Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Created a fake account and Facebook still figured out who I am. How?

reddit.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–99 of 99 posts

Re: Created a fake account and Facebook still figured out who I am. How?

#91

Post by Sylamore »

aboutruby wrote: post #56
throwawayosiu1 wrote: post #50

While the user might have issues (like cookies and other features) - I can guarantee you Facebook does all kinds of creepy stuff to identify who you are. Worse yet, once they think they've successfully identified you - they share your details with who they think you are. Personal example: Recently I wanted to have a look at a few ex coworker profiles (who are not my friends on FB). I didn't want to use my personal ac…

You can use disposable phone numbers to receive text messages

I've had some iffy experiences doing that with FB, Google and Azure.

Azure wouldn't even let me use my actual main number because it happens to be a google voice number and they actively block voip numbers (seems they look up the CLEC info somehow).

Re: Created a fake account and Facebook still figured out who I am. How?

#92

Post by jklick »

bjt2n3904 wrote: post #23

I think there's a much simpler answer than some sort of "deep browser fingerprinting" or other scary voodoo. 1) User requests account deletion. Facebook does not delete it, keeps track of his phone number via shadow profiles. (Mike is still mike@gmail.com, 800-555-1234) 2) User creates a new Proton Mail address. (Fakey@protonmail.com) 3) One of his friends adds that email address to his contact. (Mike, mike@gmail.com…

Hi, I'm the original poster on Reddit.

It's a great theory -- and I can see how this could easily happen to someone - but it was not the case in this scenario. In fact, doing so would completely defeat what I was trying to achieve. The email address I used for Facebook was unique, not used for anything else, and not shared with anyone else. It was completely isolated.

Re: Created a fake account and Facebook still figured out who I am. How?

#93

Post by QuantumGood »

jklick wrote: post #92
bjt2n3904 wrote: post #23

I think there's a much simpler answer than some sort of "deep browser fingerprinting" or other scary voodoo. 1) User requests account deletion. Facebook does not delete it, keeps track of his phone number via shadow profiles. (Mike is still mike@gmail.com, 800-555-1234) 2) User creates a new Proton Mail address. (Fakey@protonmail.com) 3) One of his friends adds that email address to his contact. (Mike, mike@gmail.com…

Hi, I'm the original poster on Reddit. It's a great theory -- and I can see how this could easily happen to someone - but it was not the case in this scenario. In fact, doing so would completely defeat what I was trying to achieve. The email address I used for Facebook was unique, not used for anything else, and not shared with anyone else. It was completely isolated.

So...cookies? https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/am1hi0/a_created_a... (suggested below by eridius)

And riverdan points you you didn't seem to clear browser cookies since you last used you old personal FB account?

Re: Created a fake account and Facebook still figured out who I am. How?

#94

Post by josephjrobison »

jklick wrote: post #92
bjt2n3904 wrote: post #23

I think there's a much simpler answer than some sort of "deep browser fingerprinting" or other scary voodoo. 1) User requests account deletion. Facebook does not delete it, keeps track of his phone number via shadow profiles. (Mike is still mike@gmail.com, 800-555-1234) 2) User creates a new Proton Mail address. (Fakey@protonmail.com) 3) One of his friends adds that email address to his contact. (Mike, mike@gmail.com…

Hi, I'm the original poster on Reddit. It's a great theory -- and I can see how this could easily happen to someone - but it was not the case in this scenario. In fact, doing so would completely defeat what I was trying to achieve. The email address I used for Facebook was unique, not used for anything else, and not shared with anyone else. It was completely isolated.

Maybe recreate it, but take out all the associations that people are suggesting here?

Spin up a new Windows VPS and create all activity over there and see if FB still connects you?

Re: Created a fake account and Facebook still figured out who I am. How?

#95

Post by jklick »

QuantumGood wrote: post #93
jklick wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi, I'm the original poster on Reddit. It's a great theory -- and I can see how this could easily happen to someone - but it was not the case in this scenario. In fact, doing so would completely defeat what I was trying to achieve. The email address I used for Facebook was unique, not used for anything else, and not shared with anyone else. It was completely isolated.

So...cookies? https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/am1hi0/a_created_a... (suggested below by eridius) And riverdan points you you didn't seem to clear browser cookies since you last used you old personal FB account?

Yeah, that's what the running theory is. Kind of angry with myself if that's the case. However, as I point out in my second update, the whole endeavor seems to be awfully tricky. One misstep and privacy leaks.

Re: Created a fake account and Facebook still figured out who I am. How?

#96

Post by cascada »

bjt2n3904 wrote: post #23

I think there's a much simpler answer than some sort of "deep browser fingerprinting" or other scary voodoo. 1) User requests account deletion. Facebook does not delete it, keeps track of his phone number via shadow profiles. (Mike is still mike@gmail.com, 800-555-1234) 2) User creates a new Proton Mail address. (Fakey@protonmail.com) 3) One of his friends adds that email address to his contact. (Mike, mike@gmail.com…

> One of his friends adds that email address to his contact.

And what a user creates a fake account without adding his real or current/old friends to it?

Re: Created a fake account and Facebook still figured out who I am. How?

#97

Post by cascada »

11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #57

Here's another, this time with LinkedIn. I took an ambulance ride. The attendant in the back talked with me during the ride to monitor whether I was remaining lucid. Did not know him, never met him before, never saw him since. A week later, I was scrolling through LinkedIn recommended connections and saw a face I recognized, but could not place.... until I saw that they worked for the ambulance company that I had rid…

So what? There had been hundreds or thousands of faces in the recommendations you didn't recognize.

Re: Created a fake account and Facebook still figured out who I am. How?

#98

Post by cascada »

puranjay wrote: post #64
11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #57

Here's another, this time with LinkedIn. I took an ambulance ride. The attendant in the back talked with me during the ride to monitor whether I was remaining lucid. Did not know him, never met him before, never saw him since. A week later, I was scrolling through LinkedIn recommended connections and saw a face I recognized, but could not place.... until I saw that they worked for the ambulance company that I had rid…

Similar thing happened to me with both Facebook and LinkedIn. I visited a bank and spoke to an employee for about 10 minutes about opening an account for my business. My location was switched off and at no point did we exchange numbers. A day later, I saw that particular employee in my suggestions on both LinkedIn and Facebook We of course had no mutual connections at all

You had facebook app in your phone -- what is it you're surprised about?

Re: Created a fake account and Facebook still figured out who I am. How?

#99

Post by cascada »

whizzkid wrote: post #15

There are tens of attributes that can be used to identify you and generate a unique id of it. Cookies are just the 101. Canvas fingerprinting, extensions, screen resolution and etc. I read it somewhere that FB is pre-creating profiles for those who haven't even created a FB account yet (Face recognition and etc). Avoid using it.

I've heard that a man and women are having sex, facebook already pre-creates a profile for their future child.
Post reply on HN