I figured this out about a year ago. You can also search for friends on your phone by searching your contact list.
Posted By: edward6
A few weeks ago I was on Facebook and I started scrolling through the suggestions FB had for me as"people you may know". In the past, these were always friends of friends so it didn't bother me that much. It was getting very creepy this time though, because there were several suggestions of people I did know, but had ZERO mutual friends with. Mostly people I had met on a professional level but nobody that I would connect with socially on social media. I was flabbergasted wondering how in the world Facebook could have the slightest idea that I knew these people. Their infiltration of my private life now seemed to be on an epic scale. Until it got worse...
A few days ago, while browsing the same section, I came across the profile of a provider I have seen here in Vegas. It is a lady I consider a favorite who I have seen many times and I just adore her. Still... she's definitely not my Facebook friend! We had ZERO multiple friends, and yet Facebook knows I've seen her (NOBODY who knows my real name knows of my hobby!). I now know this provider's real name and stuff about her personal life I had never known before. I was looking right at her personal Facebook page, seeing comments from friends and family, and shocked that Facebook seemed to be saying to me "I know your secret, buddy".
Then yesterday, ANOTHER provider I have seen multiple times showed up!! Again-- real name and a real personal profile totally unrelated to her role as a provider. It was freaking me out so bad and I'm trying to figure out how Facebook does it! Then I think I solved the mystery:
Both girls have given me their cell numbers. Both girls must have given the cell number they use for everyday life. Because they are both in my contacts and I think that is what Facebook is doing. I think it is accessing my contacts and suggesting people as friends. That is why people I have in my contacts because I contact them for professional--but not social-- reasons are being suggested to me as well.
I'm not sure this is how they are doing it, but if so, it gives another reason to not use your real cell number when seeing clients/providers. Every bit of your privacy could be revealed to them. I always figured this could lead to somebody tracking you down if they worked at it. But now they don't need to even work at it. Facebook does all the work for them. I'm sure I've given out my real number before, and now I'm probably popping up in provider' Facebook feeds. Kind of a disturbing privacy aspect of Facebook and the brave new technological world we are living in.
