Facebook Places Debuts in Canada

Facebook Places, which launched just a month ago, is conquering international territory with expansion in Japan, the UK and as of today, Canada.

Facebook’s geolocation feature is a direct response to the rise in popularity of location apps like Foursquare. It allows users to check in to different physical locations, primarily through the company’s iPhone app.[mashable link]

Initially, Facebook Places launched in the U.S.,[mashable link] but soon rolled out to Japan and the UK. Canada becomes the fourth country to get Facebook’s check in feature.

Facebook has previously had a rocky relationship with the nation. Last year, a Canadian privacy commission stated that Facebook didn’t comply with its privacy laws [mashable link], eventually leading to intervention from the Canadian government. The end result: Facebook was forced to change its privacy policy. Could Facebook Places raise new privacy concerns for the social network?

Canadian users, have you noticed Facebook Places popping up in your streams? Do you intend to use the feature?

[via mashable]