5 ms·

I've just assumed this is through whatsapp. I've logged into whatsapp with my phone number, fb know my phone number (2fa codes), and they've slurped my address

by dayjah 9y ago

I've just assumed this is through whatsapp. I've logged into whatsapp with my phone number, fb know my phone number (2fa codes), and they've slurped my address book from my phone and then show me connections on fb that are a few degrees of separation. This is the only way I can think that neighbours I barely know show up on the "people you may know" feature -- we're connected through neighbours I know far better.

manmal 9y ago
They probably know your neighbors because you both have the same SSIDs in your vicinity.. I don't see FB not knowing this. Or if you allowed GPS, and neighbors did too, then it's even easier to make the connection.
- Jdam 9y ago
  My co-workers from the office are frequently recommended to me on FB. Since I don't have their number, it must be location based.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - pbhjpbhj 9y ago
    You don't need to have their number, if someone else has both of your numbers and has uploaded their contacts list then you're linked in that third party's list. Equally likely it's linked via the wifi SSID or GPS?
  - Buge 9y ago
    If you both use the same wifi, then it could see you as the same IP address and recommend you to each other.
kylemclaren 9y ago
You are 100% correct about this. People have appeared on "People you may know" when I have absolutely zero connection to them other than I have chatted to the on What's App... I'm afraid I may have to stop using the service soon... was great until FB bought it.
- javiramos 9y ago
  I agree - it is amazing how even a small mention of a product in a whatsapp conversation with my friends turns into a barrage of related ads on Facebook. We have even started teasing each other by mention funny products just to indundate each other with irrelevant ads. So sad - my assumption is: anything you say or do in an electronic device is NOT private.
  - bb101 9y ago
    I wonder how this could work when Whatsapp advertises that conversations are encrypted end-to-end.
    - jpalomaki 9y ago
      These kinds of things might be just random. You see probably thousands of ads during the day, but most of them are not registered by your conscious mind. Only when there is a notable connection to something, your brain wakes up and you register the ad. There's also the option that before bringing up something in conversation, your friend has made some related searches or reacted to a related ad. Facebook could then make the decision to show the ad to you based on your friend past behavior and the fact that you two had a conversation.
      - riteshpatel 9y ago
        > These kinds of things might be just random. You see probably thousands of ads during the day, but most of them are not registered by your conscious mind. Only when there is a notable connection to something, your brain wakes up and you register the ad. This is similar to the Cocktail Party Effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocktail_party_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocktail_party_effect
    - 482794793792894 9y ago
      It's end-to-end-encrypted between the proprietary WhatsApp clients, but they might very well scan things inside of the WhatsApp client.
eighthnate 9y ago
Also keep in mind that social media/corps don't just use their own data, they also buys search history, credit card transactions, bank information, etc from other companies as well. Granted most of these are "anonymized" but it wouldn't take much effort to link them all together. For example, if you CC company sends your transaction history to FB without any identification information, FB could still know that transaction history by linking your smartphone location data to the transaction history. For example, if they know you were at train station at X time and at a Rite Aid at X time and at a McDonald's at X time, they could go "map" that to a "CC customer data tranche". It is highly doubtful that two people would be at same locations at the same exact times with the same transactions at the same time. FB is big enough to rely on their own data for most of their needs, but selling of your data is big business and everyone is doing it. And as creepy as FB adding your neighbors to your "people you may know", the real creepy part is the B2B part where corporations sell their profiles of you to each other or to governments/colleges/etc. And we are just at the beginnings of "datafication" of everyone. It's truly going to be a brave new world.

by dayjah 9y ago

manmal 9y ago

They probably know your neighbors because you both have the same SSIDs in your vicinity.. I don't see FB not knowing this. Or if you allowed GPS, and neighbors did too, then it's even easier to make the connection.

Jdam 9y ago
My co-workers from the office are frequently recommended to me on FB. Since I don't have their number, it must be location based.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- pbhjpbhj 9y ago
  You don't need to have their number, if someone else has both of your numbers and has uploaded their contacts list then you're linked in that third party's list. Equally likely it's linked via the wifi SSID or GPS?
- Buge 9y ago
  If you both use the same wifi, then it could see you as the same IP address and recommend you to each other.

kylemclaren 9y ago

You are 100% correct about this. People have appeared on "People you may know" when I have absolutely zero connection to them other than I have chatted to the on What's App... I'm afraid I may have to stop using the service soon... was great until FB bought it.

javiramos 9y ago
I agree - it is amazing how even a small mention of a product in a whatsapp conversation with my friends turns into a barrage of related ads on Facebook. We have even started teasing each other by mention funny products just to indundate each other with irrelevant ads. So sad - my assumption is: anything you say or do in an electronic device is NOT private.
- bb101 9y ago
  I wonder how this could work when Whatsapp advertises that conversations are encrypted end-to-end.
  - jpalomaki 9y ago
    These kinds of things might be just random. You see probably thousands of ads during the day, but most of them are not registered by your conscious mind. Only when there is a notable connection to something, your brain wakes up and you register the ad. There's also the option that before bringing up something in conversation, your friend has made some related searches or reacted to a related ad. Facebook could then make the decision to show the ad to you based on your friend past behavior and the fact that you two had a conversation.
    - riteshpatel 9y ago
      > These kinds of things might be just random. You see probably thousands of ads during the day, but most of them are not registered by your conscious mind. Only when there is a notable connection to something, your brain wakes up and you register the ad. This is similar to the Cocktail Party Effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocktail_party_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocktail_party_effect
  - 482794793792894 9y ago
    It's end-to-end-encrypted between the proprietary WhatsApp clients, but they might very well scan things inside of the WhatsApp client.

eighthnate 9y ago

Also keep in mind that social media/corps don't just use their own data, they also buys search history, credit card transactions, bank information, etc from other companies as well. Granted most of these are "anonymized" but it wouldn't take much effort to link them all together. For example, if you CC company sends your transaction history to FB without any identification information, FB could still know that transaction history by linking your smartphone location data to the transaction history. For example, if they know you were at train station at X time and at a Rite Aid at X time and at a McDonald's at X time, they could go "map" that to a "CC customer data tranche". It is highly doubtful that two people would be at same locations at the same exact times with the same transactions at the same time. FB is big enough to rely on their own data for most of their needs, but selling of your data is big business and everyone is doing it. And as creepy as FB adding your neighbors to your "people you may know", the real creepy part is the B2B part where corporations sell their profiles of you to each other or to governments/colleges/etc. And we are just at the beginnings of "datafication" of everyone. It's truly going to be a brave new world.