<s>
Loopt	B-Application
was	O
a	O
company	O
based	O
in	O
Mountain	O
View	O
,	O
California	O
,	O
United	O
States	O
which	O
provided	O
a	O
service	O
for	O
smartphone	O
users	O
to	O
share	O
their	O
location	O
selectively	O
with	O
other	O
people	O
(	O
see	O
location-based	B-Application
service	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
supported	O
iPhone	B-Device
,	O
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
,	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phones	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
's	O
services	O
had	O
more	O
than	O
five	O
million	O
registered	O
users	O
and	O
partnerships	O
with	O
every	O
major	O
U.S.	O
mobile	O
phone	O
carrier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
its	O
core	O
features	O
,	O
users	O
also	O
had	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
integrate	O
Loopt	B-Application
with	O
other	O
social	O
networks	O
,	O
including	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
's	O
board	O
members	O
included	O
TiVo-founder	O
Mike	O
Ramsay	O
and	O
Greg	O
McAdoo	O
of	O
Sequoia	O
Capital	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2012	O
Loopt	B-Application
agreed	O
to	O
be	O
acquired	O
by	O
Green	O
Dot	O
Corporation	O
for	O
$43.4	O
million	O
in	O
cash	O
,	O
with	O
$9.8	O
million	O
of	O
that	O
to	O
be	O
set	O
aside	O
for	O
employee	O
retention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
began	O
with	O
seed	O
funding	O
from	O
Y	O
Combinator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
summer	O
,	O
Stanford	O
sophomores	O
Sam	O
Altman	O
and	O
Nick	O
Sivo	O
worked	O
to	O
build	O
the	O
first	O
prototype	O
of	O
Loopt	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
received	O
US$5	O
million	O
in	O
Series	O
A	O
funding	O
from	O
Sequoia	O
Capital	O
and	O
New	O
Enterprise	O
Associates	O
and	O
struck	O
a	O
deal	O
to	O
launch	O
the	O
service	O
on	O
Boost	O
Mobile	O
devices	O
in	O
September	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Boost	O
Mobile	O
featured	O
Loopt	B-Application
in	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
commercials	O
that	O
are	O
most	O
known	O
for	O
the	O
"	O
Where	O
you	O
at	O
?	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2007	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
expanded	O
the	O
service	O
to	O
select	O
Sprint	O
phones	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
June	O
2008	O
,	O
to	O
Verizon	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
announced	O
support	O
for	O
most	O
GPS-enabled	O
Blackberries	B-Operating_System
on	O
June	O
13	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
received	O
US	O
$8.25	O
million	O
in	O
Series	O
B	O
funding	O
in	O
July	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2008	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
and	O
CBS	O
did	O
a	O
deal	O
to	O
deliver	O
location	O
based	O
advertising	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Seven	O
months	O
later	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
released	O
an	O
opt-in	O
feature	O
in	O
Loopt	B-Application
's	O
iPhone	B-Application
application	I-Application
,	O
called	O
Loopt	B-Application
Mix	O
,	O
which	O
uses	O
location-based	B-Application
services	I-Application
to	O
enable	O
iPhone	B-Device
users	O
to	O
find	O
and	O
meet	O
new	O
people	O
nearby	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Apple	O
's	O
Worldwide	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
in	O
June	O
2008	O
,	O
Altman	O
presented	O
the	O
Loopt	B-Application
application	O
for	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
for	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Device
became	O
available	O
to	O
US	O
customers	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	O
iTunes	B-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
on	O
July	O
11	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
2008	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
sponsored	O
com	O
's	O
The	O
Middle	O
Show	O
with	O
host	O
Dave	O
Price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2008	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
was	O
sued	O
by	O
Earthcomber	O
for	O
patent	O
infringement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2009	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
expanded	O
service	O
again	O
to	O
select	O
AT&T	O
phones	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
first	O
service	O
since	O
SMS	B-Device
available	O
across	O
all	O
major	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2009	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
acquired	O
Y	O
Combinator-backed	O
startup	O
GraffitiGeo	O
for	O
an	O
undisclosed	O
sum	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2010	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
launched	O
an	O
upgraded	O
version	O
of	O
its	O
iPhone	B-Device
app	O
,	O
incorporating	O
place	O
and	O
event	O
information	O
to	O
its	O
Pulse	O
database	O
,	O
bringing	O
in	O
content	O
from	O
ZVents	O
,	O
Metromix	O
,	O
and	O
SonicLiving	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
are	O
added	O
to	O
existing	O
content	O
partnerships	O
with	O
Citysearch	O
,	O
Zagat	O
,	O
and	O
Bing	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2010	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
product	O
called	O
Loopt	B-Application
Pulse	O
,	O
exclusively	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
iPad	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2010	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
launched	O
an	O
upgraded	O
version	O
of	O
its	O
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
upgraded	O
version	O
includes	O
the	O
same	O
places	O
and	O
events	O
upgrade	O
formerly	O
launched	O
in	O
March	O
2010	O
for	O
iPhone	B-Device
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2010	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
launched	O
Loopt	B-Application
version	O
4.0	O
,	O
which	O
featured	O
a	O
completely	O
updated	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2012	O
,	O
after	O
raising	O
more	O
than	O
$30M	O
in	O
venture	O
capital	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
announced	O
it	O
had	O
agreed	O
to	O
be	O
acquihired	O
by	O
Green	O
Dot	O
Corporation	O
for	O
US	O
$43.4	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
's	O
geosocial	O
networking	O
services	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
likes	O
of	O
whrrl	B-Application
,	O
buzzd	O
,	O
and	O
brightkite	B-Language
,	O
show	O
users	O
where	O
friends	O
are	O
located	O
and	O
what	O
they	O
are	O
doing	O
via	O
maps	O
on	O
their	O
mobile	O
phones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
available	O
on	O
select	O
devices	O
across	O
Sprint/Nextel	O
,	O
AT&T	O
,	O
Boost	O
Mobile	O
,	O
Verizon	B-Application
,	O
and	O
MetroPCS	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Device
,	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mobile	O
application	O
—	O
the	O
Loopt	B-Application
software	O
provides	O
real-time	O
location	O
updating	O
(	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Device
until	O
OS4.0	O
ships	O
-	O
see	O
below	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
is	O
currently	O
supported	O
on	O
over	O
100	O
different	O
phones	O
across	O
all	O
major	O
carriers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2010	O
,	O
Apple	O
announced	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
4.0	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
background	O
real-time	O
location	O
updating	O
on	O
Loopt	B-Application
iPhone	B-Device
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
had	O
indicated	O
they	O
would	O
support	O
this	O
as	O
soon	O
as	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
ships	I-Operating_System
iOS	I-Operating_System
4.0	I-Operating_System
for	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Device
ships	O
in	O
summer	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
for	O
iPhone	B-Device
and	O
Android	B-Application
—	O
This	O
is	O
Loopt	B-Application
's	O
core	O
application	O
—	O
the	O
most	O
updated	O
and	O
versatile	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Website	O
—	O
Loopt	B-Application
provides	O
a	O
web	O
portal	O
which	O
is	O
synchronized	O
with	O
the	O
mobile	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Facebook	B-Application
application	O
—	O
This	O
was	O
developed	O
in	O
2008	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
share	O
location	O
with	O
friends	O
in	O
the	B-Application
Facebook	I-Application
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Twitter	B-Application
and	O
Facebook	B-Application
integration	O
—	O
Status	O
updates	O
with	O
a	O
location	O
link	O
can	O
be	O
sent	O
via	O
Loopt	B-Application
to	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
Twitter	B-Application
status	O
or	O
Facebook	B-Application
status	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
Star	O
—	O
This	O
mobile	O
game	O
rewards	O
people	O
for	O
often	O
checking	O
into	O
certain	O
places	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2010	O
,	O
all	O
related	O
functions	O
were	O
moved	O
into	O
the	O
core	O
Loopt	B-Application
app	O
for	O
iPhone	B-Device
and	O
Android	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Accordingly	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
Star	O
was	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
Market	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
was	O
permission-based	O
and	O
users	O
shared	O
location	O
information	O
only	O
with	O
their	O
selected	O
friends	O
,	O
networks	O
,	O
and	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
users	O
could	O
turn	O
location-sharing	O
on	O
or	O
off	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
on	O
a	O
friend-by-friend	O
basis	O
or	O
for	O
all	O
friends	O
at	O
once	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
worked	O
regularly	O
with	O
select	O
organizations	O
that	O
focus	O
on	O
privacy	O
and	O
security	O
including	O
:	O
The	O
Family	O
Online	O
Safety	O
Institute	O
(	O
board	O
member	O
)	O
;	O
ConnectSafely.org	O
;	O
Ponemon	O
Institute	O
;	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
;	O
National	O
Network	O
to	O
End	O
Domestic	O
Violence	O
;	O
Progress	O
&	O
Freedom	O
Foundation	O
's	O
Center	O
for	O
Digital	O
Media	O
Freedom	O
;	O
Internet	O
Education	O
Foundation	O
;	O
and	O
Cyber	O
Safe	O
California	O
by	O
the	O
California	O
Office	O
of	O
Privacy	O
Protection	O
(	O
member	O
,	O
advisory	O
committee	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
sat	O
on	O
the	O
CTIA	O
's	O
WIC	O
Leadership	O
Council	O
and	O
was	O
an	O
active	O
participant	O
in	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
the	O
CTIA	O
LBS	O
Best	O
Practices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
details	O
are	O
on	O
Loopt	B-Application
's	O
privacy	O
pages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
of	O
Loopt	B-Application
must	O
register	O
their	O
mobile	O
phone	O
number	O
,	O
full	O
name	O
,	O
and	O
date	O
of	O
birth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loopt	B-Application
's	O
privacy	O
notice	O
states	O
that	O
users	O
can	O
control	O
who	O
receives	O
geo-location	O
information	O
via	O
privacy	O
settings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Loopt	B-Application
released	O
its	O
native	O
iPhone	B-Application
application	I-Application
on	O
July	O
10	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
the	O
software	O
quickly	O
gained	O
notoriety	O
for	O
sending	O
Short	O
Message	O
Service	O
(	O
SMS	B-Device
)	O
invites	O
to	O
users	O
 '	O
address	B-Operating_System
books	I-Operating_System
without	O
,	O
it	O
seemed	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
knowledge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
upsetting	O
,	O
the	O
SMS	B-Device
service	O
failed	O
to	O
respond	O
to	O
the	O
industry	O
required	O
STOP	O
message	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Merlin	O
Mann	O
complained	O
,	O
"	O
I	O
'm	O
getting	O
SMSs	O
from	O
Loopt	B-Application
users	O
asking	O
me	O
to	O
be	O
their	O
friend	O
or	O
whatever	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
14	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
posted	O
to	O
its	O
blog	O
that	O
the	O
mass	O
invites	O
could	O
be	O
attributed	O
to	O
a	O
confusing	O
user	O
interface	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
are	O
working	O
on	O
an	O
improved	O
invitation	O
flow	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Respect	O
for	O
STOP	O
was	O
announced	O
July	O
15	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
July	O
17	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Loopt	B-Application
released	O
an	O
updated	O
version	O
which	O
addressed	O
the	O
issues	O
with	O
the	O
confusing	O
user	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
