How does Facebook do it?

[dr.girlfriend]

My BIL wanted to check out the Facebook page of a rival business, but didn't want to "like" them to do it. I was like, "Oh, I have this random gmail address for internet spam, I'll set up a FB profile with it and you can like whomever you want."

So, I make up a fake name, birthdate, etc. and set up a fake profile. A year later I get an email from FB to this fake profile person, suggesting "People I Might Know on Facebook," and the first person they suggest is me -- my actual real FB profile. How could they possibly know? I didn't give them access to any emails other than my spam one. I get my spam account forwarded to my real email, but they shouldn't know that. The most I can think of is they tracked an IP address, but since I was at my parents' place for Christmas at the time that seems unlikely.

What am I missing? I can't think of any legitimate way they connected real-me to fake-me, lol.

[cookies]

Have you ever clicked on your profile while logged in as Spam You?

[Becca]

Facebook knows all.

Just like every time I use my check card at a store for the first time, I end up on their e-mail list within a couple days.

The internet is one massive database.

[Deleted]

Facebook suggested I friend a guy who I dated when I was 17 and in my first semester of college. I had never looked him up, sent him an e-mail, nothing. I actually forgot he existed.

Damn Facebook.

[thatgirl2478]

probably IP / cookie tracking. I'm sure they have all sorts of interesting algorithms.

[cookies]

BTW, all of these scenarios are really freaky. Facebook is like Big Brother.

[thatgirl2478]

Dec 20, 2012 16:29:52 GMT -5 cookies said:

BTW, all of these scenarios are really freaky. Facebook is like Big Brother.

Most websites are exactly like Big Brother... think about how many times you go to a shopping site to look for a product (amazon, overstock, etc) and then those items suddenly appear in your ads at the top of proboards or at the bottom of google reader or in the side bar of yahoo mail?

Every site gathers your information, most sell it. You can turn off cookies if you want, but that effects your internet browsing experience. I suppose if you were REALLY worried about it, you wouldn't be online in the first place! lol

[Deleted]

Dec 20, 2012 16:25:20 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

probably IP / cookie tracking. I'm sure they have all sorts of interesting algorithms.

That would be my guess.

[cookies]

Oh I'll still use the internet. At least it's a machine stalking my every online move and not an actual human being.

[dr.girlfriend]

Dec 20, 2012 16:14:25 GMT -5 cookies said:

Have you ever clicked on your profile while logged in as Spam You?

Nope.

[dr.girlfriend]

Dec 20, 2012 16:22:45 GMT -5 @sfgal530 said:

Have you ever used their 'friends you may know' feature? Where you sign in with your e-mail address and then it looks to see if anyone in your address book has a facebook account?

Nope.

[rikki]

I was shocked when it suggested that I become friends with the mother of one of the guys I hooked up with in college. I hadn't looked at his profile, had never met his mother, and hadn't thought of him in years. We had no friends in common. So odd.

[hlke]

Dec 21, 2012 8:55:16 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

Dec 20, 2012 16:22:45 GMT -5 @sfgal530 said:

Have you ever used their 'friends you may know' feature? Where you sign in with your e-mail address and then it looks to see if anyone in your address book has a facebook account?

Nope.

Not even from your real profile, a long time ago? Or do you have a friend who might have both of your email addresses in their gmail?

Basically when you consent to load your gmail address book into Facebook, they log all those emails and associate them with your account. Same with if anyone else uses it and has your email in their address book. It's suggested people I only have very remote email contact with - a professor who wrote me a rec 5 years ago, someone I sold something to on Craigslist, etc. I'm assuming that THEY used the "friends you may know" feature and my email address shows up in their gmail address books, since your gmail "contacts" is everyone you've ever emailed.

[dr.girlfriend]

Dec 21, 2012 14:41:15 GMT -5 hlke said:

Dec 21, 2012 8:55:16 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

Nope.

Not even from your real profile, a long time ago? Or do you have a friend who might have both of your email addresses in their gmail?

Basically when you consent to load your gmail address book into Facebook, they log all those emails and associate them with your account. Same with if anyone else uses it and has your email in their address book. It's suggested people I only have very remote email contact with - a professor who wrote me a rec 5 years ago, someone I sold something to on Craigslist, etc. I'm assuming that THEY used the "friends you may know" feature and my email address shows up in their gmail address books, since your gmail "contacts" is everyone you've ever emailed.

Ah...the latter might be the case. I've never allowed FB access to my email, but occasionally I'll start talking with someone (e.g., a GBCN-er) from my "spam" account and then accidentally or deliberately continue from my "real" account. Like Mrs.Beagle...when she was finally coming to pick up the leg lamp I sent her an email from my real-name account instead of my dr.girlfriend account so she would know I wasn't planning on making her a skin suit. If she or someone like that had FB accessing their address book, it would explain the connection, and also explain why it just happened a year after I set up the dummy account.