Foursquare Changes Up its Privacy Policy (The Right Way) - PC Magazine

Commence Instagram-like revolt in three, two, oneÂ…

We jest. Popular mobile check-in service Foursquare just sent out an email to its users, informing them that the company will be making changes to its privacy policy effective Jan. 28, 2013. Of the major alterations, Foursquare will now always show users' full names across the service instead of its current mix of full names and "first name, last initial" names that, according to the company, users found confusing.

Additionally, Foursquare will now permit businesses to see an expanded list of the users who have checked in to their establishments. The service currently allows businesses to see the previous three hours' worth of check-ins.

"This is great for helping store owners identify their customers and give them more personal service or offers. But a lot of businesses only have time to log in at the end of the day to look at it. So, with this change, we're going to be showing them more of those recent check-ins, instead of just three hours worth," according to Foursquare's email.

Just in case these changes generate a firestorm of controversy, the company was quick to note the different ways by which users can customize the name-sharing and the business check-in updates.

Foursquare said users can select the name they'd like to appear as a "full name" within the service's normal settings window. Users can also elect to opt out of businesses being able to see their check-ins within the "Location Information" section of their "Privacy Settings" section.

Foursquare has also generated an easier-to-read version of its privacy policy for those who don't want to (or can't) peruse the more legalese-drenched version. Dubbed "Privacy 101," the document calls out – in plain language – exactly the kind of data that Foursquare uses for its service and what it does with that data once users have submitted it. Or, in other words, what Foursquare does with one's check-ins.

For more tech tidbits from David Murphy, follow him on Facebook or Twitter (@thedavidmurphy).

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