I was using an Android phone in the time period when certain apps that people may have signed up for using their FB login may have been vulnerable to FB tracking their calls and such so I downloaded the data FB has on me and nothing malicious showed up . I didn't think anything would because I never sign into any website or service with my FB login. I also don't associate any apps with FB. Many do however and I don't blame them because it is often easier to log into a service such as Spotify with your FB login instead of creating a new account with that service. Hopefully the latest news will wake people up and stop doing that. People need to go into their FB settings and disable any app associated with their FB account. And they need to stop taking those quizzes telling you what your name would be if you were a Hobbit, etc ! If someone enjoys using FB to keep up with family and friends, there is no reason why they should stop using it. They just need to be more careful with their privacy settings and who they share their posts with. Some of the settings can be confusing which Facebook needs to address. If that is the case then the person needs to invite their tech relative or friend over to help them through the process.
As far as sharing location goes, that is all opt in but people usually don't pay attention to the messages popping up and accept the message. When I get a new Android phone, I have the option to turn on location (which I do) but the phone can be used with my location turned off. If I download an app such as a Target app, I will get a message saying that the app would like to know my location. That option too can be left off so the app will not know your location. The trade off in turning off your location ? Services such as Google Maps will not work if you wish to use that service to navigate or you may not get get special offers from the stores that you shop at. So the choice is up to the person whether they want to turn on the location option of their phone and apps. It's never an opt out option, it's always an opt in option. There are times when I do turn off my location on my phone and when I check later on My Timeline to see where I have been, none of the locations that I visited show up when I had my location turned off.
Bottom line is yes, many of the privacy settings and location settings can be confusing. They do need to be a little more clear in options offered. But if someone is concerned about clamping down their privacy but still want to use a smart phone , then there are options to protect your privacy as much as possible. The trade off is that you may lose some of the services offered using a smart phone such as navigation , seeing what the closest movie theater is, etc.
And anyone who does use an Android phone should go to their Google Dashboard online and review their privacy settings. There is an option there that will let you turn on or turn off your location history.
