Them bear hunter patches

OK, I deleted the address. Strange Famous, while it may be in the phone book, there's no link to your online persona there.

To start a conversation, go to the top right of any screen. You'll see your name, followed by "inbox", "alerts" and "log out". Hover over "inbox". That will bring up a box that shows your conversations/private messages. If you have one, there will a red number above that box. You have the option to start a conversation in the lower right of that box. You can add as many people as you'd like to the conversation.

I'll send you one (as well as Kirstang) so that it's a little easier to get this started.

 

Erm, not to be funny... but do you get any letters ever? How to people write to you if you find giving out your name and address such a "facepalm" worthy thing?

If the site doesnt want people's details then fair enough and sorry... but I am struggling to find why you propose this is such a odd thing to do. My online persona isnt separated from me as a person. I would say that any long term member of this site knows my name, knows my home town, and could look up my address themselves with about 1 mins effort.

 

Hi Strange Famous

Giving your contact details in PM of Conversation means YOU keep control over who sees it. So why is this significant?

On open forum, for all that your friends here can see it and you affirm your straightforwardness and openness, the rest of the world can see it too, including data-mining programs which trawl through anything and everywhere, opportunistically assembling whatever they can find. Part of what you Published here, may fit part of what you published elsewhere, and so on, until a less-than-safe profile of you is available. It is a matter of hygiene.

 

Just to extend what I was saying in another discussion

If I know the registration or your car, I can buy all of your details from the DVLA
If I want to know the names, addresses, ages of everyone in my town, I can buy them from the local council (from the electoral register)
If I want a list of contact details for people who might want to join my book club, I can buy a list from any number of people (for not very much cost).
If I know where you live (or you name or your birthday, or if you have ever run a company) I can credit check you online right now and pull out quite personal data about you and your family
If you apply for planning permission your name and address is logged and publically available (AND if you object to a planning application)
If you stand for almost any public office, your name and address are available to anyone.
If you use Facebook, almost everything on there is up for grabs
If you have gmail account, all the Google searches you do are up for grabs
If you have a cell phone on a contract, the GPRS data about where you physically go is up for grabs
If you have a bank card, the purchases you make will be held and used to target you with marketing.

Every person's data is out there and fair game for people who want to use it for any number of reasons.

Seriously, why do people think they get marketing calls? That someone sits in an office punching numbers into the phone at random and asking whoever answers if they need new double glazing?

Why do people think they get junk mail?

_

The fact that someone can connect me to an account on a website doesnt make me any more vulnerable to anything unless somebody targets me BECAUSE of what I have said on this site.
--- merged: Aug 31, 2011 5:44 PM ---
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Anyway, I appreciate that people are just looking out for me, so thank you anyway And also, thanks for the patch. Gonna put it on my bag for Germany.

I think it would be intersting to have a debate about data security and such like, but this thread should be about how to gun down a grizzly bear with a machine gun...

 

Just because it's out there doesn't mean you should make it any easier, though.

Anyway, cool patch. We talked about buying a couple...are they still ten bucks?

 

yes because everyone who uses google is sane and would never do anything like steal your identity when you make it so easy.

/facepalm repeated.

 

I think it's too late to worry about that stuff now we are DOOMED (Does BING collect as much data as GOOGLE?)

 

I have buddy who is so down on Google, he keeps sending me all kinds of articles and postings about what Google does, it seems they own U tube also?

 

You dont seem to be able to explain your point in terms that I can understand, so one of us is missing something... I think I'll leave it at that.
--- merged: Aug 31, 2011 7:03 PM ---

Im struggling a bit with the equation that

Being happy to post your name and address (which we all - I think - agree is publically available information held by many public and private bodies in EVERY state) = "not giving a shit about yourself"

 

If I need to get info on the black-hats targeting me (assuming there would ever be any) I know who to go to, now.

 

Sorry, to be clear - I am not disputing that you have the right to ask people not to put their addresses on the site you run. I apologised for doing it and I genuinely was not aware it was an issue.

What I am saying is something else.

That I do not see on what basis you equate that I as an individual do not mind putting my address on a website with "not giving a shit about myself"

My name and address is held certainly by:

Every company I have ordered something by mail order from
Mobile phone contract holder
Insurers
Local Council
DVLA
Government
Tax Office
Landlord and agent
Employer
Pension fund manager
Receiver and all creditors
Anyone who reads the phone book and knows my name to look up
Anyone who types my name and date of birth into a credit checking website
Loyalty Cards at 2 supermarkets and two oil company cards
Gym membership
Cinema membership
Air Miles
Subway Loyalty Card
Internet provider
TV Licensing dept
NHS
Doctors Sugery
Dentists Sugery
Love Film
...

(additional to this, the DVLA and Council have the right to sell that information no matter what I think about it... I can request a third party in writing that they remove it from their records and they legally should... to do that I have to know they hold it. It is likely the electoral register information has been sold on dozens of times by now)

(additional to this, I have probably only scratched the surface of the number of people who hold my address, and I felt that by this point I had made my point)