How does Facebook know this?

[MeanwhileTime]

Several years ago I deleted (not just deactivated) my Facebook account. I can’t remember how many years ago it was now but at least 7 or 8.

Last week I decided to rejoin (just with the bare minimum of personal information and only so that I could view and join local groups such as school, classes etc.). and created a new account. The only information I entered was my email address, name and date of birth and I did not make any friend requests or the like. Facebook instantly came up with numerous friend suggestions, including people I was friends with when previously on Facebook, but also other people I met years after deleting my account and was never, and have never been connected to on Facebook.

How does Facebook know to suggest all these people? Could they have been holding on to my personal information for all these years? I was under the impression that as I deleted my account they would have to delete all the information they had on me. Or could they have somehow gathered the information through my email address?

I was so weirded out by this and frustrated with trying to work out the privacy settings (which I was under the impression had improved since I was a member before ) that I’ve decided not to bother rejoining and have deleted my account. I’m still concerned about how they knew all that though. Can anyone shed any light on it for me? I have tried contacting Facebook but can’t find any direct contact details for them and can only fill out their help centre form by logging into my (now deleted) account!

Did you sign up with the same email address you used before?

I think it's because when you join you give them access to your address book (unless you opt out) so if you are in other people's address books, or if they have ever e-mailed you then FB knows that you know them, iyswim.

Wrt to the friend suggestions, it's usually people you have one or more mutual friends with. So although you weren't fb friends before, you would still have a connection.

Every so often it throws up a random person.

Have they automatically linked to your phone or WhatsApp contacts?

Facebook on your phone offers to read your contact list and find people you are friends with. Lots of your friends will have said yes to this without noticing.

If those people have your name and email, it will have remembered this, even though nobody was (at the time) on Facebook with that name and email.

If I have "Sarah Waters, [email protected]" in my contacts

And my (Facebook) friend Rachel has "Sarah Waters, 07123 456789" in her contacts

Then Facebook will now have a pretty good idea that there's someone out there called Sarah Waters with that email and that phone number.

If Lucy, another of my Facebook friends, has "Sarah, 07123 456789" in her contacts, Facebook will probably assume that's the same person.

When you join Facebook, it will suggest that you might want to be friends with me and Rachel and Lucy.

Thanks for all the replies. Yes I think it’s the same email address (although can’t say for certain). The friend suggestions seemed to be a mix of people I was previously friends with on Facebook (some but not all of whom are in my email contacts) and people I have met since (who are in my contacts) so I guess you’re right and it must have accessed my contacts. Although there were suggested people whose email addresses I’ve never had.

Couldn’t for the life of me find how to opt out of giving them access as didn’t actually realise they had it and had a hard enough time finding the privacy settings in the first place! Have come to the conclusion that i’m definitely better off not being on Facebook!

I am on WhatsApp so guess that could be connected somehow. But Oh my days, the more I learn about it the happier I am to be off it!

Although there were suggested people whose email addresses I’ve never had.

Facebook has my phone number too.

Check your settings on WhatsApp.