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Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything It Really Knows About Them

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Re: Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything It Really Knows About Them

#2
You can replace "Facebook" with thousands of other companies. Everyone is doing this because the cost is low, its easy, and the return is massive. The sole service my roommate's company does is match your customer with data about them from countless other sources.

If you want a peek into a small section of this type of data, go build a facebook ad. You can see all the targeting options. You can upload a list of email and build a "look a like" audience of people who are similar to your customers.

A company called cartalytics will let a brand purchase lists of people who have bought a specific product in the past 6 months and show them ads. Ex. If you've bought a big mac (with a credit or debit card) in the last month, I can show you McDonalds ads.. but they are super expensive.

Re: Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything It Really Knows About Them

#3
That might explain a pretty creepy thing Facebook did the other day to me.

I just created a new Facebook account after maybe 4 years of radio silence. Two years ago, I had a job doing IT contracting; often I would go to businesses and repair laptops or run cable to a COM room. We had very very few residential clients since they weren't worth our time; the few that we did have were really just courtesy for doing business for so long. I went to one residents home a SINGLE time, hardly interacted with the man, and he definitely did not know my last name.

Guess who pops up on my "Suggested friends", with no mutual friends or place of work or any similar "liked" pages? Yeah, that one client.

Similarly, we worked in a small office in a cold storage facility, and Facebook also suggested that I add their accountant as my friend.

It's really creepy, but if Facebook was able to know that I worked at that employer then it's possible that it was able to make the connection.

Re: Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything It Really Knows About Them

#4

That might explain a pretty creepy thing Facebook did the other day to me. I just created a new Facebook account after maybe 4 years of radio silence. Two years ago, I had a job doing IT contracting; often I would go to businesses and repair laptops or run cable to a COM room. We had very very few residential clients since they weren't worth our time; the few that we did have were really just courtesy for doing busin…

They know your location and proximity to other facebook users.

Re: Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything It Really Knows About Them

#5

That might explain a pretty creepy thing Facebook did the other day to me. I just created a new Facebook account after maybe 4 years of radio silence. Two years ago, I had a job doing IT contracting; often I would go to businesses and repair laptops or run cable to a COM room. We had very very few residential clients since they weren't worth our time; the few that we did have were really just courtesy for doing busin…

Or some other more active Facebook user knew both of you. It doesn't take very many hops of the graph to connect people who might not be aware of that connection themselves.

Re: Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything It Really Knows About Them

#6

That might explain a pretty creepy thing Facebook did the other day to me. I just created a new Facebook account after maybe 4 years of radio silence. Two years ago, I had a job doing IT contracting; often I would go to businesses and repair laptops or run cable to a COM room. We had very very few residential clients since they weren't worth our time; the few that we did have were really just courtesy for doing busin…

The most common source of those suggestions is phone contacts. Anyone using the Facebook (or Instagram) app is sending them a copy of their entire address book to be used for network mapping purposes.

Re: Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything It Really Knows About Them

#7
post #2

You can replace "Facebook" with thousands of other companies. Everyone is doing this because the cost is low, its easy, and the return is massive. The sole service my roommate's company does is match your customer with data about them from countless other sources. If you want a peek into a small section of this type of data, go build a facebook ad. You can see all the targeting options. You can upload a list of email…

Tangential question: Do you know if it's possible to identify financial institutions which don't sell this kind of data? Credit unions?

Re: Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything It Really Knows About Them

#8

That might explain a pretty creepy thing Facebook did the other day to me. I just created a new Facebook account after maybe 4 years of radio silence. Two years ago, I had a job doing IT contracting; often I would go to businesses and repair laptops or run cable to a COM room. We had very very few residential clients since they weren't worth our time; the few that we did have were really just courtesy for doing busin…

The most common source of those suggestions is phone contacts. Anyone using the Facebook (or Instagram) app is sending them a copy of their entire address book to be used for network mapping purposes.

Instagram, you say? Go on...

Re: Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything It Really Knows About Them

#9
post #2

You can replace "Facebook" with thousands of other companies. Everyone is doing this because the cost is low, its easy, and the return is massive. The sole service my roommate's company does is match your customer with data about them from countless other sources. If you want a peek into a small section of this type of data, go build a facebook ad. You can see all the targeting options. You can upload a list of email…

Tangential question: Do you know if it's possible to identify financial institutions which don't sell this kind of data? Credit unions?

Up until a few years ago, credit card networks had divisions that were trading on transaction data, but they've had to shut those down. So now they sell the anonymized data to prop trading firms and advertisers. I think cash is your best bet.

Re: Facebook Doesn’t Tell Users Everything It Really Knows About Them

#10
post #2

You can replace "Facebook" with thousands of other companies. Everyone is doing this because the cost is low, its easy, and the return is massive. The sole service my roommate's company does is match your customer with data about them from countless other sources. If you want a peek into a small section of this type of data, go build a facebook ad. You can see all the targeting options. You can upload a list of email…

Tangential question: Do you know if it's possible to identify financial institutions which don't sell this kind of data? Credit unions?

Small credit unions would be your best bet, but I'm not aware of any specifics unfortunately.
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