Grondar

For some reason I find myself kind of reluctant to share my personal information (location, especially) online.

I don't mean really personal stuff. In fact, the bit of information I am most reluctant to share is the city I live in. I guess it is partly due to the fact that if I piss someone off online, I fear they will come to my city, track me down, and shoot me.

Seriously though, I guess I have a paranoid streak in me when it comes to revealing information about myself online.

Are you pretty open with your information, or are you guarded with it?

Just to clarify, I mean in forums and talking to people online, not filling out "billing information" and such.. As that is kind of required.

sapiens

I keep my location and name anonymous. I don't feel comfortable broadcasting that kind of stuff. I'm not too worried about getting shot. I'm more worried about people using my personal information.

Ciall

Hell, half the folk in Edinburgh (not to mention Liverpool, Carlisle and Glasgow) want to kill me, what difference do a few new enemies make ?
I don't know how easy it is to track people down but I've had more online death threats than I care to remember.
Anyone that would kill a person for being insulting online is already in prison, believe me.

genka

Yea, sapiens, same here, plus I'm worried about meeting people I know on-line in the "real world". I act quite differently in real life.

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Grondar

Haha, isn't that the truth. IRL friends I don't talk to as much in person, but that I do chat with online a lot, often say I am "totally different."

The whole thing where you can be "whoever you want" online is very tempting, and fun to exaggerate.

ICER

Nope, I'm pretty open about who and where I am. Who knows, the person I'm trying to hide from. May turn out to be a good friend

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What's the difference between congress and a penitentiary?
One is filled with tax evaders, blackmailers and threats to society.
The other is for housing prisoners.
~~David Letterman

Mad_Gecko

Very discreet to a point. If the info has relevance to what I'm saying then I'll let it out. Specific references are out of the ? though (Too many lurkers).

Try to be as anon as I can so someone doesn't try to attach a Court Order to my ass in case I piss them off (Only by accident of course).

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[color=bright blue]W[/color]e Stick To Glass

"If three of us travel together, I shall find two teachers."
Confucious

Fob_Magi

I'm quite open with my city/school.. Texas Tech.. as far as actual name and such I dont tuypically give that out.. but who cares... I'm not really scared.. I'm on a fixed IP if somebody wanted to find me.. they could

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Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward.
Whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both.
For a wounded man shall say to his assailant, "If I live I will kill you, if I die you are forgiven".
Such is the Rule of Honor.

sixate

I don't have a problem giving info out to people that I know/trust. That's not many.

ARTelevision

we are more open than most.
life involves risk
- especially things that have meaning for you and you are highly invested in.

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Zotz

I don't mind sharing my location but I'm usually cautious about any other personal information.

Quadraton

I know this might sound a little arrogant, but there are over a million people living in Ottawa. Somehow, I think the odds of a person ever finding me are slim.

I keep the rest of my personal information private, however. Don't want to give the nut-jobs too much help finding me :P

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"A witty saying proves nothing"
- Voltaire

Lebell

I'll echo most.

I am slightly paranoid, so I don't usually put down enough information for people to track me down, although I know that I've put down enough that the really SERIOUS creep could probably do it.

But then again, why would they bother?

Oh yeah, they're a CREEP (also known as psycho, stalker, slasher, etc.)

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"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." – C. S. Lewis

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SeXuaLSoYBeaN

I'm not reluctant.. I'll tell you everything except for my social security number and my bank account and my credit card number.

Gonzonia

I'm paranoid. So am I.

a1t3r3g0

I've done it before and I will almost never do it again.

yournamehere

Pretty much the same here as most - I don't mind giving my location, 'cause anyone who's seen any of my former posts <i>knows</i> I'm always talking about how much I dislike living in Houston. Other than that - I like to protect my privacy. I don't, however, act any differently here than I do in real life, though - as a matter of fact, I consider the TFP a part of real life.

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If you want to avoid 95% of internet spelling errors:
"If your ridiculous pants are too loose, you're definitely going to lose them. Tell your two loser friends over there that they're going to lose theirs, too."
It won't hurt your fashion sense, either.

aarchaon

I would rather not be spraying my details willy-nilly, you just don't know what people could do with it.

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Green. Yellow. Blue.

dami³

I have never given out my full name on the internet (as in IRC and bulletin boards) and try to keep my location anonymous. Country and "where about's" is ok but very often I kind of claim to be from some place where I have lived or I have visited in my life (then again its rather easy to check out someones ip and isp to know where they are "from") - my thoughts and reflections are yours but my actual life is private and completely mine and that includes the exact place where I am from and people continually try to tolerate my wacky ways

InTeGrA77

Yeah, I have to agree, I'm definatley not very open with my real name or location. I'm worried about both people hunting me down, and my information being used. I have to talk to a certain person for a certain amount of time before I will release any of my personal information. I have to at least kiind of trust them..

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Bill O'Rights

Well, I really don't think that the fact that you know that I live in Omaha is really going to matter. On the other hand my real name obviously isn't Bill O'Rights...Hell, my first name isn't even Bill. There are a few here that know my real name. In fact some even have my phone number, and where I work.

It's a trust issue. Obviously, I'm going to trust some more than others. Just as "in real life."

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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony

"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus

It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

Pacifier

I have no problem telling people where I live.
since I own my own domain, so you can find my adress in the whois databases anyway

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"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death
— Albert Einstein

Yakk

I leak information randomly and slowly.

I try to avoid having it all lieing down in one spot, so I will leave forms full of blanks or ambiguous answers. But, if it is topical to the subject at hand, I'll let personal information out.

I'm more worried about automated/easy privacy intrusions than ones by dedicated smart psychos. Dedicated and smart psychos are rare, worrying about them personally is like worrying about being killed by an asteroid.

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Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.

Prince

I'm pretty open online. Perhaps not the wisest choice, but living in paranoia is not an option for me either, really.

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CinnamonGirl

Like just about everyone else has said, I don't mind saying "yeah, I'm from Ohio, near Cincinnati." There are lots of places "near Cincinnati."

Not so much with my name and other stuff, though. In one of the chat rooms I used to frequent, the second question after "asl?" was "so, what's your name?" Erm..if I wanted to tell you that, I would've picked that as me screen name

There are a few people I chat with/IM regularly...they know my first name, that's it. My husband thinks it's a little strange when he asks who I'm talking to.. "Chris." "Chris who?" "Chris from Texas." I don't give out my last name, and I don't really pay attention if other people do...

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"...for though she was ordinary, she possessed health, wit, courage, charm, and cheerfulness. But because she was not beautiful, no one ever seemed to notice these other qualities, which is so often the way of the world."


"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

World's King

Hi.

I'm Sean. I live in Denver, Colorado.

If you find me just from that info I will put a bullet in you skull.


Thank you.

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degrawj

it depends where i am. like here at TFP, i'm very open with where, and who i am, because this is a community that i feel a part of. but with crap like yahoo id's and AIM accounts, and all that other crap, i never give out information.

Kaos

My location, I have no problem letting people know.

My Personal information, other than my first name I am much more guarded about.

My personality, I'm open with. I'm very comfortable with who I am and don't need to be different online.

1337haxor

I don't have a problem with my location or name. Maybe I'll meet more people that way? Then again I have a fairly common first and last name so it would be pretty hard to track me down and kill me. And if someone did try to kill me, I'd be ready to kill them first. I won't give really personal stuff like SSN or credit card info, but having my name and location out there makes me feel more at home amongst friends and not just some thing with strangers.

-Robert

Angel

Nope. I'm not open with specifics unless I have a long established dialoge with someone. There are a couple of people who I have met here at TFP that I have visited and that have visited me but it only occurred after a very deep and personal bond and trust with not a single doubt.
And IF I were to have had the misfortune of that trust being abused, I pack and everybody knows it and knows I would use it. Always looking out for me even in the best of circumstances. *shrugs*

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~Albert Camus

MSD

Everyone in the country has access to my personal information. It's called the phone book. I'd be more worried about some whacko finding me in the phone book than online.

If you take my first name (Ian) my height (6'8") and my school (UCONN Stamford,) you can go there and find me and associate me with my online persona. If anyone actually bothers (doubtful,) it doesn't bother me. It's not like someone is going to kill me because they saw my name online.

Karby

i don't mind giving my location. i could be anywhere...even in your closet.
i usually don't like giving out info other than that though.

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