Tech | September 21, 2009 | 7 comments

Gay men "can be indentified based on their Facebook friends"

source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/6213590/Gay-men-can-be-identified-by-their-Fa...

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Boffins at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology think they've discovered a way to tell if somebody is gay via their Facebook friends, even if that person hasn't revealed their sexuality online, by looking at the number of gay or bisexual friends that person is friends with.

Essentially the researchers is "the more gay friends you have, the more likely you are to be homosexual".

The study has raised concerns about privacy in the online networking world and raised concerns that some employers or silly narrow-minded idiots could use the theory to out people who don't want to share their sexuality publicly.
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7 comments // Gay men "can be indentified based on their Facebook friends"

  • klw
    • 0
      klw  

    • what a stupid theory! surely stating as to liking men or women is obvious enough, you dont need to be a boff to work it out

    • 2 years ago
  • dmkkw
    • 0
      dmkkw  

    • That just stupid. I have some gay friends so I'm just partially gay?either way it's just stupid way to seperate and label people. IDIOTS!!!

    • 2 years ago
  • DanTV
    • 0
      DanTV  

    • Surely the important bit is that, without realising it, by having a facebook profile you've revealed more than you thought. It's a heads-up about privacy, not some kind of gay test.

    • 2 years ago
  • benson5
    • 0
      benson5  

    • I believe one's status and the bit that says 'likes' men/women (*delete as applicable) is also a tell tale sign. Can I be a boffin?

      Is it me or are boffins getting dumber? It seems they now specialise in stating the obvious.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ares
    • 0
      Ares  

    • You can also tell if they go to a certain school if they have a high proportion of friends that go to that school! Amazing, right?

    • 2 years ago
  • ZeldaMasterZapp
  • FreshPlastic
    • 0
      FreshPlastic  

    • They needed a study to discover that the more gay friends you have, the more likely you're gay?

      Kinda seems obvious. They state 'men' - doesn't the same apply to women?

    • 2 years ago
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