Creepy Facebook friend suggestions

[corndog]

As anyone who uses Facebook knows, it will suggest people that it thinks you should be friends with. Usually, these are people with numerous mutual friends, or people in your Contacts. That's all fine and makes sense.

 

Recently, I've noticed that quite a few escorts and masseurs that I've hired in the past are showing up in my suggested friends. These are people who don't have any mutual Facebook friends, and I've never had in my Contacts. Some of these guys were good experiences, others not. It's a total mystery to me how Facebook has connected me to these people.

 

Fortunately, I'm not too concerned about issues of privacy and discretion, but if my life situation were different, I think I'd be totally freaked out that Facebook seems to know about my hiring hobby.

[hornytwells]

Having exactly the same issue. I doesnt bother me as I am at liberty to friend them or not, but I wonder of some masseurs I know would want me knowing their real name etc...... it is a little creepy, I think it must have something to do with searching ones contact lists.......

[Steven_Draker]

Fortunately, I'm not too concerned about issues of privacy and discretion, but if my life situation were different, I think I'd be totally freaked out that Facebook seems to know about my hiring hobby.

 

http://image.slidesharecdn.com/privacyisforlosersslideshare-130125035011-phpapp02/95/privacy-is-for-losers-25-638.jpg?cb=1359127527

[+ Italiano]

Same here!! I couldn't believe that in the past weeks in FB I am having as "suggestions" escorts, masseurs and even buddies I have contacted (and hooked up with or not) through Grindr, Manhunt and similar!

 

Are we SO fucking watched???

[justaguy]

Yes, we are.

[Boink]

Are people who have never had a Facebook or Google account immune to this somewhat? If so, I qualify!

[maninsoma]

I'm seeing nothing like that on my FB account. Then again, I have relatively strict FB privacy (as private as you can get while still having a FB account) and I almost never use my FB login for other sites, nor do I use the "like" button on other sites.

 

As to Google and others tracking us, that's obviously true. I see lots of targeted ads on various websites.

[+ VeryHappyCustomer]

The richest source of social data is your cell phone. The Facebook app uploads your contacts (name, phone number, email address, geocodes, address), phone log, text log, mms log, location log to Facebook servers for analysis. You granted permission when you installed the app.

 

And remember that every social connection has two ends... Each of us has at least one friend / masseur / escort whose personal concerns about privacy are not aligned with our own... a guy who likes hearing from Facebook about the hottie he hooked up with on a redeye to Miami three years ago...

[jimboivyo]

The richest source of social data is your cell phone. The Facebook app uploads your contacts (name, phone number, email address, geocodes, address), phone log, text log, mms log, location log to Facebook servers for analysis. You granted permission when you installed the app.

 

And remember that every social connection has two ends... Each of us has at least one friend / masseur / escort whose personal concerns about privacy are not aligned with our own... a guy who likes hearing from Facebook about the hottie he hooked up with on a redeye to Miami three years ago...

 

 

the application CAN do those things but you still gotta let it access them. just deny it and you're fine. you can still use the app without having to upload anything.

[corndog]

The Facebook app uploads your contacts (name, phone number, email address, geocodes, address), phone log, text log, mms log, location log to Facebook servers for analysis.

 

I'm not sure about Android phones, but on iPhones, of those things listed, only the Contacts is supposed to be accessible to Apps (and only if you explicitly grant permission). These people that have been showing up as suggested friends have never been in my Contacts.

[+ RyanDean]

VeryHappyCustomer called it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/noah-michelson/facebook-friend-one-night-stands_b_6293812.html

[uwsman2]

So I'm not getting such suggestions on facebook because I don't access it using a smartphone, just on my desktop at work and my laptop at home. Thus it has no access to my "phonebook".

[+ RyanDean]

I actually do use my phone, but I also use an anonymizing app for this genre of calls/texts.

Which does appear to be partitioning things as promised. So far.

[+ dupontversDC]

I actually do use my phone, but I also use an anonymizing app for this genre of calls/texts.

Which does appear to be partitioning things as promised. So far.

 

What app do you use for that?

[+ RyanDean]

The one I use is called 'Burner'

[maninsoma]

Ah. I'm glad I've never provided my phone number to Facebook since it seems like that's what it's using to link people.

[Steven_Draker]

I'm glad I've never provided my phone number to Facebook

 

Neither did I.

 

The less information you give them, the better.

[maninsoma]

Neither did I.

 

The less information you give them, the better.[/color]

 

Yes. Facebook has demonstrated from the beginning that the less one shares, the better. I figure that if I wouldn't publicly share something in person, I shouldn't post it to Facebook or make it a part of my FB profile. Lately they've been harassing me again to enter my phone number so they can use it for "validation" in case I get locked out of my account, but I just keep ignoring them.