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Personal Information On Threads

stu neville

Commissioner.
Staff member
Joined
Mar 9, 2002
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Folowing the closure of the "Where have you lived?" thread, we thought it would be useful to open a thread about how much info the membership think is appropriate to post to the net, as we're thinking of adding something about the subject to the guidelines.


So, what do you think?
 
I suppose the thing is not to post anything you don't want people to know about yourself.

I guess from stuff I've posted people could figure out quite a lot about me, but there's nothing in there that I wouldn't want people to know. (And I've not put in any information that I use as passwords or for security checks).
 
stu neville said:
Folowing the closure of the "Where have you lived?" thread.

Why was it closed Stu?

Was there a complaint (hardly likely, as we only posted info about our own past places of residence).

I didn't even see a post where an individual posted the dates, between which they'd lived at a particular location.

Have I missed something?
 
Full names are a bad idea, as are names of places of work.

Photos are OK if they're not called 'Jim Smith at Uncon'.

I can see 2 reasons not to post too much info.

1. You may make yourself vulnerable to someone with criminal inclinations. So posting a 'whinge' about how tedious it is to polish your Faberge egg collection just after posting a photo of your house and an entry on the 'our funny street names' thread. ;)

2. A person with a degree of emotional vulnerability may be tempted to disclose too much and find themselves being stalked or otherwise intimidated.

I think I could be tracked down through some of the information I've put up on here though I'm not particularly shy or vulnerable.
To say the least. :devil:
 
I diluted some of the details I put in the thread at issue, I would recomend others do likewise.

By diluted, I mean that I 'rounded up' areas that may have been too specific: Giving a city name rather than a suburb, for example.

I dont think real names (fore or family) should be given out at all, thats real holy grail for stalkers and ID thiefs alike - its the key to using a phonebook search and since we all give clues to where we live its a clincher.
 
On a slight tangent, the amount of personal information people post on blogs these days is astounding - where they live, where they work - pictures of themselves and their kids and announcements along the lines of "We're off to Spain for two weeks on Monday". (Maybe the police advice for people going on holiday needs updating: cancel the milk and newspapers, leave some lights on AND DON'T TELL THE ENTIRE FRIGGING INTERNET THAT YOU'RE LEAVING THE COUNTRY!)
 
Yup, exactly.

When I met the BF he had an online profile with his full (unusual) name, his occupation, his single status and his town of residence. It would have been easy to track down Mr Zebedee Christmas of Doddlesbury and burgle his house, safe in the knowledge that he lived alone and was safely at work in the next town. ;)

It's too easy sometimes to figure out where people live.
They say, 'There was a fatal fire/famous murder in the next street to mine about two years ago!' and all you have to do is track down that fire or murder online. So you have a choice of 2-3 streets. Next nugget might be their new extension. A quick drive up the streets in question and you have, say, three possibilities. Easy after that. ;)

This is all made much easier when a troll tracks peeps down and sticks their addresses up, though. :rolleyes:

I am frighteningly good at finding peeps. A mate's boyfriend once ran off (long story) and I tracked him across the country and actually got him talking on the phone in a pub, a couple of hundred miles away. He nearly dropped dead. :D

Simps. And this was BEFORE t'internet. :cool:
 
I remember the good old (pre-internet) days when I had a stalker. I'm "very" careful these days about the information I give to peeps online ...
 
I don't mind giving information out too much, it's never been a problem (although I won't share information like phone numbers except with people I trust), some people do get P.O. Boxes though, to use for online things that require addresses (such as domain name registration). I keep meaning to do that myself ;)

I've never actually heard of anyone being burgled and I know plenty of geeky types with plenty of info online. The only really notable instance I can think of is a guy who ran an IRC network, who one day had to ban a troublemaker from the whole network. This troublemaker then used the WHOIS service to look up the domain name for the IRC network, which contained the administrators address and phone number (actually his parents, as he stayed at home). He then phoned them up repeatedly at 3AM and such complaining that he wanted to be let back on the server :rolleyes:
 
When I signed up for Yahoo IM/email etc, I put my real name in the required fields on the form, when I was using IM I sent someone an email and to my horror they then started using my real name when IMing me - turns out my Yahoo email address puts my real name (culled from the 'form') in the sender's name field. I was not amused and complained to Yahoo about this breach of privacy (AFAIK my name is unique and it wouldn't take 2 minutes to track me down), I got some crap back about re-signing and using an alias instead :rolleyes:
I've since gotten around the problem by changing the outgoing details on Yahoo emails
 
Yup Lob M8, I never, ever put my own name on internet forms. Like you say, you're trackable.

Chatting by IM to peeps on here is different though. I don't mind at all letting on that I'm Mrs Mavis Treacle of Chav Street, Upper Burberry, Blingshire.
Dammit!
 
Yep I was going to post on that thread and then I thought to myself "You shred just about any documentation you put in the bin - this doesn't make any sense". While the thread on its own isn't a big deal it is one of many and someone with malicious intent could build up a reasonable picture of you for various purposes - either nasty personal flaming or more sinister things like cyberstalking (they'd know enough to be able to ingratiate themselves with you). The "where have you lived" thread could easily be used to find out for example where you were born for starters.

Thanks also to LobeliaOverhill for pointing out previously how unwise it is to use your own name on the board and we have changed a number of usernames recently - if anyone else wnats theirs changed just drop one of us a line and we'll do it asap.
 
stu, you're a clever boy. how on earth are you posting from my guestroom? unless... OMG!

that's not stu!

i have a point. :D

message boards often form little groups of internet buddies. i've often wondered if anyone has ever pretended to be someone else. i have a fairly public existence, and will sometimes let a group know if i'm going to be in town. how creepy if a lurker met me and pretended to be one of the regulars. and now i've probably given someone an idea. :eek!!!!:
 
I learned my lesson about keeping stuff private the hard way. A few years back I was on a mailing list and gave the moderator my proper name and town where I lived.

Eventually I became bored with the list and decided to leave. Then nice moderator turned into a raving lunatic who was vowed to teach me a lesson I'd never forget for daring to leave his list.

He looked up my local phone directory and found my parent's phone number (same initials ) and assumed it was me and then subjected them to a series of threatening phone calls at all hours of the day and night.

Needless to say the police became invovled and he was dealt with (not hard enough IMHO).
 
Yup, there's the very real possibility of stalking. That's unpleasant mail, threatening phone calls, a dangerous-looking stranger lurking outside your house....

Well, I have to do something on these long winter nights.
 
Now I'm too scared to talk to any of you!!! :eek!!!!:

Me - I'm transparent, me. I've probably given quite enough away on this message board over the years for someone to pinpoint my movements for about the last 15 years.

My only consolation is that I do have a tendency to pick obscure passwords. No mother's maiden name; favourite pets; previous address crap.
 
escargot said:
Yup, there's the very real possibility of stalking. That's unpleasant mail, threatening phone calls, a dangerous-looking stranger lurking outside your house....

Well, I have to do something on these long winter nights.
I just gave this woman my phone number...
 
But what was it about the "where have you lived" thread that made the Mods close it?

I saw no information on the thread that could be used to locate a member. It seems a bit over the top to me
 
Phone number, pah, far too easy. No sport in that. :D

The UFO bloke (John Rimmer) whom I met at Uncon showed me a publication with his personal details in.

I said, doesn't that worry you?
And he said, 'Yes, my editor mentioned that. He said, what about all the threatening letters and obscene phone calls? So I said, I'll just have to stop sending them!' :laughing:

What a sport.
 
Emperor said:
Thanks also to LobeliaOverhill for pointing out previously how unwise it is to use your own name on the board and we have changed a number of usernames recently - if anyone else wants theirs changed just drop one of us a line and we'll do it asap.

Huh? when did I say that? :confused:

Can you change mine from LobeliaOverhill to Lobelia Overhill

not having that space there annoys me greatly
 
Ya did it on Yahoo, ya nerk. :rolleyes:
You need your out-of-date suntan cream back, I can tell. ;)
 
No, 'scargo he said to use your own name on the board I never said owt about using yer own name on this board ... hence my confusion.
 
But what was it about the "where have you lived" thread that made the Mods close it?


I think I can grasp why - it was a thread whose purpose it was to elicit personal information.

I know Throw started it with no malice afore thought; but I can understand why it would be wise to close it down.

Cross-corresponding the information there with the material elsewhere on board, I would have no difficulty tracking down a few of you (if I were a such a type). Ladies and gents, I would consider whether you want to use the delete button. ;)
 
escargot said:
You need your out-of-date suntan cream back, I can tell. ;)

P'raps I shouldn't have tasted it to see if it was "off" first :laughing:
 
Arthur: I sort of touched on it in my post on the other page.

Lobelia Overhill said:
Huh? when did I say that? :confused:

Can you change mine from LobeliaOverhill to Lobelia Overhill

not having that space there annoys me greatly

Name changed.

Someone here asked for their name changed and credited you with the advice in their sig so I was going with that.
 
Oh, so Ms Lobelia<space>Overhill has a <space> now?

How very posh. :rolleyes:

Tries it out
es<space>cargot
Nah. :( Can't make it work.
 
why thank you Emps :blissed:

Ah yes, I remember that chap ... called me Lobeen, the cheeky sod (that's Beakeen's nick for me!!) :)

yours sincerely

Lobelia <space> Overhill
 
Howay,

I didn't start the thread to try and wangle information out of people - my rationale was that if people felt comfortable in putting down where they had lived, then they could. If not, they didn't have to post anything at all - starting the thread is not the same as demanding an answer. I can understand why it was closed and am not bothered, only slightly saddened that the situation exists where a thread like that could be used for nefarious ends.

I'm very open and honest about myself on here which is why I guess I didn't think it would be an issue, I used to sign off posts with my name, I talk about where I live and what I do, and if people really wanted to find out more about me they could I'm sure. anyway sorry folks, I didn't mean to cause a headache.

Matt
 
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