In an era when privacy concerns have never been more pressing, a recent Surfshark study reveals that X (formerly Twitter) leads the pack in harvesting user location data.

While many users believe disabling precise location sharing leaves them safe, top social media platforms can still infer approximate whereabouts—and X goes further by collecting both coarse and precise location data across every stated purpose in the App Store.

Imagine an app pinging your exact GPS coordinates every half hour.

Over time, that data maps out your daily commute—revealing your workplace and hinting at your income level.

Frequent visits to a medical center could expose health issues, while overnight stays with another user could uncover intimate relationships.

Such granular tracking underscores how seemingly innocuous location settings can expose deeply personal aspects of life.

Key Insights

X distinguishes itself by requesting permission to collect both coarse (approximate) and precise (latitude/longitude to three or more decimal places) location data for all purposes listed in its privacy disclosures.

In contrast, other platforms vary in their approach:

• Reddit uniquely pledges never to link location data with user identity.
• TikTok and YouTube avoid precise location entirely, relying solely on coarse data when needed.
• Pinterest pairs coarse location with third-party trackers and data brokers, intensifying privacy risks.
• Meta’s apps (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) plus Snapchat and LinkedIn collect precise data for analytics, personalization, and advertising.

Across the board, 100% of top social apps gather location for analytics, functionality, or personalization.

Third-party advertising drives 100% coarse-data collection, while 60% of apps (including Meta’s suite, X, Pinterest, and Snapchat) collect precise data for marketing and ad targeting.

This entrenched practice delivers users tailored ads wherever they go, making ad avoidance nearly impossible.

Location Data Collection by App

Methodology

The analysis covers the top 10 social media apps—X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit—based on App Store disclosures as of August 11, 2025.

Each app’s location permissions were cataloged, distinguishing between coarse location (broad regional data) and precise location (exact coordinates).

Purposes evaluated include advertising (first- and third-party), analytics, product personalization, app functionality, and an open-ended “Other” category.

Even with precise location turned off, no social app is truly blind to your movements. X’s aggressive approach to location data collection, spanning every declared use case, sets it apart as the most location-hungry platform.

Users seeking absolute privacy must weigh the convenience of location-based features against the potential for pervasive tracking—and consider minimizing or revoking location permissions wherever possible.

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