How Does ''Facebook Suggested Friends'' Actually Work?

[passenger]

Are suggested friends on Facebook your previous stalkers? I've heard that Facebook suggests you friends that have searched your name before. People claim that they have proof that Facebook friend suggestions come from people who have stalked your profile... Do you agree?

[AlexEfron]

It's not from people you stalked. Most recommendation systems - be it friend suggestions on Facebook or a product suggestion in your Amazon cart is based on Graph Theory. I won't get into details, but you need a starting point to have a suggestion. For example, if you add a phone to your cart, you'll be suggested to add a case or earphones, because they're related products. Similarly friend suggestions require an initial friend first. Though it's not the entirety of the algorithm, but it is the basis of it. You can try creating a new account and not share your contact access to Facebook. You can wait for weeks, stalk as many profiles as you want, as long as you don't have any friends and you don't have your contacts shared either, Facebook algorithm has no idea whom to suggest and will never show you any suggested profiles. And likewise it won't suggest you to another person because there's no common link to you. In technical terms, if you're a node in the graph, and I'm a node in the graph, as long as we have some common path from your node to mine (not necessarily direct, it could be through an infinite number of intermediate nodes), there is a chance that Facebook will suggest us to one another. If there's no path between you and I, no matter how many times you stalk me or I stalk you, it'll never suggest us.

[Throwawaynowknow]

In a basic sense yes but then you have to consider trackers that they employee in other apps, emails, sites, basically everything

[Throwawaynowknow]

So they can suggest based on your activitity off Facebook site/app too

[AlexEfron]

Trackers and activity data is used for adverts. 😂 We can try, I'm open to stalking anyone on g@g. I want to see how long it takes for FB algorithm to suggest me to them with just stalking.

[Throwawaynowknow]

Look at post I just made which includes screenshots. Crazy what they try to collect

[Astarlessnightsky]

Usually friends are suggested that are friends of your friends and some random people who share a thing with you, like same school, living in the same city, ...

[BasedBaeBecca]

The algorithm for how Facebook suggests friends is pretty complicated and involves analyzing your previous behavior, interests, and existing connections to figure out who you are most likely to know. It also bases these suggestions partly on who is searching for you on Facebook, so it's certainly possible that someone who has stalked you on Facebook could end up being a suggested friend on your account. However, keep in mind that these suggestions are based on probability and shouldn't be taken as evidence that someone is definitely stalking your profile.

[Anonymous]

It's true If you search someone's profile you may come up in their suggestions other times its people who are in your phone contacts and other times its people who are friends with people whom you are friends with

[aquaman]

Facebook's got this pretty complex algorithm that looks at a bunch of different factors to decide who to put in your "Suggested Friends" list.

One of the big ones is mutual friends. If you and another person have a lot of friends in common, Facebook's like, "Hey, you guys should probably know each other!" and bam, they pop up in your suggested list. Makes sense, right? If you both know the same people, there's a good chance you might want to connect.

Then there's the info you've got on your profile. Say you've listed that you went to XYZ University and worked at ABC Company. Facebook will look for other folks who've got that same info and might throw them into your suggested friends.

Now here's where it starts to feel like Facebook is spying on you: location. If you've got location services turned on, Facebook knows where you are. So if you keep crossing paths with someone—maybe you both go to the same coffee shop or gym—Facebook might decide you should be friends.

And don't forget about your activity on the platform itself. If you're in the same Facebook groups as someone else or you both like the same pages, those are other cues the algorithm uses to decide if you should be friends.

Last but not least, if you've got the Facebook app on your phone and you've given it permission to access your contacts, it'll use that data too. So if you've got someone's number saved in your phone, don't be surprised if they show up in your "Suggested Friends."

So, in a nutshell, Facebook uses a mix of mutual friends, profile info, location data, your activity on the platform, and even your phone contacts to come up with that list. Kind of invasive? Maybe a little. But also a pretty smart way to keep people connected. Just remember, you can always tweak your privacy settings if it gets too creepy for your taste.

[Anonymous]

@AlexEfron this is what Facebook (which I don't even have an acct, tried to collect from me using a banking app.

[Opinion Owner]

Gps data and time can tell you who you hanging out with.

[AlexEfron]

I'm not saying it doesn't collect. Facebook and related social media try to access a lot of sketchy stuff. I'm saying that those data are used for a different purpose. Mainly for advertising.

I've been interacting with about 5-7 people in my office. It has been a year now. I did not give Facebook my contacts permission and my location permission. I haven't received their suggestions yet. I have stalked them though. Can't say if they got me as a suggestion.

If let's say it suggests people based on the GPS data, then I'd be suggested a bunch of strangers everytime I visit some restaurant or mall. Instead I get related ads.

[Opinion Owner]

@AexEfron I completely agree with what you saying. They describe the process of friend suggestions in GMS they sre generated jusy as yoynindicated. I don't doubt them telling the truth on this however I doubt t they telling the whole truth because that's some sexy days they collecting from a banking app. They do that zMs though on the Google app itself which alwHs has location service by default. I'd image same as apple so they pretty much know every interaction we making in person vs just online

I can't imagine they wouldn't use this data. It's not illegal. jusy not something you want people to know

[exitseven]

Good question. I just got a Facebook account about a year ago. every time I logon there sre wll these friend requests. I never heard of any of these people.

[Chris123432169]

No from what I notice it’s people I have their numbers or I have added on instagram but not on Facebook

[Blueeyes81]

99% of my suggested friends I share multiple mutual friends with. The other 1% are weird random people from all over the place. I doubt they even know who I am to stalk.

[LiamJHayden]

No idea. When I had a page I'd get suggestions for people with zero common friends and zero common interests. Seemed sus to me.

[Riverdog]

I hope not 😬 I think it’s more to do with friends in common , friends or friends , work
Colleagues and places visited.

[jahaims]

It's friends of friends and coworkers normally. Or distant relatives

[djmzes]

Data analytics, big data and fb algorithm

[Ethan_T]

I think it's just friends of friends but maybe not

[Anonymous]

Yes, that's very possible.