Gaydar Algorithm Outs Facebook Users

By Susannah F. Locke Posted 09.21.2009 at 1:27 pm 12 Comments

What are your friends saying about you? Online social networks like this Facebook one might reveal more about you than you think jurvetson (CC licensed)

A pair of MIT students claim that they have created an algorithm that outs gay members of Facebook by analyzing the sexual orientations of their networks of friends.

The students first analyzed the networks of people who publicized their sexual orientation on Facebook. Turns out that statistically speaking, gay men have more gay friends than straight guys do. So then, they used an algorithm to run the stats on men who kept mum about their sexual orientation on the site. Their computer program was able to correctly identify 10 men whom the students personally knew to be gay in the real world but who hadn't shared that fact on Facebook. (The algorithm didn't work as well with women or with bisexual Facebookers.)

The students completed the project for a class on ethics and the Internet and hope to publish it in a scientific journal.

Their project is far from the first study showing that a simple computer program can sleuth out details you might prefer to keep private by looking at your social network on the Internet. Earlier this year, computer scientists correctly linked 30 percent of anonymous Twitter and Flickr accounts with a simple algorithm that compares who's following who on each site. And other researchers have used Internet social networks to correctly identify peoples' political affiliations or where they live.

It's a good reminder to take a look at your privacy settings. Because you might inadvertently be sharing things you'd rather keep to yourself. Even if you're only declaring to the world that someone's your friend.

[via Boston Globe]

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12 Comments

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meyaht

09/21/09 at 2:35 pm

this just in: people, and now computers, categorize you based on what you like and who you talk to... news at eleven.

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PhilInYork

09/21/09 at 10:18 pm

...Not that there's anything wrong with that.

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ford2go

09/22/09 at 1:17 am

How about if we try measuring people's physical characteristics to see if they're criminals. We could call it 'phrenology' -- wait it's been done.

Or, maybe you could check the way that people dress and walk.

Seriously, aside from trying to really 'out' somebody why would you do this? Not that I'm at all sure that it's accurate.

BTW, I'm in my 60's and straight AFAIK. So, this isn't stepping on my toes, I just think it's a bad idea.

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wilhelmiii

09/22/09 at 7:08 am

The major problem with this algorithm is the assumption that closeted men have more gay friends than straight friends. I can tell you that for many closeted men, this is absolutely not the case.

I for one have around 400 male friends on facebook; 8 of them are gay. Algorithm fails.

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hypnometal

09/22/09 at 9:27 am

I could do this without a computer. I was able to figure out who else was Mormon on Facebook by looking to see which common Mormon friends we had. I even met my fiancee that way.

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opera

10/29/09 at 8:34 pm

thanks

www.m-gam3a.com

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Rudykint

11/05/09 at 6:35 pm

Non-verbal communication broadcasts to the world what is inside: the limp wrist - irregardless of race - the voice pitch - generally are indicators of sexual orientation.

Analyzing the network of friends and contacts using computers is a modern application.

It is a new tool in personality analysis. I agree with the process.

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weavermiami

01/14/10 at 8:46 pm

As a gay man, I can figure out if old high school classmates are gay by looking at their network of friends as well. I don't need a computer program, because I have natural gaydar.

I also have an inherent knack for finding the bigots who post comments on websites just be reading them. Yeah, you know who you are.

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catchersmitt0

05/21/10 at 9:15 am

Heck, Pop Sci capturing the IP Addresses of people who read THIS article... could be outed. :-)

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mango

11/24/10 at 9:19 am

The major problem with this algorithm is the assumption that closeted men have more gay friends than straight friends. I can tell you that for many closeted men, this is absolutely not the case.
www.promdresspicture.com
I for one have around 400 male friends on facebook; 8 of them are gay. Algorithm fails.

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Hermiony15

12/05/10 at 10:40 pm

Je pourrais le faire sans ordinateur. J'ai été en mesure de déterminer qui d'autre était Mormon sur Facebook en cherchant à voir ce qui Mormon commune amis que nous avions. J'ai même rencontré ma fiancée de cette façon.

www.autonewstoday.net

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zumo

12/06/10 at 10:20 pm

Tässä vain: ihmiset, ja nyt tietokoneet, luokitella te sen perusteella, mitä haluat ja kuka sinä puhua ... Uutiset yksitoista.

www.auto-maker.net
www.autonewstoday.biz
www.autonews-today.com
www.thaicarnews.com

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