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I created a Facebook account, and the email address was freshly created with that account.

I have never sent any email from that email address and the only emails I have received has been welcoming ones from Google and Facebook .

I go to the Facebook homepage, and it says "People you may know".

It lists two people one of whom I know. Where is it pulling them from? / What are the sources that Facebook pulls these things from?

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  • maybe an account one browses to while logged into that fb account? and it may perhaps go the other way too, so maybe a good idea not to browse to other accounts while logged into that one unless you're wiling for that ie your account to potentially be advertised to others(Those you visited).. so it's a bit like they you may have viewed them. Maybe viewing other accoutns from some dummy accoutn or an incognito would do it more privately.
    – barlop
    Jun 4, 2016 at 17:25

3 Answers 3

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Facebook may have suggested:

  • People you searched for earlier (even not logged in, but from the same machine!)
  • People who have searched for you
  • People from same school, workplace or village
  • People who have your associated phone numbers in their address book
  • Friends of people you have blocked

For further information, please see the links below:

  1. Facebook has published its "personalized ads" policy for those not having an fb account: link1

  2. Facebook published announcement in a 2014 company blog post that they are using backend data gathering to build user profiles even if user has no fb account, but uses any of their services link2, link3

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  • I suppose there's a good chance facebook could also go to those people that I searched for and tell them they might know me? Do you have any evidence that facebook uses those that method that even if not logged in, but from same machine?
    – barlop
    Jun 4, 2016 at 19:25
  • Yes, facebook shows You to those people. Yes, facebook tracks the computer user's activity in relation their services even when the user has no fb account. Evidence 1: facebook has published its "personalized ads" policy for those not having account: link
    – Attila
    Jun 4, 2016 at 20:12
  • ... Evidence 2: facebook published announcements in a 2014 company blog post that they are using backend data gathering to build user profiles even if user has no fb account, but uses any of their services: link, link
    – Attila
    Jun 4, 2016 at 20:22
  • Comments are meant to be temporary. It'd be great if you added those source links to your answer.
    – ale
    Jun 8, 2016 at 10:40
  • I see, @AI E, I am new to this amazing site, I've edited my answer, and inserted the links. Thank You for Your Help. Should I delete my comments, now?
    – Attila
    Jun 8, 2016 at 14:07
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From the Facebook Help Center:

What is People You May Know?

People You May Know are people on Facebook that you might know. We show you people based on mutual friends, work and education information, networks you’re part of, contacts you’ve imported and many other factors.

For example: If both of you add the same college in your education then you both will be shown on people you may know on each other's profile.

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Yes it may because when you filled your personal details then Facebook catch the common things among you and other. That's why "People you may know" showing some of the Facebook user.

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