Facebook Places was rolled out on August 18th of this year and was greeted by Facebook users with a mixture of joy as well as some degree of fear over perceived loss of privacy. This article will answer the questions that many of our readers have had since Facebook Places was first released.
What is Facebook Places?
Facebook Places is a mobile application that utilizes a smartphone’s GPS feature in order to let an individual’s Facebook friends know where they are and what they are up to.
How does Facebook Places work?
In a nutshell, Facebook Places uses your smartphone’s GPS unit to determine an individual’s current location. For example, If the Facebook Places user walks into a coffee shop, and THAT particular coffee shop is listed on Facebook Places, then the user will be given the option to check into THAT location which will then “reveal” to their friends where they are (and presumably) what they are up to. If a location isn’t listed on Facebook Places then the Facebook Places user is given the option to add that location. Facebook Places has additional features such as the ability for an individual to join a group of friends that are “hanging out” at a particular location. Facebook Places users can also leave suggestions for other people visiting a particular venue. For example, a Facebook Places user might provide an update stating that “everyone needs to try the Souvlaki chicken at Teddy’s Pizza because it’s totally amazing!”
Won’t Facebook Places jeopardize my privacy?
When it comes to social networking, I have always been of the opinion that “privacy is in the eye of the beholder.” In other words, if you are one who uploads every little detail of your life to Facebook including things that really, really would be better kept to yourself, then I guess that privacy isn’t that much of an issue to you anyways… If however, privacy is of concern to you then all you need to do is remember that Facebook Places requires that you first “check in” to a location before the application will actually go ahead and make your friends aware of where you are currently located.
How do I disable Facebook Places?
1. From within your Facebook account, click on Account and then select Privacy Settings from the drop down menu.
2. Click on the Customize settings link which is located towards the bottom of the Privacy Settings page.
3. Under the Things I share heading you need to click the drop down menu next to “Places I check into” and select customize. Choose “only me” and click on the Save Setting button.
4. Now, uncheck Enable which is located to the right of “Include me in People Here Now after I check in.”
5. You’ll notice an option called “Friends can check me in to Places” under the Things others share heading. Be sure to set this to “Disabled” and click on Confirm when prompted.
Facebook Places is now completed disabled for your Facebook account.
Will Facebook Places work on my phone?
Currently Facebook Places is only available for the iPhone. Facebook Places is slated for release on both the BlackBerry and Android although Facebook has yet to confirm a specific release date for either platform.
Summary
Hopefully by now you can see that Facebook Places isn’t nearly as threatening to an individual’s privacy as some would make it out to be. Again, you need to remember that you need to actually opt in, or in the case of Facebook Places “check in” to a place before you your location will be revealed to the rest of the world. At the end of the day it’s entirely up to YOU to decide what information you will (or will not) share on Facebook.
Related posts:
- Facebook Privacy Guide
- How To Get Facebook Status Updates Back
- Is There A Minimum Age Requirement For Facebook?
- How To Block Farmville And Mafia Wars From Appearing On Your Facebook Status Updates Page
- Is Facebook Going To Start Charging?
Written by | Mike Steben
Mike enjoys computers and technology, playing the piano, selling stuff on eBay, playing video games, cooking, and eating at Teddy's Pizza. He started CompuNoodle in 2009 and loves to hear from his readers.
