Facebook Really Wants to Know Where You Are, Considers Buying Loopt

Rumors are swirling that Facebook's looking to purchase location-aware social net Loopt.

It makes perfect sense, given the sudden arrival recently of Google's Buzz mobile, which is location-aware from the get-go. Facebook's playing catch-up. According to TechCrunch, Facebook is busy doing due diligence on the potential deal, indicating that the idea is in its very early stages. And at such a point in deals like this, before negotiations have really kicked off, it's usual for everything to be shrouded in secrecy. Hence Loopt refused to comment, and Facebook simply trotted out the party line "we don't comment on rumor and speculation." But the rumor is apparently based on sound information. And from this we can infer that Facebook is at least very interested in acquiring Loopt, or perhaps a location-based system like it (because we don't know what other due diligence Facebook's planning team is also performing.)