Facebook (as usual) is drawing concern and criticism on its new 'breakthrough'. Its new feature, Nearby Friends which will be released in upcoming week, spurs up dissenting comment. Facebook claim this feature will ease users to meet up with 'real' friends in real world.
So then, Facebook may help friends who made an appointment in nearby areas. However, as Facebook spokesperson said, the data in Nearby Friends application will be used by certain advertisers. Thus, you will find few (unnecessary) ads in your Facebook timeline.
They may be restaurants, culinary to-pick, or even soft drinks. Nearby Friends feature is solely a Facebook application which will ease users to find and meet up friends in nearby area.
Your Facebook friends and you who co-opted in Nearby Friends will be able to see each other movement and places you and your friends visited. As techradar.com wrote, Facebook says this could be used to send friends recommendations for restaurants and attractions, and also allow users to arrange a meet up with a friend who's currently hanging out where they're heading. (techradar.com)
Your Data Are Their Resources
As you and your Facebook friends will use Nearby Friends application, the data of places and attractions are gathered. In what so ever reason, these data are coming in free to Facebook massive data reservoir. And certain processing and algorithms will make these data come in handy.
Unfortunately, these data are the delicacies of advertisers. They would pay worthy amount of money just to know your personal preferences. Especially yours and your friends' personal interest like on restaurant or K-TV, will be easily disrupted by advertisers' 'choice'. It will be an alternate for your personal choice.
Advertisers will give you 'choices' solely. But they would make you fuzzy and become emotional when you are seeing other choices offered by the ads in your Facebook. These ads will be very tempting as you would see them as you open your Nearby Friends in your Facebook. Though you as costumers have choice, but the data used by the advertisers are maleficent. Your free-given data of your privacy in choosing will be used by the advertisers.
As reported by techcrunch.com on Saturday, Facebook says it's not using its new Nearby Friends feature to target ads yet, but after I asked why it's tracking "Location History" it admitted it will eventually use the data for marketing purposes. (news: techcrunch.com)
Thus, it will look like Facebook is launching its new feature (again) to target you as an idiot costumer. You will be bombarded by really unnecessary ads as you join Nearby Friends feature. You will get more and more ads to be seen and surely pollute your personal consideration.