How to Shut Off Facebook Places

I have been seeing a lot of anguished postings on Facebook today about Facebook places so went on a hunt for information to share.

Facebook Places, like existing location-based apps, uses GPS so people can “check in” on their mobile phones, letting friends know where they are and what they’re up to. At this time it is only available for the iPhone but Facebook says that versions for the Android system and Blackberry are in the works.

Source: CNN.com and The Facebook Blog

How to change (or get rid of) Places

To change who can see your check-ins:

1. Log in to Facebook
2. Click “Account” in the top right corner.
3. Scroll down to “Privacy Settings”
4. Click “Customize Settings” toward the bottom of the page.
5. Your default for “Places I check in” should be “Friends Only.” You can click that box to expand who can see your check-ins or, if you want more privacy, click that box, then scroll down to “Customize,” where you can specify which of your friends can, or can’t, see what you do with Facebook Places.

Here, you can click “Only Me,” meaning nobody else can see you check in. We’re not sure what the point of that would be — but if you want essentially to shut down the possibility of using Places from your account, there it is.

Deciding on “People Here Now”:

1. Follow the above steps to “Customize Settings.”
2. You’ll see a line called “Include me in ‘People Here Now’ after I check in.” That’s the one that lets other people at the same spot, not necessarily your friends, see that you’re there.
3. The default should have this turned off. If you want to be included in “People Here Now,” click the box marked “Enable.” If you don’t, just leave it alone. If, for some reason, the “Enable” box is checked, just click it to opt out.

If you don’t want your friends to check you in to places:

1. Follow the above steps to “Customize Settings.”
2. Under the heading “Things Others Share,” you’ll see the line “Friends can check me in to Places.”
3. Click on the box marked “Select One,” and you can enable or disable this feature.

4 Responses to “How to Shut Off Facebook Places”

1. Pam says:

   August 28, 2010 at 7:06 am

   Thanks Denise! This information was quite helpful.
2. Rose-Anne Raies says:

   August 31, 2010 at 11:22 am

   Hi Denise: I published a link to an article on the same topic on my Fan page. I like yours better though. Going to share it with my FB fans… as is.
3. Denise Griffitts says:

   September 21, 2010 at 2:47 pm

   Hi Rose-Anne. How is all in your world?

   Thanks so much for re-posting. I appreciate it!
4. Denise Griffitts says:

   September 21, 2010 at 2:49 pm

   Hi Pam.

   I love Facebook and do a lot of business there, but some privacy is a huge concern with me and anytime I see something that will be helpful to keep us all abreast of what may be problematic I will share it here.

   Thanks!