Privacy vs. 'Places'

Angel checked in to work.

Angel checked in to Arby's.

Angel checked in at home.

That is what my friends see on Facebook by using a new feature that brings geo-tags and location-aware services to one of the largest social networks on the planet.

Sure, these tracking and check-in GPS-based functions were available before Facebook — think FourSquare and Gowalla — but it's the first time the social juggernaut has let users roam and share.

For those not familiar with what this is, it's a feature that broadcasts a location (and GPS coordinates) through a third-party app to a social network.

Let's say you stop at Burger King on your drive home. You check-in, and immediately, everyone knows where you are. A friend that's mobile can see you're at Burger King. He sends you a message, and voila, instant meet-up.

Privacy concerns are abundant, however. George Orwell-style.

Not only do your friends know where you are at check-in, but the type of data left behind reveals personal information to businesses. Aggregators have been designed to milk that information. Gender, music preferences, age — these are just some of what businesses want to know.

Why? By looking at a cross-section of visitors, they have pulled the virtual out of reality. Now, you are not simply "Liking" a business. You are spending real cash and are physically present.

Here is an excerpt of the three most important things to know, from an article produced by McClatchyTribune News Service:

1. Friends can share your location:

Facebook lets your friends check you in to locations without your consent. This means that when you're out for a night on the town, a friend can check in and tell Facebook everyone he or she is with. Then, all your Facebook connections know where you are, even if you didn't want to share your location with the whole World Wide Web.

2. Strangers can see you nearby:

Even if you choose to allow the check-ins you make to be seen only by your friends, you could still be showing up to strangers when they check into the same location under a section called "People Here Now." This is intended to show Facebook users who else is at the coffee shop, movie theater, restaurant, etc.