Meta workers can pause location tracking 30 minutes daily

Meta announced on June 3 that employees can pause location tracking for up to 30 minutes per day on company-issued devices [BBC]. The new policy is built into Meta's internal device management platform, stopping GPS coordinates from being sent to Meta's central logging service for a contiguous 30-minute window. The opt-out event is recorded in an audit log that senior security teams can review, but the actual location data remains inaccessible during the pause [BBC].

The feature is limited to Meta-owned hardware and the Workplace collaboration app; personal phones are excluded. Meta's internal memo frames the change as a “privacy-first” measure aimed at aligning with recent EU data-protection guidance.

The 30-minute opt-out window gives employees a concrete lever for short-term anonymity, such as during medical appointments or personal errands. This move signals a shift in corporate privacy strategy, potentially becoming a de-facto standard and prompting regulators to expect comparable employee-level controls across the sector [BBC]. However, the opt-out creates blind spots that could delay response times, forcing Meta to balance privacy against real-time risk mitigation.

The policy raises questions about the balance between employee privacy and company monitoring. While the 30-minute window may be enough for most personal activities, it does not address deeper concerns about continuous employee monitoring. Regulators may push for more granular, consent-driven models, rather than opt-out caps, to ensure sufficient protection for employees.