Geolocation technology's latest use

Although geolocation technology has been around since 1999 its use has recently exploded into the social networking scene. Not familiar with this technology? Geolocation software is used to figure out the geographical location of a specific party. Finding the geographical location of a specific person is done by first identifying a subject’s IP (Internet Protocol) address, then determining whom the IP address has been assigned to, and finally locating the physical address of that person. Geolocation technology’s use in this manner can be extremely helpful to law enforcement agencies and protect consumers from fraud. But as always, there’s the flip side.

Geolocation isn’t used exclusively by law enforcement. Since geolocation software can get the information of user’s location, companies have long used geomarketing. Advertisements and content on a website are tailored to specific users. Have you ever noticed when you go to sites like Google or Yahoo, that the advertisements are targeted for our specific area?

Now this technology has crept its way into social media sites. So why is location such a big deal? Consider the fact that advertising is what makes social networking profitable. The rise of Twitter has made it possible to share your up-to-the-minute location with the world. Taking Twitter one step further, location-based networking websites such as Foursquare have turned the process of sharing where you're at and what you're doing into a social game. Mobile phone technology allows social media users to access the Internet 24 hours a day from practically any location. Because of this constant access, advertisers are in a unique position to connect with potential customers in a powerfully personalized way. However, while there is great excitement over location-based technology from a marketing perspective, we as consumers need to be extremely concerned about our privacy and furthermore our safety.

One of the biggest criticisms of location-based social networking websites like Foursquare is that when users "check-in" at a destination, they are also unintentionally notifying the world that they are not at home. While this may not seem like a big deal at first, when you consider the possibility that criminals could monitor your status updates, the danger of over-sharing online becomes much more real. Taking the criminal element one step further, geolocation technology may soon be easily available to anyone.