The confusion arises because there's a difference between: 1. Allow my friend list to be seen 2. Allow me to be seen on other peoples friends lists Given Face

The confusion arises because there's a difference between: 1. Allow my friend list to be seen 2. Allow me to be seen on other peoples friends lists Given Facebook wants users to be as discoverable as possible to form easy relationships, I can see how (1) is generally less damaging to that requirement. Its a pity since many legacy services allow for (2), e.g. Unlisted phone numbers.