JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Neither DH nor I use Facebook personally. DH does have a fake account he uses for work. All he does with it is make sure that the company's services for their customers work with Facebook. In other words, he has not friended anyone or liked anything with this account. Nothing about my DH is associated with the account, including any email addresses, phone numbers, contacts, or names. When he logged in today, Facebook suggested he friend my son's gymnastic coach. How would Facebook know he knows the guy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Neither DH nor I use Facebook personally. DH does have a fake account he uses for work. All he does with it is make sure that the company's services for their customers work with Facebook. In other words, he has not friended anyone or liked anything with this account. Nothing about my DH is associated with the account, including any email addresses, phone numbers, contacts, or names. When he logged in today, Facebook suggested he friend my son's gymnastic coach. How would Facebook know he knows the guy? Cookies on his computer or device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 He's looking through the cookies right now. I'll report back if he figures anything out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Ok, he hadn't used Facebook in months. He has the coach's phone number in his contacts on his phone, but not the computer. He has never used Facebook on his phone and doesn't have the app. The coach hasn't emailed him at any address. The only thing he can think of is that they have had their phones near each other at the gym and that he has used the gym's wifi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraw4321 Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Does he have an iPhone & Mac. I think that contacts sync between them. So maybe FB on his mac was looking at his contacts?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Does he have an iPhone & Mac. I think that contacts sync between them. So maybe FB on his mac was looking at his contacts?? Nope, he checked. He doesn't sync his contacts between his phone and Macbook. He may have location services on, and Facebook may know he's been at the gym from that. Besides that, Facebook is tracking so, so much of what you are doning on your computer even when not using their website (Lots of websites do this, but you see the results more clearly with Facebook). In the very least, he will have less of this if he makes sure to log out of Facebook and close it each time when he's done with it. He could go farther by installing tracker-blocking software on his computer. He always logs out. He only uses Facebook a few times per year. I doubt he's ever used it at the gym, but I will ask. Also, I'm almost positive he has location services turned off for everything. He has never installed the Facebook app. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 I've had that happen. I am convinced there is a lot we don't know about in regards to FB. On several occasions, ads will pop up on FB of businesses or products that I've recently had conversations about with others. So weird!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Nothing helpful to add, but the Twilight Zone theme is running through my mind. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Nothing helpful to add, but the Twilight Zone theme is running through my mind. :laugh: :lol: I have Golden Earring's Twilight Zone in my head! Speaking of creepy, I noticed three times now that products I have discussed with dh in the room with Alexa (Amazon Echo) have shown up on my Amazon recommendations. I was asking dh if he shredded some paperwork and two days later shredders showed up. Another time I mentioned that we were running out of address labels and a few days later that showed up in my recs. The last item was a household item, don't remember which one. None of these are items I regularly order from Amazon and I have not searched for them. Coincidence? :001_huh: :willy_nilly: I always joke with dh that someday Amazon is going to rule the world. :001_smile: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 I recall reading that there is another app owned by facebook that can record what is being said in the room and later ads related to those things can show up on fb. I'll try to find that article again, it was recommended by someone here in another thread. Or fb is tracking websites visited or emails sent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 If he's ever searched the gym or coach online then there are cookies. FB accesses cookies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Location services are turned off for everything. He has never used Facebook at the gym. If he's ever searched the gym or coach online then there are cookies. FB accesses cookies. He has never searched for the coach online. Right now he is checking through the ad tracking/blocking software to see if it is blocking anything associated with BigBrotherbook (Facebook) from the gym's website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Ok, the gym's website doesn't load anything from Facebook, so FB can't cookie it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 (edited) Now we are back to wondering if the coach has FB on his phone and somehow the phones being in proximity did something. We've already read about TV commercials playing inaudible tones so your devices can track what you are watching at home. Edited May 11, 2016 by HoppyTheToad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 (edited) I had someone from way back show up once and the only common thread was that I'd communicated with that person using my hotmail email address that I'd listed with Facebook.. The other person must have linked FB with their email contacts. Once I figured that out I opened up a new hotmail account and I use it exclusively with FB. Edited May 11, 2016 by Pippen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 This is why I refuse to give FB any information. Practically every time I log it it asks for my phone number. It's obnoxious. And the most obnoxious thing is they make most of their profits from selling your private information. It's horrible. I wish everyone would stop using it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Now we are back to wondering if the coach has FB on his phone and somehow the phones being in proximity did something. We've already read about TV commercials playing inaudible tones so your devices can track what you are watching at home. What? Is that real? Do you have a link to a credible news source? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 I had someone from way back show up once and the only common thread was that I'd communicated with that person using my hotmail email address that I'd listed with Facebook. DH used a business email for FB (the account has a made up name) that he has used for nothing else. We are already cautious around here about social media, so he has been careful to not do anything that would reveal anything personal about us or anyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 What? Is that real? Do you have a link to a credible news source? I hope it isn't true. I will try to find a news source later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/11/your-phone-is-literally-listening-to-your-tv/416712/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 FTC warning: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2016/03/ftc-issues-warning-letters-app-developers-using-silverpush-code Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Both of those said it's not in use in the USA yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-block-companies-tracking-you-on-facebook-2014-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 DH used a business email for FB (the account has a made up name) that he has used for nothing else. We are already cautious around here about social media, so he has been careful to not do anything that would reveal anything personal about us or anyone else. If FB ever finds out that it's a fake name, they will delete it without warning and then give you a chance to present proof of that the name is a real name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Was it a friend request from the coach OR a friend suggestion? I know you said suggestion but wanted to double check before answering more...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 It suggests people who looked at the same things as your dh. So if, in addition to looking at his work stuff, he checked a thing from the gym, then in the absence of data, he might have caught someone employed there as a friend suggestion. Ditto if he used their wifi or just visited their website from the same computer and got the cookies from it. FB reads it, knows he's connected with the gym, churns up anyone connected with the gym as a friend suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Was it a friend request from the coach OR a friend suggestion? I know you said suggestion but wanted to double check before answering more...... It was a friend suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Must be a tracking cookie that figured out he knows someone at the gym. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Your DH is associated with the workplace location; the coach is associated with a location (through his listed current city, listed employer, cookies, whatever). So two men in proximity to each other might be acquainted. Now add the fact that the coach may have looked at your DH's workplace's FB page because he was interested in the business. Or coach could've done a search for someone with a name like the fake name your DH used. Or the coach knows a couple of people who have Liked the business page and/or interacted with FakeName on it. So now FB will suggest the two people to each other. It's not necessarily coming from your DH's use. It could be based on the coach's and on other people's as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 I decided long ago that I don't care who knows what about me. If I did I would go off the grid.....otherwise it is futile. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 What? Is that real? Do you have a link to a credible news source? It's definitely true that Facebook has a listening service so you can let it post what is being watched or listened to in the vicinity. You can opt out though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 It was a friend suggestion. Does he have the gymnastics in his calendar at all? I kept getting ads for piano lessons on the days we did piano and I could have sworn it was listening to the kids playing. Turns out that I have piano lessons in the calendar and Facebook has access to the calendar. I have also had friends suggestions come up when we have just been close to friends of friends or have mentioned the name in conversation. People always say it was the algorithm but to be honest they aren't even people that are in our friend group - they are friends of our parents who aren't even on Facebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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