14 Reasons You Should Be Terrified of What Facebook Knows

Ian-Fortey by Ian-Fortey on Feb. 19, 2014

According to data released by Facebook leading up to Valentine’s Day, the social network actually knows when you’re in a relationship before you do.  Due to a mix of people posting every single event of their lives on Facebook and Facebook’s tireless cataloging and analyzing of this info, they can actually gauge who is about to enter into a relationship based entirely on frequency of shared posts between two people and, in fact, they know you’re going to be in a relationship about 2 weeks before you do.  Feel free to check out their terrifying math.

Facebook data mined 460,000 couples to get this down, so their conclusions are likely accurate and, given that, they could probably realistically tell you you’re in a relationship before anyone, including you, fully knows it, assuming you’re an avid Facebook user.  If this doesn’t terrify you, it should.  It means Facebook knows you future.  Not your distant future, but the foreseeable one.  And if that’s the case, what the hell else does Facebook know about you, based solely on your innocent posts and likes and pages viewed?  Maybe some of this?



  1. Facebook’s predictive technology monitors how long your mouse hovers over an image to determine what you have an interest in, even subconsciously, and can target ads to you for things you weren’t even sure you wanted.  Seeing ads on Facebook for penis enlargement pills?  We have no comment.
  2. Every time you look at a profile, Facebook knows.  Facebook knows who you are stalking from highschool and how long you’ve been doing it. 
  3. How often do you keep yourself just logged in to Facebook?  That mean they know when you sleep.  Over a long enough period of time, they’ll know when you’re awake, all the time.  Facebook is your Santa Claus.
  4. Do you like Pokemon? Naruto? Comic Con?  Facebook knows if you’re a closet nerd unless you go out of your way to lie about what you like.

  5. Ever looked through groups and pages for something dirty?  Facebook now knows what turns your crank.
  6. Ever sent someone a dirty message?  What made you think that was private?  It’s on file, your file, right now.  Facebook knows what kind of dirty talk you like, and who you’ve done it with.


  7. Who do you hang out with?  If someone tagged you in a photo, Facebook knows who you associate with, where you go, and when you did it.  The more photos you’re in, the more easily they can determine who you’re likely to be with out in the world when you’re not on Facebook.
  8. Got Facebook on a mobile device?  Sure you do.  Still logged in?  Facebook knows your latitude and longitude all the time.
  9. Remember all that stuff you filled in when you signed up for Facebook?  Your birthday, where you went to school, your relationship status, your job status, foods you like, restaurants you like, TV shows you like, political views, religious views.  Facebook knows more about you than your friends and family.  And they sell that info.
  10. Do you have an important job?  Military?  Government? Anyone can find you on Facebook just by searching for what you listed as place of employment.  You and everyone else in your city who works there.
  11. Weirded out by a creepy guy at work? Maybe it’s because he did a Facebook search for single people who work where you both work.  Or people in an open relationship.  Or people who like Game of Thrones.  It’s all there and searchable.
  12. Maybe you work with someone who is being stalked.  Maybe their stalker looked up everyone at work who might be a threat to them.  Maybe that’s you.
  13. Even off Facebook, numerous sites partner with them to tack the movies you watch, songs you listen to and products you buy, even without clicking a “like” button.  Most of your online activity is therefore cataloged by Facebook whether you’re using the social network or not. Your status as a Bronie who likes Lady Gaga has likely been sold to numerous advertisers.
  14. Facebook can link you to pretty much anyone on Earth. In a test of the 6 degrees of Separation theory, after analyzing 69 billion friend connections amounts over 720 million Facebook users, almost every person on Facebook is only four people removed from everyone else in the world, at most.  You’re practically friends with millions of Beliebers.



Anh-Caoto-385 User

They don't care about anyone as an individual. The most they will do is target ads to you -- to who they THINK you are. But I ignore all of their ads, so I could not care less if they have me figured out or not. They know when I sleep?Â 




ispewmalarkey User

You now what really yanks my crank? The Facebook app on Android. Â I have a Facebook account....I rarely use it and I've never been to Facebook through my phone. I've "shut off" the app but if I look at my battery usage, Facebook is invariably in the top 5 of my battery usage list.....WHY?Â 

Emil-Majercik-606 User

The way I see it:

Facebook is no different than a game, and in games we have a username, NOT our real names. That's why mine is not mine and the only true fact I ever submitted was that I like lasagna. Let the NSA figure out that one! Oh, by the way...

The cake is in the oven, there are 2 pies and 7 candles. Dinner will be at noon.



They got funding from someone who is one of the board of directors from the investment firm that the ClA uses to invest money into companies who have technology they want, these mindless drones are on facebook all day taking pictures and tagging them, you and your friends know what you look like, why have this feature??? It's so software can identify people in public from multiple angles in real time using a database of photos morons post on FB, you are all frogs in the pot.

TrashyTroll User

Screw Facebook. Im switching to AdultFriendFinder

Clyde-Cameron-724 User

Oh my...so sorry to hear the shithole known as FaceBook probably know how much I despise them.

Jamie Miles
Jamie Miles

And that's why you don't put anything on facebook you wouldn't want the entire world to know about.

Chase Watson
Chase Watson

Welcome to the United States in 2014 you are not free

Chase Watson
Chase Watson

Tell me something that isn't new Facebook is working with the CIA TSA NSA It's the new form of government has into Spying!

Jeffrey Dooley
Jeffrey Dooley

I'm more afraid what my browser knows about me...

Maradona Asheaia
Maradona Asheaia

sorry to burst your bubble dude. they have your IP address. from that they can get your name, job etc. soooo yeah.

Andrew Jared
Andrew Jared

They probably know that I fap ten times per day. Oh well, now they definitely do.

wumidk User

They know what YOU tell them. I've been married for years on facebook...and only on facebook. Yes! They CAN take advantage of what YOU tell them. Stop blaming others for your ignorance. May sound harch but for lack of better words.

Andulamb User


TommyJJD User

I'm going back to Friendster.

hader2108 User

The conclusion of Â number 14 is the most terrifying.

Billyraymontana User

You think Facebook is scary? What about your ISP that knows EVERYTHING you do on the internet.

Fortey moderator User

@Billyraymontana That's why Facebook is worse- they know what you're doing offline.