Facebook To Tell Strangers What They Have In Common

As Facebook tries to move on from several scandals involving the misuse of user data, the site will test out a new feature aimed at fostering new connections with said data. The site will experiment with a new feature that shows users who are not friends things they have in common with each other, CNET reported.

Ideally, the feature will bring people together rather than encourage the kind of division and hostility users sometimes see in Facebook comments sections.

Facebook told CNET that users who peruse the comments underneath a given post might see a new text field above a comment left by a stranger. It will tell them something they have in common with that user, such as a common hometown. It could also include groups that both users or in or common employers.

In other words, it will surface information that one user could already see about another by clicking on their profile in a slightly different way than before. One user could see someone in the comments under a post who works at the same company, recognize them from around the office and send a friend request.

It remains to be seen whether or not the new feature could enable any new kinds of harassment on the platform.

It seems like a more platonic version of what Facebook announced it would do with its upcoming dating app earlier this year.

When Facebook’s dating service launches later in 2018, it will use profile data like common groups to link people together.

The new “Things In Common” text box may not intend to go that far, but Facebook told CNET the point is to connect people who otherwise may not have connected.

Perhaps in order to assuage fears about personal data being used for invasive, targeted advertising, Facebook’s dating service will not feature any advertising. Facebook has dealt with privacy issues for most of 2018, so some users may be wary of another new feature that showcases just how much data Facebook has on any given user.

However, a recent survey indicated most Facebook users still use the app just as much as they did a year ago. The numbers could imply that the average Facebook user is less disturbed by the site’s data practices as privacy advocates suggest.