UK Facebookers - Places will share your location with apps and websites by default

Following my post on Wednesday 25 August - UK Facebookers - Are you ready for Facebook Places? I took a further look at Facebook Privacy settings and discovered that details of the places you check-in to, will be shared with applications, games and websites that your friends use by default. I missed it on first investigation as confusingly this setting is in a different area from the main privacy 'control panel' and is under 'Applications and websites' - more details at the end of this post.

Note that these are applications, games and websites your friends use and not ones you necessarily use, so you may not even be aware of them. How will you know what applications, games and websites will do with your check-in information and who in turn they will share it with? Well, your probably won't. They will be able to share your check-in information with anybody at anytime. In short, you will not be in control of who shares details of your whereabouts and movement and this is the default position. This is different from Foursquare where you can choose how much location information you publish and to whom. You can even check-in 'off the grid' without revealing your location at all.

If you're not comfortable with sharing your check-in information with applications, games and websites you can amend in Facebook by going to Account (top right of page) then Privacy Settings then Edit your settings under Applications and websites. Then look for 'Information accessible through your friends' and select the Edit Settings button to the right. Still with me? You'll then see a screen like the one below and the relevant option is on the bottom right - Places I check in to. If you don't want your check-in information shared with applications, games and websites that your friends use, then uncheck the box.

Whilst you're on this screen you might want to review the other data and information that you are sharing too.

UK Facebookers - Are you ready for Facebook Places?

Last week Facebook launched Facebook Places in the US. In the same way as it's rival Foursquare, Facebook Places allows you to 'check-in' to venues like hotels, pubs, shops and offices. The launch date for the UK is soon although no specific date has been announced.

There's been quite an outcry in the US over the privacy implications of Facebook Places, particularly the feature that allows friends to 'tag' your location. Similar to tagging in a status update - type the @symbol before a person's name, page or an event to do this - 'Place tagging' allows your Facebook friends to check you into venues. This is very different to Foursquare where you can only check yourself in. What's particularly controversial is that you don't even have to give your friends permission to do this. You are not even prompted to amend your privacy settings until the first time a friend has tagged you. I'm all for sharing my experiences using social media  and I'm less concerned about privacy than most but for me this is a step too far. The issue is that it takes control of my published whereabouts away from me and gives it to others.

Imagine a scenario where you've told your girlfriend or boyfriend that you are staying in one night and you don't want to see them because you're tired. Then you get a call from an old school friend who is passing through your town. You go out and they check you in to a bar. How's your partner going to feel when they see your Place check-in on their Wall if you haven't had a chance to explain? Your friend might not even have mentioned it so there could be a very interesting conversation the following morning. Or for a joke a 'friend' might post that you're in a bar 200 miles away from the sales conference you are actually attending. Imagine what an friend you've just fallen out with could do. You get the idea.

What makes this even more alarming is that in line with how Facebook status updates work normally, your location will be announced by default to all the friends of the person who has tagged you. Are you comfortable with people you don't know being aware of your location? This is very different to Foursquare where your updates only go to people you are friends with even if your location is publishes out to Facebook and Twitter. Facebook point out that you are alerted to the fact you've been tagged and this can be removed. That's all very well but what happens if you don't check into Facebook for a day or two? By then some the damage could have been done.

The privacy options for Facebook Places are already available in the UK, even though the feature itself is not yet launched, so I suggest you check your Privacy Settings and select the options you are most comfortable with. Whilst you're there you should review all your settings so you are aware and comfortable about what information you are sharing on Facebook and who you are sharing it with.

The option referred to above in Privacy Settings is 'Friends can check me into places' which you can find under 'Things others share'. You can get view and amend by going to Account (top right of page) then Privacy Settings then Customise Settings.