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(Image source: Facebook)
BY JASMINE BAILEY
Free Wi-Fi for checking in your location on Facebook: Sound like a fair trade? Well, it's
one Facebook is now prepared to make.
And the social networking giant has teamed up with Cisco to make it a reality. All you
have to do is share your location on Facebook to automatically get free Internet at hotels,
restaurants and stores. (Via KXAS)
"Businesses get free Wi-Fi and equipment. When you walk in you'll be able to connect,
but you'll have to go through a check-in page before you get to your Facebook. It will show
information about the business with possible discounts and specials." (Via WSPA)
A writer for The Atlantic guesses this move is an attempt by Facebook to catch up with
competitor Foursquare — something Zuckerberg has reportedly attempted to do in the past,
but to little avail.
And although the Wi-Fi is "free," Facebook isn't just handing out freebies for the heck
of it. The company will definitely benefit from this new program.
"The data derived through the wifi check-ins is more likely to help advertisers get a better
handle on the types of people who visit their stores. So, merchants are likely to use the
added layers of data to help find larger groups of people to target via Facebook ads." (Via
Advertising Age)
And of course more ads means more revenue for Facebook.
But what about privacy issues? Checking in lets people know where you are. And could
Facebook use your browsing history as a target for even more advertisements? The project's
head told CNET:
"The design of the product is specifically architected in a way such that as soon as
the user checks in on Facebook, through Facebook Wi-Fi, Facebook then hands the user back to
the router and completely steps out of the picture. All the browsing traffic that [you
do] on Facebook Wi-Fi after the initial authentication and check-in is completely outside of Facebook's
network."
There was a test period last year, and as of now about 1,000 merchants across 50 countries
have the new Wi-Fi program. But for those of you who still wouldn't feel comfortable,
there is a way to skip the check-in process and enter a code instead.