Broadcasting location? Give it a second thought.

Of late, there’s been a spate of articles and findings that talk of how location-based advertising, specially the use of coupons, has gained traction. Certainly good news for companies and marketeers trying to find new ways of reaching their audience. But what does it mean for individuals who are willing to disclose their location?

If posting pictures of the party you went to, when you actually called in sick at work, can get you into trouble with your boss, can letting a vast audience know where you are, be totally free of ills?

Perhaps not, say people who are cautious about buying-in to this new trend. “I don’t want the world to know that I am shopping with my family at a swanky mall while leaving my home locked. You never know who may be tempted to break in,” says a manager at a creative firm. You may be tempted to scoff at the reasoning at first glance, but think deeper and it will seem valid.

Similarly, another friend confined she was wary about disclosing her location for the sake of commercial benefits. “I may get a discount coupon, but if it means letting a lot of random people know where I am and what am doing at a point in time, it makes me uncomfortable.”

There have been many instance of personal information being abused and of people getting into trouble over what they posted online. No wonder then, along with what their status updates say or what their photos show, people are thinking twice about broadcasting their location.