Facebook has launched its location-based Places service in the UK. It allows people to "check in" wherever they are and see who among their friends and other Facebook users is - or has been - at the same location.

The service also lists nearby businesses and attractions, and Facebook will target the locations it lists to each Places user.

It has numerous privacy controls in place to control the amount of location information that is shared.

It is available in the US and now the UK for the iPhone and select other smartphones through Facebook`s mobile site, with other countries to come.

Michael Sharon, product manager for Places, said that the firm was working on developing the application for Blackberry and devices running the Android operating system.

He added that the firm has made Places` API - the software that allows other programs to interface with it - available, so that Places will be able to integrate with existing services such as Foursquare.

BDST: 1435 HRS, 18 September 2010