I can't get the screen he's seeing, all I did was to verify an email and I'm in!
Facebook privacy fuckup reveals who has your number in their phone
11–20 of 124 posts
Re: Facebook privacy fuckup reveals who has your number in their phone
#12I can't get the screen he's seeing, all I did was to verify an email and I'm in!
I'd be interested in anyone else's results. You might find the list by adding your number manually and then FB will only have this datapoint to find 'People you may know'.
Re: Facebook privacy fuckup reveals who has your number in their phone
#13I just tried this out of curiosity, but it never asked for my phone number (not only was it not required, I didn't even have the option to provide it at any point during the sign up process). Facebook had no friend recommendations for me at all.
I then tried adding my phone number to my profile (a phone number that I also have on my actual Facebook account). Went back to the home page and looked around a little more, still no friend recommendations. It's actually a solid possibility that nobody who has uploaded their phone contacts to Facebook has me as a contact (I didn't even know that was possible, actually).
Re: Facebook privacy fuckup reveals who has your number in their phone
#14I can't get the screen he's seeing, all I did was to verify an email and I'm in!
I'd be interested in anyone else's results. You might find the list by adding your number manually and then FB will only have this datapoint to find 'People you may know'.
Ok I've added my number. Where do I go to see suggested friends?
Re: Facebook privacy fuckup reveals who has your number in their phone
#15These little privacy leaks are not important on their own. A little data leaks here, a little there.
What is concerning is that we can guarantee private investigators and professional identity fraudsters are well on top of all these little loopholes. And combined, I'd say Facebook is probably pissing data out.
Some sweet law enforcement potential here - slap in a request to Facebook on a drug-dealing suspect, find a list of everyone with his number in their phone. Repeat until !exists($drugNetwork).
Re: Facebook privacy fuckup reveals who has your number in their phone
#16I just tried this out of curiosity, but it never asked for my phone number (not only was it not required, I didn't even have the option to provide it at any point during the sign up process). Facebook had no friend recommendations for me at all. I then tried adding my phone number to my profile (a phone number that I also have on my actual Facebook account). Went back to the home page and looked around a little more,…
http://www.facebook.com/gettingstarted.php?step=friend_reque...
That's the URL that I'm still being directed to - I haven't actually clicked 'Next' yet.
Re: Facebook privacy fuckup reveals who has your number in their phone
#17They appear to have resolved this issue in a timely fashion. I can no longer find a request for phone number during the sign up process or once logged in to find friends.
Re: Facebook privacy fuckup reveals who has your number in their phone
#18Has anyone tried creating a new account with a phone number they already have on their main FB account to see if this works always?
I tried it, FB gave me no recommendations, but maybe no one has me in their address book.
Re: Facebook privacy fuckup reveals who has your number in their phone
#19Headline is a little sensational. I'm not big fan of FB but this is just an artefact of the recommendation algos they're using.
Any contributor to HN shouldn't be surprised that a web app is using every possible bit of personal information it has to influence recommendation.
Someone mentioned a similar issue with Twitter recently (they signed up a with a new email but using a machine they had used previously and it recommended based on an existing cookie or something).
If you submit personal information - the recipient is likely to use it in many ways that make you uncomfortable - either immediately or at some point in the future.
Just because you feel secure with the current management team you donate personal data to doesn't mean your relationship with the next one will be so cosy. Nobody deletes data any more.
I guess at some point in the future identity online will be a lot more formal (Google+) and we'll be able to explicitly set the context (circle) we expose to services.
Re: Facebook privacy fuckup reveals who has your number in their phone
#20Headline is a little sensational. I'm not big fan of FB but this is just an artefact of the recommendation algos they're using. Any contributor to HN shouldn't be surprised that a web app is using every possible bit of personal information it has to influence recommendation. Someone mentioned a similar issue with Twitter recently (they signed up a with a new email but using a machine they had used previously and it r…
you seem to confuse being able to explain why something happens with whether or not it is a security breach. that this is an artefact of the recommendation algorithms does not change the importance of the information leaked.
and the argument "you should not be surprised companies fuck you over" simply gives away moral ground without a fight.
i really can't understand posts like yours. is the chance to appear world-weary and knowledgeable really worth selling your soul for?