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I'm like 99% certain they've been doing this for a while. I've noticed that anybody I talk to using WhatsApp quickly appears as a suggested contact on Facebook.

I'm like 99% certain they've been doing this for a while. I've noticed that anybody I talk to using WhatsApp quickly appears as a suggested contact on Facebook. As far as I'm aware, I did nothing to enable this. It does seem awfully creepy, but I guess if you care about privacy you're not using Facebook much anyway…

malanj 10y ago
Yes, I found the same (in South Africa, so have to assume that's globally true)
TheCapn 10y ago
How creepy Facebook is finally clicked for me after I gave my neighbor my phone number once moving to a new neighborhood. You know... in case my house lights on fire or something while I'm out. That night Facebook was suggesting I add my elderly neighbors as friends. We have 0 friends in common and I don't have Facebook installed on my phone (I just use the browser) so the only excuse I have is when they added me they must have some "share my contacts with Facebook" feature enabled. Now there's some forever connection between them and me on Facebook's servers even though I don't publicly link my phone number to Facebook, it's only added as a password/security recovery.
- wmkn 10y ago
  I am pretty sure Facebook also makes a friend suggestion to you when the other person searched for your name or looked at your profile at any time in the past. Maybe your neighbor searched for your name after you gave your phone number to them.
  - binarymax 10y ago
    I believe FB also suggests based on location. If both were connected to FB on their phones when meeting in person, the location metadata is used.
- Nicholas_C 10y ago
  Facebook also does this for people I follow on Instagram but have zero connections with otherwise.
mitoyarzun 10y ago
I just looked at the suggested friends page: among the first recommended friends there is a person I've never met in person, but a friend of mine sent me a picture of their business card via Whatsapp. I sent this person an e-mail a couple of days ago, but it was gmail -> gmail. Maybe this person stalked me and that is why she appeared on my suggested friends page?
- mercer 10y ago
  > Maybe this person stalked me and that is why she appeared on my suggested friends page? I think that's it. In quite a few of these 'creepy connections' I think it's usually something similar. If other people are anything like me, the first thing they'll do - when convenient - is to look you up on facebook. That doesn't make it less creepy of course, but it can explain many, if not most of these situations.
abluecloud 10y ago
It 100% is. Theres someone i've NEVER spoken to in my life other than over whatsapp, they know noone I know and yet they popped up on my suggested friends list.
triplesec 10y ago
The facebook app prefers to sync your contacts with it in your phone. ?You do get the choice not to, but it certainly was a dark pattern at one point, and persistent.
DavideNL 10y ago
> As far as I'm aware, I did nothing to enable this. Correct, but if the other person adds you to THEIR contact list, and shares THEIR contact list with Facebook, FB can then learn your phone number (without your Whatsapp ever sending it to FB).
intoverflow2 10y ago
> It does seem awfully creepy Everything about Facebook is, I deleted my account 4 years ago. Opened another one with a different email address last week. It instantly started suggesting people who I knew despite me not entering anything other than an email and phone number. It's super creepy how it pretty much already knows who you are from data your friends have shared with it.

malanj 10y ago

Yes, I found the same (in South Africa, so have to assume that's globally true)

TheCapn 10y ago

How creepy Facebook is finally clicked for me after I gave my neighbor my phone number once moving to a new neighborhood. You know... in case my house lights on fire or something while I'm out. That night Facebook was suggesting I add my elderly neighbors as friends. We have 0 friends in common and I don't have Facebook installed on my phone (I just use the browser) so the only excuse I have is when they added me they must have some "share my contacts with Facebook" feature enabled. Now there's some forever connection between them and me on Facebook's servers even though I don't publicly link my phone number to Facebook, it's only added as a password/security recovery.

wmkn 10y ago
I am pretty sure Facebook also makes a friend suggestion to you when the other person searched for your name or looked at your profile at any time in the past. Maybe your neighbor searched for your name after you gave your phone number to them.
- binarymax 10y ago
  I believe FB also suggests based on location. If both were connected to FB on their phones when meeting in person, the location metadata is used.
Nicholas_C 10y ago
Facebook also does this for people I follow on Instagram but have zero connections with otherwise.

mitoyarzun 10y ago

I just looked at the suggested friends page: among the first recommended friends there is a person I've never met in person, but a friend of mine sent me a picture of their business card via Whatsapp. I sent this person an e-mail a couple of days ago, but it was gmail -> gmail. Maybe this person stalked me and that is why she appeared on my suggested friends page?

mercer 10y ago
> Maybe this person stalked me and that is why she appeared on my suggested friends page? I think that's it. In quite a few of these 'creepy connections' I think it's usually something similar. If other people are anything like me, the first thing they'll do - when convenient - is to look you up on facebook. That doesn't make it less creepy of course, but it can explain many, if not most of these situations.

abluecloud 10y ago

It 100% is. Theres someone i've NEVER spoken to in my life other than over whatsapp, they know noone I know and yet they popped up on my suggested friends list.

triplesec 10y ago

The facebook app prefers to sync your contacts with it in your phone. ?You do get the choice not to, but it certainly was a dark pattern at one point, and persistent.

DavideNL 10y ago

> As far as I'm aware, I did nothing to enable this. Correct, but if the other person adds you to THEIR contact list, and shares THEIR contact list with Facebook, FB can then learn your phone number (without your Whatsapp ever sending it to FB).

intoverflow2 10y ago

> It does seem awfully creepy Everything about Facebook is, I deleted my account 4 years ago. Opened another one with a different email address last week. It instantly started suggesting people who I knew despite me not entering anything other than an email and phone number. It's super creepy how it pretty much already knows who you are from data your friends have shared with it.