People you may know - on Facebook

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Fnaar

Smutmaster General
Location
Thumberland
How does Facebook's 'People you may know' feature work?
AFAIK it suggests friends of friends... may be more to it than that though.
 

rugby bloke

Veteran
Location
Northamptonshire
Not sure - I had a business contact come up the other day. We have only been in contact via my work email account that is not linked to Facebook. Lord knows what bits of data Facebook has access to and is able to stitch together to make the bigger picture.
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
Facebook if you let it, links to your email accounts. I keep getting work contacts popping up as suggestions, who I have no intention of adding to my Facebook friends.
 
<speculation>
He had her wallet. He searched and found her on facebook. That's surely enough for FB to think they know each other.

Not sure - I had a business contact come up the other day. We have only been in contact via my work email account that is not linked to Facebook. Lord knows what bits of data Facebook has access to and is able to stitch together to make the bigger picture.
If you install the facebook app on android, fb can access your address book. So if any one who knows you has multiple email address listed for you under one contact, then facebook could have associated all your email addresses with your account. Then as soon as your contact added you to his address book, FB could make the connection.

Apparently it's a huge problem with AA - alcoholics anonymous. You only exchange first name, and have each others phone number so you can reach out if you need support. FB app immediately takes that phone number, and suggests you might know each other. Instead of being anonymous, you know more about each other than you would have known about most of your friends, pre-facebook.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Not sure - I had a business contact come up the other day. We have only been in contact via my work email account that is not linked to Facebook. Lord knows what bits of data Facebook has access to and is able to stitch together to make the bigger picture.
Your contact probably allows facebook to reap their mailbox and it took a wild guess from your name and other links it's deduced.
 

Hill Wimp

Fair weathered,fair minded but easily persuaded.
This is pretty old hat by now, but it makes for interesting reading. Or maybe it's just a load of bollox. :smile:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2008/aug/03/internet.email
I can't wait for the Dali Lama to pop up as a suggested friend, he's a man i would love to have round for dinner.
 
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