[marc1]

I have found "buddies" on my AIM buddy list that I do not know. I always wondered how they got there. Recently, a random person started chatting with me. I refreshed my buddy list (logged off and logged back on) and noticed they were now on my buddy list.

Therefore it seems that anyone I talk to automatically becomes my buddy? How do I change this setting?

I am using iChat 3.1.6 with an AIM account.

[Grrr]

iChat has done this for as long as I can remember.. Im really not sure of the reasoning.
IE, someone contacts you, and from then on they appear to be added to your contacts without you doing anything. And there they stay until you delete them.

iChat will behave a bit more how you would expect however, if you go to your iChat prefs > Accounts > Security, Then check "Allow people in my buddy list"

This means you will only see people online that you added yourself, and not the ones that iChat added automatically. It also means no one will see you as being online either, unless you have them manually added to your contacts list/address book.

I use ichat this way most of the time in fact.

All the best..

[cybergoober]

If you enable the use of Groups, you will notice that these people are added to the "Recent Buddies" group.

[marc1]

similar thread with a possible solution.