Question: Can you get a new contact purely through intel or diplomatic actions?

[Tree of Life]

I don't mean contact sharing through federations, vassals, or communications trade. I'm asking whether contact can be gained purely through intel level or espionage, or pacts, and if so, whether there is anything I can do to avoid being shared.

I know it's been a year already, but I basically never pay attention to intel ._.

 

[DamnedLackOfTropicalFruit]

Intel doesn't innately give you new contacts, though perhaps if you have high enough intel on an empire you might get enough vision in their land to spot new contacts that fly through it.

There's nothing you can do to prevent an empire that has already met you from trading away your contact details, or exchanging Active Sensor Link so another empire can see your ships and do a one-sided first contact.