According to the Wall Street Journal, as of 8/6/2014, "users who download or update the Foursquare app will
automatically let the company track their GPS coordinates any time their
phone is powered on. Foursquare previously required users to give the
app permission to turn on location-tracking.....Foursquare’s app goes beyond location-tracking features offered by
competitors. Social apps like Twitter collect GPS coordinates to give
users the option of sharing their location with friends, but don’t
collect this data when the app is off."
To justify Foursquare's privacy changes, founder Dennis Crowley stated "more users will be willing to share their location because they’re getting a more valuable service in return." Has Mr. Crowley read about the NSA Edward Snowden leaks? According to Wired, "[t]he data you share with Foursquare today
could conceivably end up in the hands of the NSA, hackers, or private
data brokers tomorrow."
The bottom line is that if you value your personal privacy and safety I would not recommend using the "new and improved" Foursquare. Do you want to share more personal information with data brokers, insurance companies, colleges, landlords, and future employers who may discriminate against you based upon your Foursquare usage? If so, Foursquare may be for you.
Copyright 2014 by Shear Law, LLC All rights reserved.
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