Ask HN: How has Facebook figured out my family doctor as a friend suggestion? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How has Facebook figured out my family doctor as a friend suggestion?

#61

Post by compsciphd » Fri, Apr 21, 2017, 9:37 AM UTC

williamscales wrote: post #31

compsciphd wrote: post #11

We've gone through this many times, its nothing nefarious. 1) doctor uploads his contacts (phone number/email addresses) to facebook and sets his contact info 2) you upload your contacts and set your contact info if there's one match between them, facebook believes (correctly) that there is some sort of existing relationship between you. The fact that its professional and not personal and you want facebook to just be…

I think the original asker said he had never uploaded his contacts. Presumably though Facebook could just follow the reverse relation from the doctor without needing to confirm that it goes both ways.

the asker doesn't have to upload his contacts, he just has to tell facebook his number or email address. the doctor might have uploaded his contacts which include one of those pieces of information.

Re: Ask HN: How has Facebook figured out my family doctor as a friend suggestion?

#62

Post by compsciphd » Fri, Apr 21, 2017, 9:38 AM UTC

abraca wrote: post #49

abraca wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No,your doctor actually is not allowed to upload your contact information as a patient to Facebook. It is against regulations. Patient information is private, including contact information. If he or she has done so it IS nefarious.

Extract from wikipedia about protected health information below: note that names and email addresses are PHI and must be treated with special care.... Under the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), PHI that is linked based on the following list of 18 identifiers must be treated with special care:[1] Names All geographical identifiers smaller than a state, except for the initial three digits…

that's actually a reasonable argument but would imply that a doctor cannot use any cloud connected phone (i.e. android or ios). Heck, even using gmail from the web might be a problem.

not a lawyer, so dont know the implications.

Re: Ask HN: How has Facebook figured out my family doctor as a friend suggestion?

#63

Post by compsciphd » Fri, Apr 21, 2017, 9:41 AM UTC

matt_heimer wrote: post #42

compsciphd wrote: post #11

We've gone through this many times, its nothing nefarious. 1) doctor uploads his contacts (phone number/email addresses) to facebook and sets his contact info 2) you upload your contacts and set your contact info if there's one match between them, facebook believes (correctly) that there is some sort of existing relationship between you. The fact that its professional and not personal and you want facebook to just be…

So they Kevin Bacon it? ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon ) Has anyone generated enough fictitious people to determine the number of degrees they'll go to? I would imagine at 4 hops the list gets huge and well outside your personal circle but it'd be interesting to see some studies.

I strongly believe so. There are people who I know of in passing in real life (we exist in same extended social circle, but who I have never really spoken with), but as we have lots of mutual friends they come up as suggested matches for me on facebook.

Re: Ask HN: How has Facebook figured out my family doctor as a friend suggestion?

#64

Post by compsciphd » Fri, Apr 21, 2017, 9:42 AM UTC

throwaway_374 wrote: post #58

compsciphd wrote: post #11

We've gone through this many times, its nothing nefarious. 1) doctor uploads his contacts (phone number/email addresses) to facebook and sets his contact info 2) you upload your contacts and set your contact info if there's one match between them, facebook believes (correctly) that there is some sort of existing relationship between you. The fact that its professional and not personal and you want facebook to just be…

Thanks for your reply but I have no idea why this is the top voted reply as it does not consider my factors . As noted by others: 1) The doctor/practice does not have my latest mobile phone number as I have not been to them in years. Having said that, it may be an old number on which I used to use Facebook. This friend suggestion is only in the past few months, which suggests that they are mining friend circles in hi…

1) the doctor might have only uploaded their contacts to facebook recently

2) my argument has nothing to do with your phone, just what info you have given facebook (email/phone number). If someone else uploads their contacts that includes one of those pieces of information, facebook makes a connection.