# how anonymous are these forums and yahoo groups **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 29, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744 "2004-04-29T20:53:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![akohl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@akohl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akohl)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/1 "2004-04-29T20:53:49Z")
Is it possible for someone to find out who a poster is based on the information published by sdmb? How about yahoo groups? Can one post private stuff and rest assured that nobody will know who you are? Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![GreyWanderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@GreyWanderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreyWanderer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/2 "2004-04-29T21:41:22Z")
In general, as long as you don’t post any information that can be traced to you, you’re safe. But it may be easier to track you down from very little info than you think. For example a mail address can often be enough. Your IP address is usually only available for the administrators of the board, but only your ISP knows which person is connected to which IP at any time, and it’s not something they easily give away (probably some laws on that issue). Of course, using your IP people may be able to hack your PC and access any personal information you have stored there. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/3 "2004-04-29T21:44:57Z")
I feel confident no-one can discover my real name. ---
**Author:** ![akohl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@akohl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akohl)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/4 "2004-04-29T23:13:43Z")
Yes, I see now that my email address is displayed. But, that must be visible only to paid subscribers. How many of us are there? I think it would be better if the email were not displayed. All someone needs to do is look up your email address on a search engine. If your name a email address were ever published together, you would come up on a search. I wonder why they did it that way? ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/5 "2004-04-29T23:48:11Z")
Ya got somthin’ to hide, AKOHL? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![akohl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@akohl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akohl)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/6 "2004-04-29T23:59:23Z")
I knew that was coming. :smack: You see I have this freind who wants me to ask you teeming multitudes a personal question. You see this freind is so concerned about his privacy that he doesn’t even want anyone to know who his freind is for fear that you might find me and compell me to reveal his identity. I suggest you avoid disturbing this freind of mine. You see he has a problem with anger managment and a really warped sense of humor. 😃 And in answer to your question, ltfire. Who doesn’t? ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/7 "2004-04-30T01:44:26Z")
You can change a setting so your email is not displayed. Choose ‘User CP’ from the menu at the top, then ‘Edit options’, if I remember that right. In any case, someone who really wants to track you down can probably do it, but I’m told it takes a fair bit of skill and persistence. I wouldn’t worry too much. ---
**Author:** ![Toddly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@Toddly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toddly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/8 "2004-04-30T01:45:25Z")
akohl, I believe that you can choose whether you want to diplay your email or not in User CP. ---
**Author:** ![akohl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@akohl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akohl)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/9 "2004-04-30T12:10:32Z")
I went to the cp and made sure the option for displaying email address was unchecked. But when I click on my name in this thread and then click send an email to akohl. My email address appears as a fully visible mailto: link. ---
**Author:** ![moi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@moi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moi)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/10 "2004-04-30T12:36:53Z")
Why not just create an e-mail address specific to the SDMB? Many posters, myself included, have e-mail addresses for RL and a separate one for board interactions (i.e. I have an e-mail account with my real name and one that is my screenname). Searching on Google for my username delivers about **13,300,000** results, while moi+“straight dope” gives **186** and moi+SDMB gives **9** , but none of those actually refer back to me. The similar searches with your username turn up **219** , **0** , and **0** results. So get yourself an “[akohl-sdmb@whatever.com](mailto:akohl-sdmb@whatever.com)” addy and start with the sharing of interesting personal dilemmas! 😉 Also: Overall, I have to say that I feel safer revealing things on this board than in a Yahoo! Group, as those posts sometimes show up in generic Yahoo! or Google searches, which I’ve never had occur with posts on the Dope. YMMV, of course. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/11 "2004-04-30T13:09:06Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > I feel confident no-one can discover my real name. It’s Anna, right? I _knew_ it! What do you mean it’s ‘Bryan’? Don’t lie to me! It’s Anna! admit it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/12 "2004-04-30T13:32:15Z")
as Kohlenberg is not an uncommon name and you haven’t left your email stamp all over the web you are safe for now But we have ways of finding you! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/13 "2004-04-30T14:12:05Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > Ya got somthin’ to hide, AKOHL? I should take this opportunity to launch into my usual rant about this attitude. While this is a joke in this context, it lends to the underlying trend that privacy is evidence of wrongdoing. That is simply not the case, and we must fight that attitude at every occurrence if we expect to retain even a shred of our right to privacy. I am a pretty upstanding citizen, and I resent the attitude that the fact that I encrypt my email, use an anonymizer online, lock my doors and draw my shades at night is any evidence that I have something to hide. There are too many groups assailing privacy rights at the moment to give ground for a good joke. I guess I’m officially a humorless curmudgeon now… ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/14 "2004-04-30T14:24:21Z")
> [@akohl](#): > > I went to the cp and made sure the option for displaying email address was unchecked. But when I click on my name in this thread and then click send an email to akohl. My email address appears as a fully visible mailto: link. There is something funky here, akohl. Usually I run with my email address as not visable. If someone tries to sent me an email through SDMB, they get a message stating that the address is not available. Recently, I made my address visable so I could help some people get registered, and then rehide the address afterwards. This is all working for me. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/15 "2004-04-30T21:05:33Z")
> [@micco](#): > > I should take this opportunity to launch into my usual rant about this attitude. While this is a joke in this context, it lends to the underlying trend that privacy is evidence of wrongdoing. That is simply not the case, and we must fight that attitude at every occurrence if we expect to retain even a shred of our right to privacy. I am a pretty upstanding citizen, and I resent the attitude that the fact that I encrypt my email, use an anonymizer online, lock my doors and draw my shades at night is any evidence that I have something to hide. There are too many groups assailing privacy rights at the moment to give ground for a good joke. > > I guess I’m officially a humorless curmudgeon now… You didn’t pull the shade down far enough on the left window of your living room…the one with the green couch in front of it… :eek: Lighten up, you curmudgeon 😃 I was just funnin’ with the OP, honest. ---
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-anonymous-are-these-forums-and-yahoo-groups/242744/16 "2004-05-01T14:50:10Z")
I was a skip tracer back in the 80’s. Back then, the hottest thing going was Compuserve, I don’t really know how extensive the Internet was but it was not a valuable collection tool,yet. Last year for the hell of it, I started trying to apply some of my old tactics to modern technology. Take my word for it, you stand naked when or wherever you stand in cyberspace.