Though much attention has been focused on Facebook's expected entry into the location-based social app genre, there's one major player that already has a presence in this burgeoning market: Google.

While mobile app Latitude and Google Buzz combined have the potential to link-up social networks with location-based tracking, neither has yet been able to make a severe dent on the current leaders in their respective markets.

The possibilities of extending each app's reach in the future by combining their data hasn't escaped Google, however.

The creepy factor

Speaking during an interview with eWeek, Google Maps for mobile and Google Latitude product manager Steve Lee acknowledged that the possibility of users being able to use each other's movements to their advantage was an exciting one – but isn't without its pitfalls.

"A lot of services like that are part amazing and compelling and part creepy," Lee told the site.

"If you are very up front and transparent then the user understands how that info was derived and it removes most of the creepiness. Then you have to decide to make it opt-in or opt-out, you have to give the user a choice to be able to say 'No, I don't want to be part of this.' You have to have very specific controls to mitigate the creepy factor."

Mash-up mix-up
eWeek put the proposition of two Latitude and Buzz users making use of the apps to arrange a trip to the cinema.

The site claimed it could be possible in the future for Google services to link up with other location-based apps like Yelp and online cinema ticket retailers such as Fandango to make the whole process easier.

Google would be able to make use of data from these two networks to determine the friends' activity and even text each party to let them know when the other had arrived at the cinema.

According to Lee, such a 'mash-up' is compelling, but relies on users knowing exactly what they're signing up for.

"I think it's something that Google would love to offer users. What's important in scenarios where users are looking for information between different sources is that you're transparent for end users."

Lee concluded by saying Google plans to invest time and resources into providing more information about the locations users visit, enabling them to pass on "richer content information" via Google to their friends.

eWeek