What is facebook suggested friends stalking?

The feature of "Suggested Friends" on Facebook has often led to discussions and questions about how the platform identifies which people to suggest. Facebook employs various algorithms and uses several data points to generate these suggestions. Some of the factors that might influence the "Suggested Friends" feature include:

  1. Mutual Friends: The most common reason someone might appear in your suggested friends list is because you share mutual friends. If you and another person have several friends in common, it's likely that Facebook will suggest you connect.

  2. Shared Networks: Being in the same school, workplace, location, or online groups can also lead to friend suggestions.

  3. Contacts Upload: If you have uploaded your contacts to Facebook, the platform can use this information to suggest friends from your phone or email contacts who are also on Facebook.

  4. Profile Views: There is speculation, though not officially confirmed by Facebook, that viewing someone else's profile or their viewing of yours might influence friend suggestions. Facebook denies using this kind of data for suggestions under privacy policies.

  5. Similar Interactions: Liking or commenting on similar posts or being tagged in the same photo/events can sometimes make someone appear in your list of suggested friends.

  6. Algorithmic Predictions: Facebook uses complex algorithms that analyze user behavior and interactions globally to predict potential connections.

Despite these factors, Facebook maintains that it does not specifically use tracking or stalking as a basis for friend suggestions. Privacy concerns have led to many rumors and misconceptions about how Facebook curates these suggestions, but the exact workings of its algorithms are proprietary and not fully disclosed to the public. If you have privacy concerns, it is advisable to review your Facebook privacy settings and make adjustments where necessary to control your data sharing.