I wasn’t sure if this would go in general questions or IMHO, so I decided to err on the side of caution and just place it here, lest I face the humiliation of having my question “downgraded” :-). I would like factual answers, but the questions are rather vague so I recognize people will generally be offering opinions. Facts and cites are always preferred though.
I’m sure you’ve all seen usage of the internet acronyms SWIM / SWIY ( “Someone Who Isn’t Me” and “Someone Who isn’t You.”) I’m guessing people think it would offer some sort of legal protection or identity concealment when they are talking about something they shouldn’t be admitting to.
Would using these acronyms actually offer any sort of protection, or are these people only fooling themselves when they write stuff like “SWIM illegally downloads music all day…” or whatever illegal / shameful / unacceptable behavior they are talking about?
What exactly are they afraid would happen if they said “I, msgbrdusr549, smoked crack in a filthy dumpster with several prostitutes last night”? Would police really look at that stuff for something other than murders?
I just think that if it got to the point where the police were monitoring your online message board postings and had connected your real life name to an online handle, that by that point writing SWIM and admitting your illegal activities isn’t going to help you or fool anyone.
So, would doing something like that ever matter if push came to shove? Furthermore, what are the pushes and shoves which could happen?
I meant what do they think would happen if they wrote:
“I, msgbrdusr549, smoked crack in a filthy dumpster with several prostitutes last night”?
that WOULDN’T happen if they changed it to:
“SWIM smoked crack in a filthy dumpster last night on the corner of main and elm streets from 7:30pm to 1:15 am. SWIM even found some pizza in there, but it had pepporoni and SWIM won’t put that poison in his/her body” (i.e. - it is obviously about the writer)
Is there some sort of actual legal doctrine they are trying to go by that they really think would work? Or is this just another one of those “if you ask them the right way, they have to tell you if they’re a cop” type wishful-but-misguided thinking things?
Use my words? What do you mean? Were you really just trying to condescend me by addressing me as a child just for posting a question? I really didn’t think the question merited that kind of backlash. This is why I hate posting here.
Sorry, I just didn’t want to come off as patronizing. I figured people on message boards had heard it before, but in case they didn’t I wrote the explanation.
I think Eve is saying she’s never seen those acronyms before.
Aside from that, I’d imagine that if the police were monitoring your computer anyway because they suspect you for something, presenting something as a hypothetical isn’t going to save you, whether a generic or as ‘I’m researching for my novel!’
If you hadn’t seen it before and didn’t know anything about the question, why would you bother to respond at all, much less respond with hateful vitriol to the person asking the question? Did I break some sort of unspoken board rule or something? Was the question really that incoherent? If it were, I apologize.
Why yes, I was, thank you for noticing! What I meant was (and what I said was), use your words. If you *mean *“someone who isn’t me,” then *type *“someone who isn’t me.” Then no one will misunderstand you.
I know what you’re talking about, and I’ve always thought it was pretty ridiculous and unlikely to provide any actual protection. If you were being tried for something and your online comments were presented as evidence, wouldn’t the prosecutor simply need to explain to the jury—or have an expert explain—that “SWIM” is a common code for “I” or “me”?
I think those acronyms are used to protect the board, not the poster. The boards that I know of where those sorts of terms are used do not want any ‘confessions’, essentially - I think it has to do with potentially getting shut down. This board has similar rules, if my crusty memory is to be believed. You can’t start a thread admitting you’ve done anything illegal or linking to illegal material.
On those MBs, the “SWIM” or “SWIY” is an attempt to get around that, I think.
Even if you blatantly admitted to something, I don’t think that would be enough to convict you, would it? It might be a starting point, but I don’t think it’s enough.
But then, I’m not a lawyer nor have I been arrested enough to really make an informed comment on the matter.
I’ve seen 3 different acronyms like these used on this forum. SWIM, SWIY, and SWIV. I know SWIM stands for “Someone Who Isn’t Me” and SWIY stands for “Someone Who Isn’t You”, but I haven’t been able to figure out SWIV. Does anyone know what SWIV stands for?