Update: Story updated to reflect Facebook’s responses to the ACLU statement. 
Oh dear. Facebook Places launched last night and the privacy concerns have already popped up. After the Facebook Privacy brouhaha earlier in the year, Zuckerberg and co have tried to be extra-careful with the new Facebook location service. But Facebook Places already has American activists up in arms. Do they have a reason to worry?
The American Civil Liberties Union has issued a response to Facebook Places and suffice to say it’s not impressed with the privacy controls Facebook has put in place. As we explained earlier, Facebook Places makes it easy for your friends to check you in to a location but the ACLU claims it’s not so simple to opt out.
Facebook Places does allow you to stop friends from checking you in but you do need to seek out the option (you need to head to Privacy Settings then Customise to find it). Letting people tag you at locations could also lead to some embarrassing pitfalls: how long before Facebook Places gets someone sacked or exposes an affair?
Facebook says you need to be a Facebook Places user before anyone can attempt to check you in at a location and that it’s easy to reject any check-in you’re not comfortable with.
The ACLU also flags up an issue with the People Here Now feature which shows which Facebook users are currently at a location. The list include anyone who has checked-in at that location and you can’t choose who will be able to see that you’re there. The option is either switched on or off.
Again Facebook says the ACLU has got the wrong end of the stick. It says Facebook Places allows you to control exactly who sees where you’ve checked in through a drop down menu in the privacy options.
Another concern raised by the ACLU is the possibility that apps could tap into your location data. If you haven’t made sure to disallow all the options in the application privacy settings, they could take a gander at where you’ve been. But again, that’s all down to how you configure your privacy options.
If you’re not keen on Facebook Places you don’t have to use it in the first place. But as location services expand and gain popularity, we’re see lots more talk about the privacy implications and whether users always understand what they’re sharing.
Tell us: do the Facebook Places privacy issues flagged up by the ACLU bother you? Or is the idea of sharing your location not such a big deal?
Out now | £free | Facebook (via ACLU)
