Facebook is Creepy

[kiya]

So I signed up for Facebook so I could look at the galleries from the Real Tea Party some people posted, and I'm presented with a list of names many of which I recognise, despite signing up under what's effectively an alias. (Adopted first name, a clan reference rather than real surname.)

So if you got a listing request from a weirdo just now, that's because Facebook is CREEPY.

Comments

[shana.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it's a question of someone seeing that their friend friended you and the name is familiar.

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

Do you mind if I repeat what you just said?

Facebook is creepy.

Facebook is creepy.

It won't even let me X out the "suggestins" anymore. I joined to be in touch with the kids and a couple friends, and I do not mind that a few of my old frienmds I haven't seen in seriously forty years have contacted me -- I'm not all that private -- but Facebook itself has serious stalker issues.

[linenoise.livejournal.com]

I think she's talking about the "I just signed up, how the hell does Facebook know how to suggest people to me?" kind of creepy, which really is kinda frightening.

First time I ever logged on to Facebook, it suggested an ex-friend that I'd lost touch with like five years prior, no friends in common, no common family, came from different states, etc. Only thing I can figure is that she still had my email in her address book, and wasn't sufficiently creeped out when FB asked for her email password to suggest more friends.

Facebook is a stalker.

[zeborah]

I think it relies on a combination of a) having got address books off people who signed up earlier and b) seeing patterns of who's friends with whom.

Because I don't *think* I gave it access to my own address books.

But yeah.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

I generally ignore FB's suggestions. They want to re-connect me with old girlfriends from high school and people I knew in the Marine Corps on Okinawa 30 years ago.

But, should you wish, I'm Bill Gawne over there and you're welcome to add me.

[shana.livejournal.com]

I agree that it's creepy. But I can generally guess where the suggestions are coming from.

[irinarempt.pip.verisignlabs.com (from livejournal.com)]

Yet another tick against Facebook on my list. Until I've successfully resisted three invites from people who don't know each other.

[irinarempt.pip.verisignlabs.com (from livejournal.com)]

er, that ought to have been "Until now I've resisted...".

[netbard.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty impressed with Facebook's suggestion algorithm - it seems to be able to put together suggestions that are surprisingly awesome. Definitely some misses, mostly because not everyone in my address book is someone whom I want to friend on facebook.