Poster Privacy!

[Ongie]

***blah blah blah***

 

[DOG LIPS]

There's too many bad people out there that want to use your real name.






Sexually.

 

[The Squirrel]

The same reason you use a user name when you play online games. It's just part of the experience I guess.

 

[Ongie]

***redacted***

 

[[A]]

Wow, this is deep.

I'm sorry, what? I was looking at a cliff.

 

[Go Web Go!]

What's your address, Ongie?

 

[Cunning Stunts]

The answer's been out there for a while now:

We don't know who is watching.

 

[Showtime]

You think there is poster privacy?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAH

 

[Wiseman]

Damn it, I like where this guy's head is at.

My name is Steve Rivera
I'm 27
I live at 136 Main Street in Buffalo, NY
My social security number is 026-37-4482

 

[Cunning Stunts]

Damn it, I like where this guy's head is at.

My name is Steve Rivera
I'm 27
I live at 136 Main Street in Buffalo, NY
My social security number is 026-37-4482

... That's either fake, or you're an idiot.

 

[Ongie]

***redacted***

 

[Cunning Stunts]

Still, we've never known who is watching - even in the pre-internet days. My address would be easy to find. Anyone with a bone to pick with me, even if I was unlisted, would only need a well-placed bribe or some investigative research around my area.

What I'm trying to say is - the internet gives us a false sense of security. Still, the notion that someone would hunt you down for a post on a forum is, at least in my opinion, a bit paranoid.

Yeah, but add the internet to that mix, and the number of people that may be trying that **** is multiplied by... I dunno, being generous? A thousand. The internet just adds plenty of possible predators as well as victims.

Posting your own information out there just makes it that much easier.

That's like saying, "I've already got the potential for a heart attack, so I'll just eat whatever the hell I want anyway."

 

[Wiseman]

... That's either fake, or you're an idiot.

I prefer to be called Mr. Rivera

 

[Cunning Stunts]

Well, you're officially relinquished of that privilage.

 

[Ongie]

***redacted***

 

[chaseter]

My name is Chaz Wilmington Harforpord the 39th
My address is 121.21.08.08
My social security number is 5

 

[Cunning Stunts]

I understand where you're coming from... But how is the internet any different from a gigantic, digital mall?


If you were at the mall and you just met someone, wouldn't you tell them your real name and the city you hail from if they asked? When you cultivate any degree of rapport with someone, it almost seems second-nature to extend such a courtesy... Except on the internet. Why?

I don't know about you, but I don't. The most I give out is my first name. My first name is pretty common anyway, which helps. If they ask where I'm from, the most I'll give is the county, or the region of the state I live in. Generally, I don't go to the mall looking to meet other dudes to give my information to.

It almost seems to be digital prejudice. It's as if you're saying... "I will tell my name and show my face to strangers in my everyday life... But you're on the internet, so you must be up to no good."

That's virtually it. Because even if the internet was in fact a digital mall, at the mall, you'll maybe see a couple thousand people. The entire world has access to the internet.

If someone is plotting a violent crime against you or plans to harass you, chances are good that person knows you in real life.

"Chances are" is the key phrase here. There are still a good amount of chances that there's someone who doesn't know you personally, to whom you may become a target. The reason it's smart not to put your information out there? To keep those chances at their minimum. Again, you don't leave the hospital after a heart attack and celebrate with a Big Mac.

Furthermore, if every person used their real name online, their name would be washed out in the sea of real names. The odds for harassment would go down exponentially.

First off, that's a large gamble. Second, even if it did work, we'd have a long period of time in which we'd have to eventually begin exposing people on the internet just to get to that level where everyone was in fact exposed. In that gap of time, I'd bet the crimes would increase just as exponentially as the revelations would.

I suppose this is more a less a call to the citizens of the internet to question their anonymity and at least consider the arbitrary reasons for opting to conduct themselves under an alias.

To add to this, it's not just violent crimes that we're avoiding. It's identity theft, hacking- a whole slew of problems could arise from publishing your information out there. I know it's very possible to find my information regardless, but announcing it just makes it that much easier- which I'd rather not do.

 

[The Squirrel]

That's why I don't like the discussion boards on facebook. They make you use your real name and info.

 

[Cunning Stunts]

I don't even post my real information on social networking sites. It took me about 15 minutes to explain how to find my MySpace to a friend of mine.

 

[The Squirrel]

My myspace has none of my info, and my facebook is very limited, and securely locked down.

 

[Morg]

That's why I don't like the discussion boards on facebook. They make you use your real name and info.

wrong, I use a fake name and still have no problems

 

[The Squirrel]

wrong, I use a fake name and still have no problems

Well, what I mean is, when I sign up to facebook with my real name, and go into a group discussion board, I can't pick a user name to post by.

 

[Ongie]

***redacted***

 

[The Original Bamfer]

Eh, there are a handful of people here that know pretty much all there is to know about me. It all depends on how much I get to know you.

 

[Cunning Stunts]

P.S. I'm don't mean to get into any kind of online battle flame war. I enjoy your posts, sir.

It's all good, man. All for the sake of discussion. Niether of us are being *****ebags here.

I don't go to malls looking to give dudes my information either. However, there are varying degrees of 'personal information'. My full name and my state are a matter of public record - hardly personal. Why have a name if you're not going to be known by it? But I agree - beyond that, I become hesitant to share any more.

Well, I'm known by my first name, so I tend to give that out more readily. I just don't feel comfortable giving out anymore of my information. I'd rather know people a little better before giving out my deeper information, regardless of whether it's out there or not.

Indeed. But even if the world had access to your name and city of residence, there would not be an increase of people who mean you harm. It is arrogant, in my estimation, to assume that people have it out for you.

Not the increase of people, the increase of said peoples' capabilities and it makes their jobs easier. I most definitely don't think people are out for me personally, but if my information is that readily available, and there are certain people out looking for that information (whether it's mine or not), I'd rather mine not be in that mix.

Every time we leave our house, we take a chance. You take a bigger chance driving your car to work or school than you do posting your first and last name on the internet in a public forum. I cannot live in fear of extremely improbable catastrophes. If I did, I would just lie in bed all day.

I don't think I'd call it living in fear, just limiting the chances. Again, just because there are vast chances for us to get killed out there, doesn't mean it's a smart idea to add even more to the mix.

I don't like the terminology here. How is it 'exposing' someone to call them by their real name? And I don't think crime would increase with digital profiles that include a first and last name. Did violent crimes increase with the advent of the phone book?

It's not just violent crimes though (like I said in the last post), but again, just having the information readily out there makes it that much easier to get a hold of. Doesn't necessarily mean that someone is going to be targeting you more often, just that the ability for those that may will increase.

I respect your right to privacy, and I understand your concern. Still, I think the positives outweigh the negatives. Internet usage in the next 100 years will be a natural extension of analog life - it's high time we start becoming a bit more transparent on the internet.

I agree in that it very well will be. However, I'm still not going to adhere to those standards should they arise, nor will my children (if I have them).

Imagine the possibilities of the internet in 100 years. We might be able to do any number of things... Send robots here or there, send physical objects to other places, etc. It would be much more advantageous to know who we're talking to instead of hiding our identities from one another. Then, since we know the identities of the online individuals, we could make a judgment on whether or not we should trust them.

This may not be viable right now... But will you not concede that that the death of internet anonymity is imminent and necessary?

I don't know that simply having their identities would make that easier. What if they have a criminal record? What if they circumvent the system and they're not who they really say they are? I do think that the death of its anonymity is imminent, but not necessary.

Either way, I'd much prefer to be the one knowing, than the one to be known.