Update on 2/19: You can now download Foodspotting 3.2 for iPhone which adds additional security and an additional confirmation after you tap "Find iPhone Contacts."

You may or may not have been hearing about recent concerns spreading throughout the tech press regarding how iPhone apps are using your address book contacts.

We wanted to reassure you that Foodspotting never has and never will use your iPhone contacts without your permission. The only time address book info is ever sent to Foodspotting is when you explicitly ask us to find friends from your address book by tapping, "Follow People > Find iPhone Contacts," and we never store any of this data in our database.

That said, in light of recent concerns, we're taking extra precautions to make this process even more transparent and secure in the future.

When does Foodspotting access my address book contacts?
As a convenience for users, we offer a "Find iPhone Contacts" feature. The only time your contacts are ever sent to Foodspotting is when you use this feature. We use your friends' email addresses to check if any of your friends are on Foodspotting, show you the results and delete your address book data. No phone numbers or names are transferred. We do not store this data in our database or reaccess it in the future.

What are the concerns?
Most of the concerns have been around apps that upload and store iPhone Contacts without users knowing. We've never done that. That said, if you use the Find iPhone Contacts feature on an unsecure wireless network, like a public wifi network, there is a very slight chance that hackers could access your contacts' email addresses if they happen to be on the same network as you and monitoring your activity. (When doing any online activities on an unsecure wifi network, you're subject to this sort of risk, which is why browsers and operating systems generally advise you not to deal with any sensitive data on public wifi networks.)

How is Foodspotting addressing these concerns?
In light of these concerns, we've added additional levels of security to Foodspotting 3.2. We'll also be reconfirming permission to use your contacts after you tap "Find iPhone Contacts."

What if I don't want to send my contacts to Foodspotting?
Simply avoid using "Find iPhone Contacts." You can always find friends using Facebook or Twitter, which you can securely connect to Foodspotting.

2011 was a huge year for Foodspotting. Not only did our small team double in size, we covered the world with more than 1 million dish reviews and we're nearing 2 million app downloads!

This Sunday, January 15th, is World Foodspotting Day and Foodspotting turns two. Frankly, we could not have gotten to where we are without the help of our friends, family, investors, partners and, of course, our community – you.

Celebrate with us by joining a Foodspotting eatup or host your own! Here are birthday eatups already in the works...

Chicago on Jan 24
DC on Jan 25
Istanbul on Jan 30
Kansas City on Jan 25
Las Vegas on Jan 25
London on Jan 31
Los Angeles on Jan 25
New York on Jan 25
Orlando on Jan 15
Philadelphia on Jan 15
San Francisco on Feb 1
Seattle on Jan 17
Silicon Valley on Jan 23

Check out our tips to getting an eatup started in your city, and email us so we can help get the word out! Can't wait to ring in 2012 with all of you guys and good food.

Photo: Sprinkles cupcakes at World Foodspotting Day 2011 by Chris Connolly.

Foodspotting Happy Hour at Pintxo in Seattle

By now you've probably heard of that awesome thing called a Foodspotting Eatup. You've seen the photos, maybe you've even been to one.

We've hosted gatherings from Hawaii to Sydney and San Francisco to New York. We're growing, but we're not everywhere – not yet, anyway. That's why we're turning to you guys to champion Foodspotting in your city. The response has been wonderful and today we wanted to share a few tips on how to get your eatup started:

Foodspotting Eatup at PYT in Philadelphia

DECIDE ON A VENUE, DATE AND TIME. Pick somewhere that is affordable, can accommodate groups and where it's easy to split the tab. These can be places where they offer pre fixe menus or will divide the bill for you, etc. A good rule of thumb is to bring cash; you don't want to make your server go through charging eight different credit cards.

Select a sit-down place if you plan to linger; call ahead and reserve a table or two. If you know a restaurant owner or manager, tell them about Foodspotting eatups and suggest ways they can get involved. When deciding on a date, be mindful of holidays. People tend to go away for long weekends. Will your eatup be a lunchtime, after work or weekend get-together? Use your best judgment.

Foodspotting Eatup at Cafe C in Gainesville, Florida. Check out the video they made!

CREATE A FACEBOOK EVENT INVITATION and invite your friends! This is the best way to share a fun event with your friends and for us to promote your eatup to the Foodspotting community. Some examples of Facebook invitations in New York, Orlando and LA. Please email me to create the Foodspotting Eatup image for you.

LET US KNOW THAT YOU'RE HOSTING AN EATUP! We'll help you get the word out on Twitter and Facebook. If you write about the eatup on your blog before the date, we'd be happy to share it with our followers, too. Pro tip: Use the hashtag #FSEatup in tweets.

Foodspotting Cocktail Hour at Ai Fiori in New York City

The first eatup is usually the most intimate consisting of foodspotters and your personal friends who are curious about Foodspotting. At the second eatup, you'll recognize some faces and meet the friends of those who came to the first one. The third... well, you see where we're going with this.

Tell us: Have you hosted or attended an eatup? What did you like about it? What would you change? As always, suggestions for uber awesome eatups are welcome, so share your tips for mobilizing the masses below!

Place moderation is a huge pain in the butt. With over 100,000 places on Foodspotting, it's getting harder for us to manually maintain them. At the same time, many of you have kindly offered to help us! Well, here's your chance.

Now, wherever you see the "About This Place" module, like the one shown below, you'll also find a link underneath to add your own edits. Did you find a misspelled restaurant name or incorrect address? Is your favorite lunch spot missing its address? Or maybe you want to fill in a website and twitter account. Submit your corrections and our amazing community team, Fiona and Amy, will review them all and make needed edits.