Facebook closer to location-based advertising

Social networking giant Facebook is apparently close to providing location-based advertising services, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said at a conference in France.

“We are working on this, knowing where a person is and being able to personalise what’s around them,” he said.

This type of advertising would allow businesses to deliver ads to users near a store, providing information on sales, for example. Mike Murphy, vice president of global sales, also said at the conference the company is working with 83 big brands.

Zuckerberg also addressed the recent privacy concerns many have expressed publically, and said the network’s move to introduce more comprehensive controls is an answer to user demand.

“People now find the value of sharing and they want more control over it,” he said. “With almost a half billion users, we’re making a transition. Our challenge is to make a safe, secure environment for users to share.”