this is a turn around FACEBOOK to make listings available to search engines and outsiders

[zippitippitoes]

article here

a lot of people seem to use it on the grounds it is private...i think nothing on the net is private, but i have bitten the bullet since i am on these dating sites can't really advertise yourself secretly

It's not as though they are forcing anyone to be searchable... members have a choice over whether to keep their listings Facebook-only or to make their name and profile picture available. And all that can be found in a public search is your name and profile picture, anyway, which isn't horribly intrusive IMO (mind you, have just gone and unticked the relevant box).