4 ms·

Something similar happened to me on Facebook. There was someone I was meeting in real life but we had absolutely no FB connections. No mutual friends. And I di

Something similar happened to me on Facebook. There was someone I was meeting in real life but we had absolutely no FB connections. No mutual friends. And I didn't even know she was on Facebook. Suddenly I saw her on my 'Suggested friends' list. The only reasonable explanation is that she found me on Facebook and viewed my profile. Facebook saved the incident and suggested her to me as a friend. Facebook forgets nothing. Nothing.

nikatwork 11y ago
My theory is that if you use the mobile app it factors in GPS location. Several times I've been at a particular venue, without "checking in" or even posting. The next day, people I met at the venue would show up in my suggestions list.
- wongarsu 11y ago
  I can somewhat confirm that Facebook at least collects this data. Using rooted android you can make a seperate permission dialog pop up every time an app tries to access certain APIs. Despite having all GPS related features of Facebook and its messenger disabled, the Facebook Messenger app tries to access my GPS location at seemingly random times.
  - morganvachon 11y ago
    > Despite having all GPS related features of Facebook and its messenger disabled, the Facebook Messenger app tries to access my GPS location at seemingly random times. This is troubling, and goes against the Play Store's terms and conditions for app developers. I suppose Facebook gets a pass on it through some unspoken agreement with Google, though.
    - misiti3780 11y ago
      do you really think that is possible ?
      - jzd 11y ago
        shadier collusion has happened in the past amongst large tech firms http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/3/9256097/apple-google-415-million-poaching-settlement http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/3/9256097/apple-google-415-mi...
      - PlzSnow 11y ago
        No that's not happening, it's just conspiracy nonsense.
        JonnieCache 11y ago
        Nothing to see here!
- sneak 11y ago
  Presumably it also reads GPS EXIF tags from your recent photos if you have ever granted it photo permission. I know Instagram does this for location tagging photos. Presumably FB and IG share username/account linking for location harvesting, too.
melvinmt 11y ago
I had it happen it to me as well, but the only link I can see was that I was texting with that person for the first time that day. And then I saved the number as a contact in my phone. Then I guess WhatsApp picked up that change and sent the data back to the Facebook servers. An hour later, the person showed up under Suggested Friends.
matheweis 11y ago
> The only reasonable explanation is that she found me on Facebook and viewed my profile. Facebook saved the incident and suggested her to me as a friend. This. I had something similar happen a year or two ago; I enrolled in a course at a local university, and about midway through the semester Facebook suggested that I friend the instructor. I was friends with no one else in the course, had never posted about the course on FB, or anything else that I could think of. Of particular note was that his had all happened after I had to drop from the course due to health issues.
- trentnelson 11y ago
  The instructor imported the contact list for the class at some point, establishing the link from him/her to you. There's no reason to assume it's not a bi-directional link with regards to contact suggestions.
  - jzd 11y ago
    This is irrelevant. You will still be tied to a unique identifier and tracked all over the web because your browser fingerprint (yes, it's probably unique: test here https://panopticlick.eff.org/ https://panopticlick.eff.org/) will be reported back for every site affiliated with an advertising network affiliated with Facebook.
toomuchtodo 11y ago
> Facebook forgets nothing. Nothing. Export your Facebook data and check out they keep your message history with everyone forever. https://www.facebook.com/help/131112897028467/ https://www.facebook.com/help/131112897028467/
- christianmann 11y ago
  Good. I don't see why those should be deleted. You can access it from the web interface, too. Unfortunately they do not have chat logs from before 2011, when chat and messages were merged.
- meric 11y ago
  You will not find information or content that you have deleted because this is deleted from Facebook servers. https://www.facebook.com/help/405183566203254 https://www.facebook.com/help/405183566203254 So if you delete it, it won't be in the download.
  - toomuchtodo 11y ago
    Can you delete entire Facebook Message conversations?
    - meric 11y ago
      I think I saw that option before. I know I definitely can delete messages and they don't appear in the download.
      - psykovsky 11y ago
        Doesn't mean they really deleted them from their servers...
    - tomschlick 11y ago
      The default is Archive, just like Google Hangouts but you can delete conversations by clicking the Cog icon on the thread.
jzd 11y ago
This is irrelevant. You will still be tied to a unique identifier and tracked all over the web because your browser fingerprint (yes, it's probably unique: test here https://panopticlick.eff.org/ https://panopticlick.eff.org/) will be reported back for every site affiliated with an advertising network affiliated with Facebook.
paulsutter 11y ago
Most likely she looked you up on Facebook. When you look someone up, there's a significant chance that you will appear in their "suggested friends".
chinathrow 11y ago
Agreed that they do not forget a damn thing. However, some users have their friends list hidden - so you could be having mutual friends with that person without FB telling you.

nikatwork 11y ago

My theory is that if you use the mobile app it factors in GPS location. Several times I've been at a particular venue, without "checking in" or even posting. The next day, people I met at the venue would show up in my suggestions list.

wongarsu 11y ago
I can somewhat confirm that Facebook at least collects this data. Using rooted android you can make a seperate permission dialog pop up every time an app tries to access certain APIs. Despite having all GPS related features of Facebook and its messenger disabled, the Facebook Messenger app tries to access my GPS location at seemingly random times.
- morganvachon 11y ago
  > Despite having all GPS related features of Facebook and its messenger disabled, the Facebook Messenger app tries to access my GPS location at seemingly random times. This is troubling, and goes against the Play Store's terms and conditions for app developers. I suppose Facebook gets a pass on it through some unspoken agreement with Google, though.
  - misiti3780 11y ago
    do you really think that is possible ?
    - jzd 11y ago
      shadier collusion has happened in the past amongst large tech firms http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/3/9256097/apple-google-415-million-poaching-settlement http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/3/9256097/apple-google-415-mi...
    - PlzSnow 11y ago
      No that's not happening, it's just conspiracy nonsense.
      - JonnieCache 11y ago
        Nothing to see here!
sneak 11y ago
Presumably it also reads GPS EXIF tags from your recent photos if you have ever granted it photo permission. I know Instagram does this for location tagging photos. Presumably FB and IG share username/account linking for location harvesting, too.

melvinmt 11y ago

I had it happen it to me as well, but the only link I can see was that I was texting with that person for the first time that day. And then I saved the number as a contact in my phone. Then I guess WhatsApp picked up that change and sent the data back to the Facebook servers. An hour later, the person showed up under Suggested Friends.

matheweis 11y ago

> The only reasonable explanation is that she found me on Facebook and viewed my profile. Facebook saved the incident and suggested her to me as a friend. This. I had something similar happen a year or two ago; I enrolled in a course at a local university, and about midway through the semester Facebook suggested that I friend the instructor. I was friends with no one else in the course, had never posted about the course on FB, or anything else that I could think of. Of particular note was that his had all happened after I had to drop from the course due to health issues.

trentnelson 11y ago
The instructor imported the contact list for the class at some point, establishing the link from him/her to you. There's no reason to assume it's not a bi-directional link with regards to contact suggestions.
- jzd 11y ago
  This is irrelevant. You will still be tied to a unique identifier and tracked all over the web because your browser fingerprint (yes, it's probably unique: test here https://panopticlick.eff.org/ https://panopticlick.eff.org/) will be reported back for every site affiliated with an advertising network affiliated with Facebook.

toomuchtodo 11y ago

> Facebook forgets nothing. Nothing. Export your Facebook data and check out they keep your message history with everyone forever. https://www.facebook.com/help/131112897028467/ https://www.facebook.com/help/131112897028467/

christianmann 11y ago
Good. I don't see why those should be deleted. You can access it from the web interface, too. Unfortunately they do not have chat logs from before 2011, when chat and messages were merged.
meric 11y ago
You will not find information or content that you have deleted because this is deleted from Facebook servers. https://www.facebook.com/help/405183566203254 https://www.facebook.com/help/405183566203254 So if you delete it, it won't be in the download.
- toomuchtodo 11y ago
  Can you delete entire Facebook Message conversations?
  - meric 11y ago
    I think I saw that option before. I know I definitely can delete messages and they don't appear in the download.
    - psykovsky 11y ago
      Doesn't mean they really deleted them from their servers...
  - tomschlick 11y ago
    The default is Archive, just like Google Hangouts but you can delete conversations by clicking the Cog icon on the thread.

jzd 11y ago

This is irrelevant. You will still be tied to a unique identifier and tracked all over the web because your browser fingerprint (yes, it's probably unique: test here https://panopticlick.eff.org/ https://panopticlick.eff.org/) will be reported back for every site affiliated with an advertising network affiliated with Facebook.

paulsutter 11y ago

Most likely she looked you up on Facebook. When you look someone up, there's a significant chance that you will appear in their "suggested friends".

chinathrow 11y ago

Agreed that they do not forget a damn thing. However, some users have their friends list hidden - so you could be having mutual friends with that person without FB telling you.