Facebook quietly rolled out a new feature that lets you find friends nearby, but if you blinked you would’ve missed it – it’s a goner already. Is Facebook is worried about privacy issues?
The feature was called Find Friends Nearby, or Friendshake, in some places. If you opted in at fb.com/ffn you could see who was in your proximity and on their phone. Except that URL is now defunct, as Facebook has deactivated the feature.
A Facebook statement reads: “This wasn’t a formal release – this was something that a few engineers were testing. With all tests, some get released as full products, others don’t. Nothing more to say on this for now – we’ll communicate to everyone when there is something to say.”
New Facebook privacy loophole exposed
It does seem odd not to test the feature in private first. The feature would let you broadcast your locations, and would give you the names of friends and non-friends who’ve opted in in your locale. We can see privacy groups having something to say about that. Sure, you may have to opt in, but why broadcast your location to strangers nearby? Seems a little suspect.
And while it’s at it, Facebook has changed your email address for you. Wasn’t that nice of it? Head to your profile and you’ll see your email is now listed as your username @facebook.com. Here’s a handy guide on how to change it back.
Facebook seems overly keen recently on making changes without notifying its users. It’s supposed to make staying in touch easier, so you’d think communication would be its strong point. Does any of this worry you? Let us know your thoughts below.
Source: ABC News
