Facebook Creepiness

Narj

Narj

Narj

Soldato
Joined
19 Feb 2010
Posts
13,254
Location
London
Bit confused at how this is working and it's creeped me out.

I only ever use FB via web browser and haven't associated any phone number with my account. I also don't use my real name on FB.

However, a bunch of suggestions have popped up who are in my phonebook but who don't know anyone else I am friends with. The only thing I can think of is Whatsapp but seeing as I don't use the FB app, how has it correlated me to my phone contacts? Does a phone web browser make your device ID visible to the site?

Any ideas? This could get awkward/annoying for people who I don't want finding/adding me!
 
are you in their contacts, email etc.. could they have browsed you? Can work both ways - for example on linked in I've had random people pop up who I've e-mailed in the past - I've not shared my e-mail with linked in but they presumably have.
 
People that search for you and browse your public profile will come up as suggestions. I've had this happen for me (people who don't share any mutual friends etc). If there are specific people you don't want to find you just add them to your blocked list, I've done this for a couple of people.

I think you can also make your profile so it doesn't come up in searches for anyone, not 100% though as I haven't done that myself.
 
glen8 said:
This has confused me, can you explain in a bit more detail

Facebook is a social networking site
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Who says you can't have multiple accounts in different networks ? It's his choice if he wants to dress up in stocking and suspenders and be called Doris at the weekends :D

MW
 
IP address, if your accessing it from work then they will see a lot of people coming from the same ip repeatedly and build suggestions that way. Plus as others suggested if people are looking at your profile, searching you, they appear in your suggestions.

Its scary just how good Facebook is at linking you to people you know but had no contact with over there system!
 
I'm assuming by your post you've browsed facebook on your phone browser.

So I think there is a correlation between that, whats app and the people you currently have on you friends list for whats app and facebook.

The only people that will know the exact algorithm are the developers.
 
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^ Lol

I think it has got the information from someone else who has contacted you at some point i.e. from their contacts when they allowed the app to see them.
 
Did Facebook not buy Whatsapp recently?

Surely if there is obvious correlation between your whatsapp contacts and your FB suggested contacts, then that's where they're getting it from?
 
Kenai said:
Did Facebook not buy Whatsapp recently?

Surely if there is obvious correlation between your whatsapp contacts and your FB suggested contacts, then that's where they're getting it from?
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Yes this is my thinking. But how do they tie my browsing via web browser to my phone number and Whatsapp/phone contacts? It's odd.

Basically I have phone numbers in my phone that I've never actually used to call/text/whatsapp on. I presume Whatsapp is harvesting contacts and somehow FB is correlating them together, Maybe by IP as was said above.

As for not using genuine details on FB being creepy - really? I use FB purely for access to my two hobby groups rather than posting pictures of my dinner to 500 "friends" that don't give a stuff.

It means FB don't get my genuine name, D.O.B, Phone number and other details for their mining and also means certain idiots and people from my past I'd rather avoid can't look me up.
 
Glanza said:
I don't get the whole be on Facebook but with a fake name :confused:

That's creepy in itself.
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Pseudonyms are quite handy when you want to keep your work life away from your home life. Even changing a letter in the name usually stops you showing up when people search you. I don't want the entire world knowing my job or role for various reasons so by changing a letter or the order of letters you don't appear (or certainly not in the top 10) of hits when searched.

Harry Gordon changed to Garry Hordon wouldn't show up if the first name was searched.

In terms of the OP, Facebook churns astronomical amounts of data so if he has searched an individual person with his non-mobile phone linked account but still used the mobile device to browse the site it will undoubtedly associate his mobile device to that FB account. When you factor in the amount of people that use FB and have all their contacts imported to/from FB and his number is in that contact list, FB will match that mobile number to his mobile device which is associated to his FB profile that way.

The only way to avoid FB using and mining data is to completely disassociate from FB in any form.

Edit: also consider the permissions you have to agree to when installing the FB app. Camera, photos, contacts, call register, texts etc

Farily old but Clean out Facebook App permissions
 
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davisdavid said:
Pseudonyms are quite handy when you want to keep your work life away from your home life. Even changing a letter in the name usually stops you showing up when people search you. I don't want the entire world knowing my job or role for various reasons so by changing a letter or the order of letters you don't appear (or certainly not in the top 10) of hits when searched.

http://lifehacker.com/5904590/clean...sions-as-part-of-your-spring-cleaning-regimen
Click to expand...


there must be some privacy settings you can set because if i'm not logged in, searching for my name doesn't even find me.
 
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