Facebook is preparing to launch a location-based application, reports The New York Times. It's rumored that the grand unveiling of the new service will take place in late April at f8, the company's annual developer conference. Although the app has reportedly been in development for a year, details on the location-based functionalities are scant, as Facebook has been closely guarding such information.
According to Times sources, the application will have two main elements. Facebook will offer its own service that enables users to share their locations with friends. It will also provide software tools, or APIs, to outside developers who want to build their own location-based applications for Facebook users.
The application will likely add to the heated privacy debate surrounding Facebook's handling of user information. The company updated its privacy policy last November to clarify its stance on location-tagging. The policy states that the site will treat location data like "any other content you post." It also says that users will not be forced to use the location application.
The Times reports that the move it not intended as a competitive strike against smaller location-based networks like Foursquare and Loopt. Rather, the company hopes the new offering will help it attract more small-business advertising away from the likes of Google.
