Facebook’s 500 million-plus users will soon be able to track friends’ whereabouts across the United States, as the world’s largest Internet social network adds technology to increasingly tie its virtual world to everyday life.
The new “Places” feature — which begins rolling out on Wednesday to some users and goes nationwide within weeks — is touted as a tool to help users share where they are, figure out who is in the vicinity, and check out happenings and services within the same locale.
The addition of so-called location services to Facebook — a move that industry observers have speculated about for months — opens new revenue opportunities for the company, but also presents it with delicate privacy challenges.
“Places” will be accessible via an Apple iPhone app that Facebook designed from Thursday, or from the social network’s own mobile version on touchscreen smartphones.
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