Something Serious -TBB Leaking Location indirectly to Facebook

Question

Yesterday I created a new Facebook profile with a fictitious name which does not make any sense, i.e. I chose a name like Regaldoes Mondwse and such names do not exist in my country. I was using TBB. When I created the profile, it showed me the pages of newspapers/celebrities belonging to my country. How did Facebook know that I belong to that country?

Today I created two more profiles with weird names again, and Facebook asked me if I belong to a particular city of my country. It again showed the pages of celebrities and products of my own country.

The Exit node did not belong to my country as I tried different nodes every time to see if Facebook really gets our location through some hidden script. I checked the Account setting of Facebook to see my login detail to see my location. It was showing my location of Germany (the IP address of Exit node) and not my country.

So what is the issue with it? If exit belongs to other country and has nothing to do with my country, how Facebook could know my location and how could it show me the pages of celebrities of my country?

Answer 1

I have found the reason for such leakage. It is actually fingerprinting of browser kind of technique which Facebook uses. First of all I disabled the Bookmarks Toolbar in TBB and then created a new profile. This time it showed me pages of United States. Then I tried creating a new profile after disabling the "addons toolbar" and this time it showed me the pages of some other country.

And when I again enabled both the toolbars in my TBB, the pages of my country were shown. It means most of the people of my country use TBB with the bookmarks and addons bar on.

Answer 2

I can see a few possibiltes:

If you have friended anyone in your home country, facebook may be loading results based on what they like.

Facebook may be loading results based on the language you have chosen.

Facebook may be loading results that are internationally known, or known in most countries that use the language you have chosen (this is particularly likely to happen to a US citizen).

Answer 3

Opening a facebook account in itself could divulge who you are. consider the following:

1. You need an email address and/or phone number to open a facebook account. The information you provided to email service and/or phone company could become available to facebook. Based on that facebook can figure out a lot of information about you. Where you live could be part of that information.
2. Your friend list and the communication you make with your friends are available to facebook. If they write in your local languague or even based on content of your communication facebook will learn a lot about you.
3. The list of your likes will tell a lot about you. For example if you like a French TV channel, Facebook start a hypothesis that you maybe from France or resident of France and they test this hypothesis by suggesting interesting options and questions to you.
4. Facebook uses AI (Artificial intelligence) to figure out as much information as possible about you.
5. Pictures that you show or share also tell a lot about you. They may show when, where, with what device, and even possibly other information that may lead to you being uncoverd. Be careful of digital cameras.
6. Even if you do not say anything about yourself, your friends may inadvertently say or show things that may uncover you.
7. In short if you use facebook you will be uncovered sooner or later. You may make it later by not liking anything, not sharing any picture, not friending anybody and so on. But what do you want an anonymous facebook account for if you can not do anything unless you accept that you will be uncoverd. Facebook and being anonymous are oxymoron.