Facebook risks a privacy backlash today when it launches a feature that automatically shares information on the location of users with their online friends.The feature allows users to “check in” at locations which will then be shared with their friends and Facebook network but it is likely to raise concerns over safety. Users will also be able to browse shops, clubs and nearby venues to see which friends are nearby, leading to concerns it could put individual’s security at risk.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/aug/19/facebook-places-location-tool-unveiledAlso see:Facebook Unveils a Service to Announce Where Users Are
Facebook introduced a long-anticipated service called Places on Wednesday that could help the company tap local and small-business advertisers and sharpen its competition with Google.Facebook’s Places borrows heavily from location-based social networks like Foursquare and Gowalla, which allow users to check in at places and broadcast their location to friends. But those companies, as well as others like Yelp, said they saw Facebook’s Places as a complement to their own services and as an opportunity to gain additional distribution.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/technology/19facebook.htmlFacebook Checks In to the World of Locations
The 800-pound gorilla of social networks, Facebook, is jumping into the location game.On Wednesday, it announced a new, optional service for its 500 million members called Places, which allows you to check in to various places you go, and share that information with your Facebook friends, complete with maps and comments and the Facebook thumbs-up “like” feature.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703649004575437533304450888.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703649004575437533304450888.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_RIGHTTopCarousel_1Facebook to let users track friends, services
Facebook’s 500 million-plus users will soon be able to track friends’ whereabouts, as the world’s largest Internet social network adds technology to increasingly tie its virtual world to everyday life.Facebook, which now groups more people than there are people in the United States, announced on Wednesday a new “Places” feature, touting it as a tool to help users share where they are, figure out who’s in the vicinity, and check out happenings and services within the same locale.
http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-50930620100819