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I was fortunate in that someone once threw my real identity in my face during a discussion "patio11" was having, and I realized that compartmentalization was al
by patio11 12y ago
I was fortunate in that someone once threw my real identity in my face during a discussion "patio11" was having, and I realized that compartmentalization was already compromised and thus a determined adversary was always going to win. Having accepted this, and adjusting my online behavior to be more reflective of my desired public self, defangs most of the problems associated with people knowing who you are.
To quote Tyrion Lannister: "Let me give you some advice, bastard: Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you."
I tend to think that Internet folks have overly exaggerated impressions of the risk profile associated with having basic biographical information available, by the way. This is not a unique cross we have to bear -- every dentist, lawyer, McDonalds franchisee, etc has the same "problem." The vast majority are never targeted by the Internet hate machine.
The most annoying thing to have happen to me from having my identity public in ~8 years, aside from online criticism, was having someone find my cell phone number on WHOIS and ask for advice at 4 AM in the morning. My advice was to send me an email and schedule a call, like a considerate person.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- KhalPanda 12y ago> The most annoying thing to have happen to me from having my identity public in ~8 years, aside from online criticism, was having someone find my cell phone number on WHOIS and ask for advice at 4 AM in the morning. My advice was to send me an email and schedule a call, like a considerate person. Out of interest, 4am because they didn't consider timezones, or because they were a true crazy?
- solutionyogi 12y agoI am guessing the former. I think Patrick may have a US number published and the person may have called them thinking that he is in the US.
- thaumaturgy 12y ago> I tend to think that Internet folks have overly exaggerated impressions of the risk profile associated with having basic biographical information available, by the way. This is not a unique cross we have to bear -- every dentist, lawyer, McDonalds franchisee, etc has the same "problem." The vast majority are never targeted by the Internet hate machine. But, be careful of interpreting that as, "there is no risk." The internet hate machine does find a new victim on a regular basis and toy with their lives for its own amusement, it's just that probability is on your side thanks to the really large number of people on the internet. Small town politics can be a little nasty too, especially if you're a local business owner that makes the mistake of getting involved in it. But, your business probably doesn't depend very much on your reputation in town. (Mine does.)
- dennisgorelik 12y ago> The internet hate machine does find a new victim on a regular basis Lightning strikes people on regular basis too. That does not mean you should not go outside.
- hashtree 12y agoSpot on with my own observations. My one addendum is that if you do make your email and/or phone available (even in odd places like whois records) that you seriously handle the security implications in regards to hacking vectors. Here is an example: https://ello.co/gb/post/knOWk-qeTqfSpJ6f8-arCQ https://ello.co/gb/post/knOWk-qeTqfSpJ6f8-arCQ Simple measures will possibly save your butt if a serious attempt was made: Do not to answer security question fields truthfully, instead use long, random, high-entropy strings. Do not use text based 2FA, when app 2FA is available. Do not use text based 2FA as a backup to app based 2FA (e.g. Google). Etc.