# A word about SDMB privacy **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 12, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795 "2005-02-12T22:20:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/61 "2005-02-13T20:22:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve seen this sentiment expressed many times here and in other related threads, and frankly, I can’t understand it. Such a policy would make it impossible for an administrator to do her job. In order to administrate, an administrator needs to have at least some degree of information about posters, and if any action is taken based on that information, the public at large will be able to make at least some inferences. Which is all well and good. Let the public infer what they will - it is not the place of the Reader to determine what members may say outside of the confines of the boards. But when an official from the boards verifies that information, _then_ you’ve got a problem. The Reader most certainly has a say in how they conduct their official business. The policy is fine - it’s the enforcement (or lack thereof) that has people up in arms. The policy doesn’t need changing. I just wish the administration of the boards would grow a couple and actually enforce it for once. I still fail to see how the current ‘privacy policy’ was inadequate in keeping our information safe. It was clearly violated, as pointed out by **Ed** himself. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/62 "2005-02-13T20:35:17Z")
What I don’t get is this LJ stuff. I have read the most blatant lies and drek, the most nasty character assassinations and the most cowardly posters, and posts from folks who won’t own up to what they do. All these folks screaming on this board about the Pvt. information disclosed on LJ… Bawashahahahah… All the comments are okay if they are lies and can’t be hooked back to the sender no matter how much pain and suffering in real life that is caused and now , open to the public stuff that can be verified and proven is all the wrong thing to do.??? Oh My !!! All the violations of privacy I see being committed here and on LJ just stun me, and now, the hounds are out for the kill… ? They came straight from the chicken house IMO. Anything put on the web anywhere is no longer Pvt. I worry about real secure banking places and credit card numbers on proven reliable sites because they just have not hacked them yet. You want it Pvt. Do not put it on the web. This expectation of privacy with internet things is the silliest thing in the world. Yes, people are supposed to be nice,… Bawahahahaha, just like everyone… ::: sheesh ::::::: Lets see all the ones in the thread practice perfect compliance to the standard they are espousing… yeah… right… The World is Round, It is Not Fair, It is Just Damn Round !!! Let it go folks… Take care of your own glass house… Don’t post secrets … Be nice in LJ… Bawahahahaha and most of all, quit trying to make others take care of your privacy… that is your job. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/63 "2005-02-13T20:36:50Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I also know that Stage Manager had at one point what appeared to be his last name in his posted e-mail address. Well, one could assume it was his last name but anyone can make an e-mail address that contains anything so there’s no conclusive proof - outside additional information - that it was indeed his name. It is my understanding that SM publicly admitted to being a registered sex offender, and also revealed the state he lived in. It’s hard to speculate further, since all relevant threads with this information have subsequently been locked and hidden from view, but it’s safe to assume that we are _not_ dealing with a case of mistaken identity here. > [@AskNott](#): > > In the US, sex offenders lose every vestige of privacy upon conviction. Wherever they live, they must notify local police. All the neighbors are notified that there a sex offender down the street. Some even have to post a sign warning children off. It’s a lifetime punishment. > > So, the situation we are discussing involved a person who had no privacy rights to begin with. Keep that in mind when you make your broad-brush statements about the privacy policy. Just because somebody has some of their privacy rights removed does not mean they aren’t entitled to other civil rights, such as protection from harassment, discrimination, etc. There’s an eerily similar situation happening in my neighborhood (which I posted in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=301600), blissfully unaware of the “current unpleasantness” happening here…synchronicity, anyone??) Plus, there’s the debate over whether sex offender registries are appropriate to begin with. While such a topic is far outside the scope of this forum, I’d invite you to read [this thread in Great Debates](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=301855), involving a 22yo who slept with a 16yo (not even a crime in most countries) who’s now being treated as if he raped and killed Polly Klass. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/64 "2005-02-13T21:09:21Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > What I don’t get is this LJ stuff. I have read the most blatant lies and drek, the most nasty character assassinations and the most cowardly posters, and posts from folks who won’t own up to what they do. All these folks screaming on this board about the Pvt. information disclosed on LJ… Bawashahahahah… > > All the comments are okay if they are lies and can’t be hooked back to the sender no matter how much pain and suffering in real life that is caused and now , open to the public stuff that can be verified and proven is all the wrong thing to do.??? Oh My !!! > > All the violations of privacy I see being committed here and on LJ just stun me, and now, the hounds are out for the kill… ? They came straight from the chicken house IMO. > > Anything put on the web anywhere is no longer Pvt. I worry about real secure banking places and credit card numbers on proven reliable sites because they just have not hacked them yet. You want it Pvt. Do not put it on the web. > > This expectation of privacy with internet things is the silliest thing in the world. Yes, people are supposed to be nice,… Bawahahahaha, just like everyone… ::: sheesh ::::::: > > Lets see all the ones in the thread practice perfect compliance to the standard they are espousing… yeah… right… > > The World is Round, > It is Not Fair, > It is Just Damn Round !!! > > Let it go folks… Take care of your own glass house… Don’t post secrets … Be nice in LJ… Bawahahahaha and most of all, quit trying to make others take care of your privacy… that is your job. > > YMMV First, the place where it was posted was a different LJ-NOT one of the snark/gossip communites. Second, this was posted by an admin, using her name, her title, and saying “For the Straight Dope”. Now someone making up shit in the snark communities is one thing, because most of us tend to look at those like supermarket tabloids-anything said there is purely gossip, and most likely exaggerated, if not out right bullshit. Especially because no one knows who is saying what-so it’s not something anyone takes seriously-there’s no way to verify anything said there. It’s good for a laugh, but most people say, “Eh, it’s just a bunch of jerks making shit up, I’m not going to worry about it.” BUT…the SDMB Community is NOT an anonymous rumor pit, people post there with their names and it’s just another outlet for posters at the SDMB. AND when an admin posts there, accusing someone of a crime while claiming to speak for the SD, AND it is information that is private (though not necessarily confidential), it IS taken seriously. Especially since she also posted it in his OWN personal blog. Harassment, anyone? And can we please stop the whole “He’s a SEX OFFENDER!!! He doesn’t deserve any privacy you all are appologists for NAMBLA!!!” Because that totally misses the point. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/65 "2005-02-13T21:12:14Z")
Oh, and just because something is “public” information doesn’t mean it’s right to post it all over the place. My address and/or phone number can be obtained through the yellow pages, but I’d be pissed off if someone here looked it up and then POSTED that information in a thread here. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/66 "2005-02-14T00:54:15Z")
> [@](#): > > **Marley23** said: > On the other hand, the thought of a second chance for Tuba appears to offend some people here. As an admin myself I know full well it’d only take once for my career to be over. That’s what I signed on for when I chose this profession. > [@](#): > > Sure, there’s the spectre of a civil suit, but that’s something the Reader will have to deal with. (First rule in suing someone: Always go after the corporation with deep pockets. Never, ever sue poor people.) Unless you want to prove a point more than you want money. > [@](#): > > **NattoGuy** said: > Right now I’m getting the sense here that privacy policies are enforced and followed just because it’s a legal liability and therefore just one of those silly niggling things the SDMB staff has to tolerate. Not because it’s, you know, a good idea or the right thing to do. Most of us real admins out there who get paid for the job do it not only because of the penalties, but because it’s the right thing to do. Nothing would stop me now from revealing what I know of people on networks I no longer admin, but I don’t, because _it’s wrong_. > [@](#): > > **Enderw24** said: > I understand that you can trace an IP address and determine the city he’s posting from, You can trace an IP address to the location of the owner of the IP block it belongs to. It’d be up to them to divulge who that IP is currently assigned to and what their actual address is. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/67 "2005-02-14T01:16:30Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Oh, and just because something is “public” information doesn’t mean it’s right to post it all over the place. My address and/or phone number can be obtained through the yellow pages, but I’d be pissed off if someone here looked it up and then POSTED that information in a thread here. I know this is off subject, but under what category are you listed in the yellow pages? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/68 "2005-02-14T01:39:59Z")
Her father’s a funeral director. Perhaps because of his business? ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/69 "2005-02-14T01:46:25Z")
Sorry about the above post. Taken in context, it was a bit inappropriate. (I posted it before reading the entire thread, which is very serious.) I have a limited view of what went on because I am piecing it together using bits and pieces of different threads. But I will say that it has always bothered me when people admit very personal information here. One person even recently posted his number (which was later redacted by a Mod) in a thread. Anyone with any investigative skills could very easily figure out poster’s real names and addresses simply by piecing together information which some people have made readily available. And that makes me very uncomfortable. There was a situation a few years back that involved a poster who had a chemical imbalance. He suffered a setback one day and opened up a Pit thread which involved me. In it he referenced harming himself in the presence of his child. Had it been my inclination, I could have easily pieced together sufficient personal information about this poster and contacted Children’s Protective Society. I didn’t. I’m a very private person to begin with and to take action would be a betrayal of the trust we place in each other NOT to do such things. What happens on SDMB should STAY on SDMB, IMO. Personally I think LJ’s are the epitome of self-absorption and wish they would just go away altogether. This is the second time that I know of where a link to a LJ has caused a huge ruckus involving privacy issues. (The other involved a woman who complained that a poster here e-mailed her husband with a link to her LJ where she talked of her attraction to another man.) Gosh, folks, if you want privacy, then quit linking LJ’s already. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/70 "2005-02-14T02:10:01Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I know this is off subject, but under what category are you listed in the yellow pages? 😃 :smack: I meant the white pages. (Although **catsix** is correct, the funeral home of which my father is supervisor would be listed in the yellow pages!) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/71 "2005-02-14T02:21:13Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > Her father’s a funeral director. Perhaps because of his business? So… …has his business been kinda dead lately? (…sorry…) (…very sorry…) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/72 "2005-02-14T02:27:23Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > So… > > …has his business been kinda dead lately? > > (…sorry…) > > (…very sorry…) Actually, it’s pretty kickin’. They’re just dying to do business with him! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/73 "2005-02-14T02:35:40Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > So… > > …has his business been kinda dead lately? Nah, they’re flat out.\* \*does this translate to american english? ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/74 "2005-02-14T02:46:48Z")
> [@1920s Style "Death Ray"](#): > > Nah, they’re flat out.\* > > \*does this translate to american english? Not remotely, unfortunately. 😕 “Flat Lined”, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/75 "2005-02-14T03:41:44Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > So… > > …has his business been kinda dead lately? Yeah, probably because of the stiff rates he charges. So sorry. I couldn’t resist. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/76 "2005-02-14T04:34:48Z")
Does anyone else find it ironic that a member posted a piece of personal information about another member seven posts ago, and nobody has complained yet? Not that I’m complaining, either, mind you… I don’t care who knows that my dad is an electrical contractor and my mom’s a retired elementary school teacher. But would there have been a problem if it had been a moderator who commented that **Guinastasia** ’s dad runs a funeral home? Also, quoth **XJETGIRLX** : > [@](#): > > Let the public infer what they will - it is not the place of the Reader to determine what members may say outside of the confines of the boards. It’s still information, even if it’s only opening up inferences. Suppose that a moderator said something like “Well, we can’t tell you why so-and-so poster was banned, but it’s because of a certain quality which rhymes with ‘page’ and which increases every year, and so-and-so is under the minimum value for that quality”. Yeah, I could infer from that that so-and-so is under 13 years old, but it would be only an inference. But I think that everyone would agree that that’s just as bad, if not worse, than coming out and saying “age” outright. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/77 "2005-02-14T05:26:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Does anyone else find it ironic that a member posted a piece of personal information about another member seven posts ago, and nobody has complained yet? Not that I’m complaining, either, mind you… I don’t care who knows that my dad is an electrical contractor and my mom’s a retired elementary school teacher. But would there have been a problem if it had been a moderator who commented that **Guinastasia** ’s dad runs a funeral home? You could take your reductio ad absurdum further, you know. “Mods won’t be able to quote other users in posts because that involves sharing personal information about what the poster said!” Fortunately, the discussion of Guinastasia doesn’t involve leveling an unsubstantiated and likely criminal accusation - so it’s kind of a non-issue. It’s fine if you don’t think what TubaDiva did was all that bad, but try to understand why some people might. None of us is really anonymous here. It’s not hard to put information together about people. A lot of us use the same alias in multiple environments, and bit-by-bit we’ve revealed enough information to make it possible to track someone down. No one is as careful online as they like to think. That doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for someone - acting in an official capacity, no less - to take it upon themself to share such information with the world at large. Even if the dude didn’t do enough to keep his identity private - and especially when you add in the bit about the email from someone allegedly sought after by Stage Manager. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/78 "2005-02-14T05:28:55Z")
I’m really, really very shocked by this whole situation. Not by what happened, but more by how so many posters that I’ve come to respect and admire over the years just totally, totally lose it on this issue. I’m a lurker. I love watching the threads develop, and I’m in constant awe at the brainpower and depth of intelligence shown here, and I’m regularly enlightened on so many, many topics. I don’t have the brain power to join in on 99% of the threads, and I’m astounded frequently in how somebody can ask an esoteric, off-the-wall question and get answered in a matter of minutes. Yet I’ve seen dozens of you completely freak out about a one-off, completely unique situation – and in doing so, turn about and savage a devoted member and moderator of this board, who has been fair and impartial in situations where I KNOW I’d explode on people, and do their best to rant, scream and yell about something that could never happen to them, because most posters who value their privacy don’t do dumb-ass things that can make them LOSE their privacy. I think this board is a lesser place without Tubadiva. And I think that some of the posters in this thread need to look at what some of the other posters have said - that this was a very, very unique situation, it can’t happen again, and if you want to protect your privacy, DON’T detail your life on the internet! And it scares me very, very much that so many posters were so quick to turn on their own. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/79 "2005-02-14T06:20:13Z")
No one is “turning on their own.” I don’t want to see **Tuba** banned permanently, flogged in public, made to put on sackcloth and ashes. However, I do have doubts now that she can do her job without letting her emotions dictate her actions. Can you not see the difference? Can’t you see the potential shit storm stemming from what happened? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795/80 "2005-02-14T06:22:02Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Let it go folks… Take care of your own glass house… Don’t post secrets … Be nice in LJ… Bawahahahaha and most of all, quit trying to make others take care of your privacy… that is your job. I couldn’t agree more. People are calling for the administrators to lock up their personal details in Fort Knox, yet the same people quite happily tell thousans of people all about their favourite masturbation techniques involving watermelons, or which hand they use to wipe their arses, or how they’ve been suffering from cracked nipples. The admins can’t hold your hands, people (especially after what you post that you do with them 😃 ). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-about-sdmb-privacy/289795.md?page=5)