Facebook's newest feature, an app called Nearby Friends, allows users to share their approximate or specific location and see how far away they are from other friends.
Rolled out by the social media giant Thursday, the real-time friend locator and meet-up tool is entirely optional, and, by default, is turned off in users' accounts.
The new tool uses a smartphone's GPS system to give a sharer's location within a half mile.
As with other features added by Facebook, Nearby Friends won't be available to everyone immediately.
Users like people who frequently check-in to restaurants and bars will be the first to receive the Facebook update. Others will notice the change in their accounts over the next couple of weeks.
While it is sure to spark privacy concerns, the feature will only be available to people on Facebook who claim to be over 18 years old. There is no option available to make the feature available to the public (users who are not in a person's friend list). However, it does offer a filter option of sharing only to certain groups, such as friends or family. The privacy policy for the tool is interdependent, meaning friends can only see each other's proximity if they both have it turned on.
Once rolled out, users can find it in their app list under "More" in Facebook's navigation menu. After opting-in, the Nearby Friends list will show the distance away from other users, display a timestamp of when the person last shared their location, and, in large cities, the app will also disclose the neighborhood.
Users can choose how long they share their location-an hour, a few hours, until tomorrow or until manually stopped. Additionally, it allows sharers to include a 40-character message about where they are, what they are doing and perhaps instructions to meet-up.
Although approximately 86 percent of Americans take steps to conceal their actions or identities while online, according to a report issued by the Pew Internet Research Project, many people who use Facebook look forward to the new app.
Tess Kazzaz, a University of Memphis special education major, plans to use Nearby Friends and is excited about it.
"I would use the message and location feature for parties and for sure. It would be great for finding out what's going on," Kazzaz said.
However, she noted that it could present problems if she forgot to opt-out of the feature and was trying to avoid a person she didn't want to encounter who might find out where she was.
U of M student Reedhu Sreekolenu, management information systems major, pointed out some of the potential issues that could arise from opting-in to the feature.
"Broadcasting your exact location indefinitely on social media could make you a target for criminals who might want to take advantage of knowing where you are or aren't," Sreekolenu said.
