Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

yet another creepy facebook 'feature'...

24 views
Skip to first unread message

David Weinshenker

unread,
May 1, 2013, 10:47:15 PM5/1/13
to
So I went to confirm a friend request on FB, and I note
that it is now asking me to click "yes" or "no" on this
question: "Do you know XXX from outside Facebook?"
(I didn't.)

So I'm wondering what that's about: is FB just hoping to survey the
extent to which their site expands people's "contact graphs" (by
leading them to "friend" others whom they might not have encountered
elsewhere)... or is it something more like they want to sort out
"your real friends that you actually know" from folks you "merely
met on facebook"?

-dave w
Message has been deleted

Todd Michel McComb

unread,
May 2, 2013, 3:30:03 AM5/2/13
to
In article <2454o8d6bck7edtne...@4ax.com>,
Chickpea <chic...@gmx.co.uk> wrote:
>They will be seeking to monetize this information in some way, no
>doubt.

No doubt, but the specific situation made me think they might be
trying to identify con artists -- people who no one actually knows,
but are insinuating themselves into various networks. Perhaps that
hypothesis is too optimistic regarding Facebook's motives; I certainly
have no illusions about how predatory they are themselves.

Message has been deleted

Steve Pope

unread,
May 2, 2013, 3:54:08 PM5/2/13
to
Chickpea <chic...@gmx.co.uk> wrote:

>In alt.polyamory, (David Weinshenker) wrote in
>They will be seeking to monetize this information in some way, no doubt.

Yes; they may also be using it to suppress "friend collectors". I have
heard -- although not recently -- that FB will temporarily disable
an account from sending new friend requests under some conditions.
It is possible the person sending the friend request to David
in the above case had issued a large number of friend requests
in the recent past and this has raised a flag. (Exactly why this should
be something they would flag, who knows.)


Steve
0 new messages