I heard a lot of buzz this week about Facebook Places this week. This location based feature allows your Facebook friends to “check in” , but more importantly and scary in my opinion, is that a friend can check you in as well. Are all your Facebook friends really friends? What if someone checks you in when you told someone else you were staying home?
As this USA Article about Facebook Places states:
So-called location-based services, or LBS, are vying for a slice of revenue for mobile advertising, which is expected to soar in the U.S. to $3.1 billion in 2013 from $320 million in 2009, according to market researcher BIA/Kelsey.
Foursquare, a location based app, only with real people I have met and mainly check in when I am at a Tweetup with a group also use it. It is quite fun, but alas… I have never become a Mayor. As in life, anything can become addicting like these Foursquare afficionados who have Mayorships in many places. In my opinion, they need some Foursquare rehab.
So, use your common sense to protect yourself in the social networks and respect other people’s privacy. This video shows you how to change the privacy settings so friends can’t check you in.
How to avoid being “Checked in” by your friends on Facebook’s Places from Peter Shankman on Vimeo.
