USA Today: Facebook Places lets friends know where you are
SAN FRANCISCO — On Wednesday, Facebook plunged into the location-based services market in a long-awaited move that should further popularize such mobile "check-in" services and establish Facebook as the leading player.
Facebook Places lets mobile device owners with Facebook accounts share their exact location and find the whereabouts of their friends. The free service, starting to roll out now, can be accessed from iPhone, iPod Touch, Android devices, BlackBerry Torch and the iPad.
Facebook's entry legitimizes a burgeoning online service that is spreading quickly among consumers, advertisers and small businesses but is largely fragmented, says Greg Sterling, an independent social-networking analyst.
The new feature might raise privacy concerns, as Facebook members use a GPS-like monitoring service on themselves and their friends. Facebook spokeswoman Meredith Chin says Places comes with easy-to-follow control settings to opt out of the service. ...
You cannot escape. You cannot hide. We know exactly where you are.
"... easy-to-follow control settings to opt out of the service."
Some have argued that it ought to be "opt-in". The guy who runs Facebook says "Yeah, but you opt in when you sign on".
Posted by: ZZMike | Aug 21, 2010 at 11:35 PM