# Provide Four People Who Will Give Me Your Identifying Information **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 11, 2016, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871 "2016-04-11T08:59:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/1 "2016-04-11T08:59:36Z")
I question the wisdom of these threads: > **[Invite 4 current or historical people to dinner, all of whom went to your...](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=789771)** > > Here’s my four. Phil Hartman Howard Kaylan (The Turtles/ Flo and Eddie) Patricia Krenwinkel (Manson Family) Trevor Ariza (NBA) > **[Invite 4 current or historical people to dinner, all of whom were born on...](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=789727)** > > Similar to this recent thread in which I asked Dopers to assemble a band made up of musicians born on their birthday. You are hosting a small dinner party and may invite four guests. Each diner must have been born on your birthday. Helpful link ... Either one allows me to determine the birthday and high school of the poster, and those are both frequently used as security questions for password retrieval, or other security purposes. Given that these aren’t threads that strictly need to exist (there are better thread games in the world - and some even on this board), I might suggest closing these threads or at least putting a warning on them somewhere, for people to realize the implication of what they are doing. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/2 "2016-04-11T09:08:12Z")
I gave my correct birthday in a thread similar to the linked ones, but routinely lie when a site requests it for ID purposes. 🙂 Similarly, I have a standard answer for sites that want my mother’s maiden name that’s not actually my mother’s maiden name because I think that’s too easy to find. Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/3 "2016-04-11T10:12:27Z")
I’ve never made either one my security question. The high school is obvious, and I like people to know my birthday. And my age is kinda relevant here. I assume anyone who does use them as security questions wouldn’t volunteer this information. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/4 "2016-04-11T10:27:25Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’ve never made either one my security question. The high school is obvious, and I like people to know my birthday. And my age is kinda relevant here. > > I assume anyone who does use them as security questions wouldn’t volunteer this information. That would be the hope, and even if someone did post to both threads, had the same username on every site on the web, and used those items as their security questions, the odds would still be pretty low that an identity thief would happen upon those threads and go to the effort to track down that one person as a victim. But if they do, the cost to that one person is massive. The loss of the threads, to the members of the board, is pretty minimal. There’s plenty of other content on the forums that is relatively similar in style. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/5 "2016-04-11T15:47:39Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And my age is kinda relevant here. Why is your age relevant Mr. March 16, 1985 (31)? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/6 "2016-04-11T15:57:58Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > That would be the hope, and even if someone did post to both threads, had the same username on every site on the web, and used those items as their security questions, the odds would still be pretty low that an identity thief would happen upon those threads and go to the effort to track down that one person as a victim. > > But if they do, the cost to that one person is massive. The loss of the threads, to the members of the board, is pretty minimal. There’s plenty of other content on the forums that is relatively similar in style. I don’t see how we could prohibit users from posting any bit of information that could conceivably identify them personally. Some people post under their real names, some have email addresses that contain them. Some people include their full date of birth under their profiles (which is optional). From the registration agreement: > [@](#): > > Please remember that postings on this board are visible to anyone with access to the Internet, and are retained in a database indefinitely. In addition, the SDMB is open to third-party search engines (“spiders”). Please do not post personal revelations or other information that may come back to haunt you. In particular, do not post your telephone number or address. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/7 "2016-04-11T16:02:53Z")
I give a fake maiden name and a fake high school as well (always the same one), and a few other standard fake answers that I can easily remember. The high school is the one I would have gone to had I stayed in New York, for example (good luck looking that up). My brother answers all security questions with the same word, eg: What’s your favorite movie? **Fish** What’s your mother’s maiden name?\*\* Fish\*\* What was the name of you high school? **Fish** In what city were you born (city only)?\*\* Fish\*\* What is your paternal grandfather’s nickname?\*\* Fish\*\* He has a different word for every website, and a document on disk with a masterlist of all the word-site matches. Then he has a pass phrase that’s a Yiddish proverb entered as though he’s using a Hebrew keyboard. He’s a little OCD. The Fish thing is pretty funny, though. BTW: “Fish” is my made up example. I don’t know that he uses fish for anything. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/8 "2016-04-11T16:09:49Z")
Standard security questions also include asking the name of your first pet, or your father’s middle name, or the city you grew up in, or your favorite sports team. We certainly aren’t going to police such things. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/9 "2016-04-11T17:18:37Z")
I like anagrams as password answers myself. Good luck with that, stinkin’ ID thieves. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/10 "2016-04-11T17:46:49Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Standard security questions also include asking the name of your first pet, or your father’s middle name, or the city you grew up in, or your favorite sports team. We certainly aren’t going to police such things. I can do threads for those, if you want. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/11 "2016-04-11T17:53:26Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I don’t see how we could prohibit users from posting any bit of information that could conceivably identify them personally. Some people post under their real names, some have email addresses that contain them. Some people include their full date of birth under their profiles (which is optional). > > From the registration agreement: Well, you can’t, but you can close & delete the sorts of threads which are clearly fishing for that sort of personal info. Do something proactive. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/12 "2016-04-11T18:17:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Well, you can’t, but you can close & delete the sorts of threads which are clearly fishing for that sort of personal info. > > Do something proactive. Ni ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/13 "2016-04-11T18:19:19Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Ni Or even no ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/14 "2016-04-11T18:33:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Well, you can’t, but you can close & delete the sorts of threads which are clearly fishing for that sort of personal info. We instantly close and delete any threads that appear to be a phishing expedition. I wouldn’t consider a thread asking about your birth date, high school, or pet’s name to fall under that category. I can’t recall anyone complaining that information obtained from this board was used to compromise their financial security. Can you provide an example? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/15 "2016-04-11T18:37:12Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > We instantly close and delete any threads that appear to be a phishing expedition. I wouldn’t consider a thread asking about your birth date, high school, or pet’s name to fall under that category. > > I can’t recall anyone complaining that information obtained from this board was used to compromise their financial security. Can you provide an example? Over at the “other” board they used info gathered here to internet stalk and bully posters here. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/16 "2016-04-11T18:45:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Over at the “other” board they used info gathered here to internet stalk and bully posters here. Would you elaborate, please? We are posting here on a public mb. His can we be stalked here? And isn’t bullying warnable here? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/17 "2016-04-11T19:01:00Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > BTW: “Fish” is my made up example. I don’t know that he uses fish for anything. He probably uses dog. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/18 "2016-04-11T19:05:19Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Would you elaborate, please? We are posting here on a public mb. His can we be stalked here? And isn’t bullying warnable here? Apparently bullying is OK- but only in the PIT. However, I am not a Mod, this may have changed. Indeed in one case where it was obvious the staff here made sure it was limited to the Pit. Not sure if that’s the best solution, but it’s **a** solution. Posters have been stalked. The easy way is just to follow you around the SDMB, posting snark, etc every time you post. The Mods here will stop that, if its really obvious, and you report it. The other way to to comb every post for any hint of personal info, by which it’s not really hard to get your name, location etc. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/19 "2016-04-11T19:15:00Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Over at the “other” board they used info gathered here to internet stalk and bully posters here. What evidence do you have that posters on other message boards are gathering information to compromise anyone’s financial security since that’s what’s being discussed in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871/20 "2016-04-11T19:18:26Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > What evidence do you have that posters on other message boards are gathering information to compromise anyone’s financial security since that’s what’s being discussed in this thread? Well, they wouldn’t admit\* that\*, now would they? But internet bullying is a crime, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/provide-four-people-who-will-give-me-your-identifying-information/751871.md?page=2)