# "Other people you may know on Facebook"--Okay, HOW? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 31, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-people-you-may-know-on-facebook-okay-how/534488 "2010-03-31T19:14:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BiGReDz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@BiGReDz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiGReDz)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-people-you-may-know-on-facebook-okay-how/534488/41 "2011-11-01T16:45:26Z")
I Did a test on facebook by creating a new account and searching that account with my current one and suddenly my name appeared on the people you may know box. Many people are getting problems with ex’s and people they do not know comming up on thier people you may know box and it is because these people are searching thier profile. I posted a similar statement like this on facebook and it was immediatly deleted. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-people-you-may-know-on-facebook-okay-how/534488/42 "2011-11-01T18:39:15Z")
A few days ago Facebook suggested that I friend my previous landlord. The last time I emailed or even spoke with this guy was about six years ago, and it was all the way across the country. We have no friends in common, and I don’t even have his email address in my address book. Freaked me out, it did. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-people-you-may-know-on-facebook-okay-how/534488/43 "2011-11-02T08:12:47Z")
> [@BiGReDz](#): > > I Did a test on facebook by creating a new account and searching that account with my current one and suddenly my name appeared on the people you may know box. Many people are getting problems with ex’s and people they do not know comming up on thier people you may know box and it is because these people are searching thier profile. I posted a similar statement like this on facebook and it was immediatly deleted. That’s a fascinating theory if true - FB clearly states they will never let you know who’s viewing your profile, but this might be a way around it! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-people-you-may-know-on-facebook-okay-how/534488/44 "2011-11-02T08:43:32Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Your son (and those other people) has you as a contact in his e-mail address contact list on gmail (or wherever). When he signed up, he had the option of giving Facebook access to his gmail/yahoo/hotmail contacts to send out friend invites. Facebook then knew that when your e-mail address reappeared, it would suggest the two of you be friends, since it knows you know each other. Valid. I run an Ebay business. I have a number of people I’ve sold items to in the past show up on Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![Dom\_Perignon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba8739/32.png) [@Dom\_Perignon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dom_Perignon)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-people-you-may-know-on-facebook-okay-how/534488/45 "2012-10-27T05:35:15Z")
I see a lot of young girls and women in the “People you may know” column on Facebook. They are listed with no mutual friends listed. My name is not that common and I really doubt that they have been attracted by my artwork. I suspect these are somehow “honey pots,” fake pages set up to lure men to pornography sites or something. Anybody know? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-people-you-may-know-on-facebook-okay-how/534488/46 "2012-10-27T15:10:50Z")
Um, the ‘people you may know’ list isn’t people who’ve ASKED to be your friend. It’s just people Facebook things YOU might know, who may or may not have friends. Those people may be second order friends… friends of friends, share interests with friends of friends, etc… BTW, anyone interested in this topic with $30 and some free time might be well advised to read up on this book: > **[Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL: Insights from a Connected World:...](https://www.amazon.com/Analyzing-Social-Media-Networks-NodeXL/dp/0123822297)** > > Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL: Insights from a Connected World \[Hansen Ph.D. University of Michigan, Derek, Shneiderman Ph.D. SUNY at Stony Brook, Ben, Smith Ph.D. UCLA Los Angeles CA, Marc A.\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on... I read it, and had a lot of fun charting out my friends from high school. Very interesting ‘clusters’ of friends! On edit: Forgot to mention, there are totally ‘honey pot’ accounts out there on FB. There are way less than there were on Myspace, but they’re out there. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-people-you-may-know-on-facebook-okay-how/534488/47 "2012-10-27T17:40:08Z")
Something else that quickly draws groups of like minded folks together is “likes”. People who like the same restaurant, the same music, attend the same events, often run in the same circles. Not to mention it would be childs play for FB to track what IP address you logged in from creating a potential cross reference with family who have accounts even though you have never interacted with them online. Facebook is basically a giant market research tool, and they wield it like Miyamoto Musashi with a sword. ---
**Author:** ![blytheiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@blytheiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blytheiam)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-people-you-may-know-on-facebook-okay-how/534488/48 "2013-07-24T19:06:40Z")
I joined just to respond to this. Many people don’t realize this, but cookies and similar items are typically enabled on most people’s computers. Some of these things allow websites to see all the sites you visit. Yahoo at one time, possibly still now, does not allow you to log into their site without cookies being enabled. I also have a fake facebook account, and used it to try to analyze. People you search for on other sites will also cause friend suggestions, or people affiliated with those pages. If you go to “girlie” sites (e.g. Maxim) and do not have strict security settings set up, or don’t clear out your cache, etc., when logging into facebook, you will begin getting friend suggestions for women with honeypot accounts or models from that company. If you go to an auto dealer’s website, you can get friend suggestions for their salespeople. If you want privacy, always check your security settings, and the privacy policy of every place you give your e-mail address. ---
**Author:** ![wentzr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wentzr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wentzr)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-people-you-may-know-on-facebook-okay-how/534488/49 "2013-10-20T08:04:23Z")
It seems fairly obvious to me after just signing up for facebook and seeing who was suggested that the list also factors in people who have searched for **you** on facebook. especially considering they really had no data from me to mine from in the first place as I literally _just_ signed up for facebook now. Yes. in 2013. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-people-you-may-know-on-facebook-okay-how/534488.md?page=2)