Slashdot Mirror
New Facebook Phone App Lets You Stalk Your Friends
Hugh Pickens DOT Com (2995471) writes "Iain Thomson reports that Facebook is adding a new application called 'Nearby Friends' that alerts smartphone users when their friends are nearby. 'If you turn on Nearby Friends, you'll occasionally be notified when friends are nearby, so you can get in touch with them and meet up,' says Facebook in a statement. 'For example, when you're headed to the movies, Nearby Friends will let you know if friends are nearby so you can see the movie together or meet up afterward.' The feature, which is opt-in, allows users to select which friends get a warning that you are in the area, and prepare a subset of people who might like to know when you're near, if they have the Nearby Friends activated as well. According to Josh Constine what makes 'Nearby Friends' different than competitors and could give it an advantage is that it's centered around broadcasting proximity, not location. 'If someone's close, you'll know, and can ping them about their precise location and meeting up. Broadcasting location is creepy so we're less likely to share it, and can cause awkward drop-ins where someone tries to come see you when you didn't want them to.'"
Then don't turn it on! GG.
I use Facebook so I don't have to see people in the flesh. This app would not help my anti-social preferences.
Didn't Google Latitude do this like 5 years ago?
In Soviet Russia, dot slashes YOU!
I'd rather have a "people I don't want to meet" warning.
This can be great in some ways. However it can be very bad in others. Why is it social media is always wanting to creep for us?
Was this "feature" designed by divorce attorneys, or what?
In my younger days, we didn't have mobile phones, let alone facebook.
How to meet your future spouse (2014)
1. Enrol for a first year university subject with a broad cross-section of students e.g. Psychology or Italian for Beginners.
2. Join your professor's facebook group.
3. Enable proximity.
4. Study in a large communal area near the cafeteria.
5. Your phone beeps...
So while the article mentions 'friends', enabling proximity for classmates would be a quick way to break the ice with a large group of people.
Why bother spending time with "friends" In Real Life when they are only going to spend the whole time ignoring you, poking their thumbs at some greasy little cracked piece of glass? When did the world become this shallow?
Don't use facebook, delete your profile. There is no need to have or post your life online. Use addon for your browser like Adblock Plus, Betterprivacy, noscript, and ghostery. You will be better off for it.
Can't anybody just let life happen anymore? No more spontaneous meetups, no more random happenings. Everything orderly, predictable and uploadable for facebook to make money with. I'm no luddite, I spend a good amount of my life working with and using technology, but stuff like this? I guess this is where I diverge from the younger generation. To each his own I guess. Don't mean to come down as judgmental or anything, I would like to hear the other side and how this stuff actually makes life better.
FaceBook is just using this "app" as a tracking tool for their add business. Remember: YOU ARE THE PRODUCT!
If you use an app that's made for the specific purpose of telling you when your friends who also have that app are nearby, it will tell your friends that you're nearby! Audible fucking gasp! This has got to be the dumbest anti-facebook nonsense I've ever seen.
How would that even work? It has to broadcast your position. To Facebook. And once the first "triangulate your friends" app comes out, to everybody.
...or is it "ba-a-h"? I always get those two confused.
Most people I know (admittedly, an extremely minuscule subset of humanity or even FB users) instantly had a knee-jerk reaction of "ewww". Upon further thought, their considered reaction has universally been "hell, no"!
People still go to the theater to see movies?
...and Facebook users, at that?
First, why would you have an ex as a friend on FB, still? Second, why would YOU choose to share your location with them?
Put aside the hate for a second and realise this is done right... or at least closer to right. It's opt-in, which solves the first problem most people have. Second, you specifically choose who you want to share with. It's not everyone by default. Yes, yes... you have to tell FB where you're at first. If you have a problem with that, you're probably not on FB, anyhow, so who cares?
I could see this being useful with the group of work friends I have. We all have families, so our plans are usually with them first. If we decided to go downtown, it'd be nice to see if someone else decided to do down, also. Our commissary/store is an hour away and everyone usually makes a trip down there every other weekend or so. Sometimes you run into them, sometimes you don't. Again, it'd be cool to get a little notice that someone is down there at the same time so we can bullshit in the foodcourt while the wives shop.
So every time you walk by that convenience store you get a message telling you "Your friend Wal-Mart" is currently nearby?