Facebook Offers Free Wi-Fi in Exchange for Check-Ins

- Facebook wants to offer free Wi-Fi to those who check in through the platform

Facebook and Cisco are partnering up to offer free Wi-Fi to customers who choose to check in at certain businesses. Basically, when you visit a hotel or shop that offers Wi-Fi, you’ll be able to use it freely if you check in on your Facebook account. Businesses can become part of this project by loading a piece of Facebook software onto their Cisco router. As soon as a customer tried opening a web browser, they’re taken to a page that asks them to “check in” by using their Facebook login. In return, they get access to the Wi-Fi.
Companies choosing to offer this option could get a lot more Facebook exposure through check-ins, including stats about the people visiting, namely age, sex and location, which can then be used by businesses for marketing purposes.
Facebook promises, however, to provide only “aggregated, anonymous” data, which won’t be linked to any specific individual.
Through this tool, businesses can analyze the data to better understand what their customers like and deliver targeted promotions, improving their advertising and marketing campaigns.
The project has been a simple pilot thus far, as about 1,000 partners in 50 countries tried out the feature. Now, however, more will be able to join in.