Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.
Facebook invitations often include suggestions of other people you might know. I'll look at where they might come from, and whether there's a concern.
I have occasionally received 'invitations' from people most of whom I know only vaguely, to join them on Facebook. I've no wish to join Facebook, so just ignore these. Yesterday, however, I received yet another invitation, from someone who runs art classes I once enquired about. Underneath, Facebook lists three other people who have invited me in the past. And, below that, there is a list of nine other people 'whom you may know' - none of whom have ever invited me, and three of whom I have had only very basic contact with - eg a single enquiry made to an archivist.
This really worries me - how do Facebook know that I have ever had any contact with these people? Can Facebook access their emails, see where they are all going to, and cross-reference them with people who have received an invitation from elsewhere? Or can they, having once been given my email address, somehow gain access to my sent messages, see where they are being sent to, and cross-reference them against their existing Facebook membership??
This really worries me - it just seems such an invasion of my privacy, and concerns me that they may be able to access all sorts of personal information and conversations.
Can you explain how this can be happening, and suggest any way to block it, please??
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I'm not privy to all the details of how Facebook actually works. That being said, I can hazard a guess as to how Facebook (or any social network with similar capabilities) might be making these recommendations.
No, Facebook's not looking at anyone's email, outside of whatever messages might be getting sent on Facebook itself.
They're making what I'd best characterize as "an educated guess".
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First let me say that I'm not at all concerned, and I don't think you need to be either.
Here's what I think happens:
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Your friend "Tom" sends you a friend request, which of course you ignore. However, Facebook remembers this.
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Another friend "Dick" also sends you a friend request, which again, you ignore. Once again, Facebook remembers.
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"Tom" and "Dick" have a friend in common - I'll call him "Harry". Both Tom and Dick invited Harry to be friends, and Harry accepted.
So, here's what Facebook now knows:
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Tom claims to know you.
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Dick claims to know you.
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Tom and Dick both know Harry.
The "educated guess" is simply this: since Tom and Dick both claim to know you and Harry, perhaps you know Harry. Hence Harry becomes an "other person you might know".
And you might. Or you might not.
I find that about 50% of Facebook's initial recommendations are people I don't know, and about half of the remainder are people I might know, but that I don't want to connect with anyway.
Now, as I said, I don't know that this is exactly how Facebook - or any social network - actually works. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that the details are significantly more complex. If nothing else they have millions and millions of relationships in their databases that they can use to make these inferences.
But I'm willing to bet that it's just that: nothing more than Facebook analyzing all the data that its members have provided in the form of friend requests, which groups they've joined, what fan pages they're fans of and more that allow Facebook to infer who might know who - even for people that are not yet members.
I get that it might seem a little creepy, but it's not as intrusive as you fear. It's simply using the social relationships that its members have provided to make a few guesses.
To answer your last question, I'm not aware of a way to block it.
Article C4168 - February 20, 2010 « »
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
June 17, 2010 4:46 AM
I recently joined facebook and the first suggestion as a friend was a woman who I had a brief relationship 10 years ago. I have had no contact with her since then and I had no idea where she was. Her surname has changed so I assume she has got married.
Given that we have had no contact of any kind for all this time, she doesn't appear in my address book I found it bizarre that this name should suddenly appear. It's definitely the same woman.
I have resisted the temptation to make contact let alone to add her as a friend but how on earth have they made the link. I have checked her profile and she has 3 friends none of whom I've ever heard of.
June 28, 2010 4:00 PM
How Friend Finder works
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November 24, 2010 1:25 PM
This is another educated guess. Facebook has a search for Facebook friends via your email address book. You logon to your web mail or connect it to your email client address book and it searches for Facebook members with that email and gives you the option of inviting them. If their email addresses aren't associated with a Facebook account, FB the offers to send an email to them an email invite. So it's possible some of your contacts from years ago may send you an FB invite with that option. FB then may or may not store this info for further invitations.
October 8, 2011 2:31 PM
This is the scary part: When you have an excisting facebook account from your pc where you normally login to your facebook account, make a new emailadres. Make a new facebook account with this new email addres. After some time you get a friendsuggestion from the new facebook account (and vice versa). No emails/no contact sent to standard and this new emailadress.
February 1, 2012 8:37 PM
I also have freind "suggestions" from Facebook as peoplei may know. I believe these may be coming from my phone address book, linking it to the phone numbers supplied on the person Facebook page. I have some of these from people who have no connection to me whatsoever except that through business they are in my contacts. If its not this, is it possible they have searched me or mentioned me? I have certainly never mentioned or searched them.