Saxondale Posted 27 August 2012 Posted 27 August 2012 To cut a long story short, I was an early adopter of Twitter (ie. probably one of the first 1,000 in the UK) and, for whatever reason, deactivated my account last year. This evening I decided to register again. Obviously I had to start again with choosing people to follow. Twitter, with all its nu-skool whizz-bang features, presented to me suggestions of people to follow. Most of these suggestions were top celebrities. However, one was my friend Mark, who lives in Eastbourne in East Sussex. So, how does Twitter know that I, living in Leicestershire, happens to be good friends with Mark, living daan saaf? Having registered afresh, the only thing the website knows about me is my email address. So, has it scanned my email contacts for matches? Perhaps if I read the terms and conditions it would disclose that this is something that they may do. I have experienced similar things on LinkedIn - having contacts suggested that the website could only have possibly detected from my email contacts. Can anybody confirm if this is something that happens? Has anybody had any similar experiences? If they're reading that information, what else are they reading? Sounding a bit ElEmpty, I know. I'll go and fetch my tin foil hat.
Captain... Posted 27 August 2012 Posted 27 August 2012 To cut a long story short, I was an early adopter of Twitter (ie. probably one of the first 1,000 in the UK) and, for whatever reason, deactivated my account last year. This evening I decided to register again. Obviously I had to start again with choosing people to follow. Twitter, with all its nu-skool whizz-bang features, presented to me suggestions of people to follow. Most of these suggestions were top celebrities. However, one was my friend Mark, who lives in Eastbourne in East Sussex. So, how does Twitter know that I, living in Leicestershire, happens to be good friends with Mark, living daan saaf? Having registered afresh, the only thing the website knows about me is my email address. So, has it scanned my email contacts for matches? Perhaps if I read the terms and conditions it would disclose that this is something that they may do. I have experienced similar things on LinkedIn - having contacts suggested that the website could only have possibly detected from my email contacts. Can anybody confirm if this is something that happens? Has anybody had any similar experiences? If they're reading that information, what else are they reading? Sounding a bit ElEmpty, I know. I'll go and fetch my tin foil hat. With facebook it asks you if you want to check your e-mail contacts for friends and to do so I entered my e-mail password, so I doubt it could do it without your permission you may have allowed it when you signed up the first time and it remembers, but what is more likely if you haven't given it permission to check your contacts then your friend has.
Saxondale Posted 27 August 2012 Author Posted 27 August 2012 With facebook it asks you if you want to check your e-mail contacts for friends and to do so I entered my e-mail password, so I doubt it could do it without your permission you may have allowed it when you signed up the first time and it remembers, but what is more likely if you haven't given it permission to check your contacts then your friend has. It won't have been me, I never allow what. But, fair point, it may have been my pal.
Rincewind Posted 28 August 2012 Posted 28 August 2012 I think if you follow somebody they will suggest others that they follow. Its links within links so it can soon expand.
ozleicester Posted 28 August 2012 Posted 28 August 2012 Zingari is running twitter in the UK... and he knows EVERYTHING.
OzFox Posted 28 August 2012 Posted 28 August 2012 With facebook it asks you if you want to check your e-mail contacts for friends and to do so I entered my e-mail password, so I doubt it could do it without your permission you may have allowed it when you signed up the first time and it remembers, but what is more likely if you haven't given it permission to check your contacts then your friend has. Ah hah. That explains a thing or two
MooseBreath Posted 28 August 2012 Posted 28 August 2012 You've got to be careful with the information you give out these days. Those kind of websites ultimately exist to harvest and sell on data, and the way they do it is largely unregulated. I expect something will eventually happen which shines a bright light on seedy businesses like Twitter and facebook and the full extent to which they disregard and invade their users privacy will be stunning. Get out while you can.
Saxondale Posted 28 August 2012 Author Posted 28 August 2012 You've got to be careful with the information you give out these days. Those kind of websites ultimately exist to harvest and sell on data, and the way they do it is largely unregulated. I expect something will eventually happen which shines a bright light on seedy businesses like Twitter and facebook and the full extent to which they disregard and invade their users privacy will be stunning. Get out while you can. You're not wrong. When you consider that the information Facebook, for instance, holds about people is enough to build quite a clear picture of an individual, their friends and families' lives, as well as the fact it was floated for $10bn, it does make you wonder.
Danno Posted 28 August 2012 Posted 28 August 2012 Probably just picked out a random contact from your email and used it, plus if he follows similar people to you then his name will come up, a bit like mutual friends on facebook.
Jon the Hat Posted 29 August 2012 Posted 29 August 2012 The grand conspiracy is about selling you stuff. Not really a big secret is it?
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.