Site security / Staying safe on the Forum

General
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To whom it may concern.

I have read the post from the “General Announcements”.

If I understand the contents of this post, I am concerned and seek clarification on:

  1. how I am putting myself at being identified by signing off with my first name
  2. how someone can see my post code from this post.

Whilst my name is possibly not all that common and it might be possible to narrow down, most names probably are not e.g. Alex and Anna.

So how does signing off as Alex or Anna make you identifiable and where does the Post Code come into this?

I tag @Alex_Moderator and @Anna_Moderator.

Thank you.

A concerned forum member.

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Hi @ManjiB,

Our recent post was intended to raise awareness about staying safe online, as the community is public space.

It’s a personal choice whether or not to sign off with your name. We just wanted to gently highlight that over time, across multiple posts, it’s easy to share quite a lot without meaning to. Personal details on their own might not seem significant, but they can build up to form a more complete picture over time.

The mention of a post referred to a post written on the Online Community, not a postcode. It was just a reminder that, like most public websites, anything shared here could be copied or shared elsewhere.

We hope this helps clarify things. For anyone who wants to learn more about staying safe online, Get Safe Online offers clear and practical advice on protecting your information online and staying safe on public platforms.

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Thanks Alex - That makes perfect sense.
I am not sure where I got the postcode from - word blindness?
I shall bear in mind the risk of sharing personal information in my posts.
:pray:

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I can fully appreciate the purpose of this post and the reasoning behind it. It’s perfectly fine for me, but there may be those on the forum who may be vulnerable outside of this community, and it really wouldn’t take much to put two and two together by giving a name, sharing some personal information, maybe even what area of the country your from.

If say you were a celebrity for instance, it wouldn’t take long for a reporter to fish you out; or if you were hiding from an abusive relationship. These are just a two examples of the many more reasons why you need to keep your personal identity safe in any online community. And in particular when you are feeling isolated within your own community.

Stay safe.

Lorraine

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Totally agree - just my ignorance that led me to get confused by the purpose and also the word blindness that made me see post code (instead of post could) - a bit worrying :frowning:

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I think that I may change my sign off, I have revealed a lot of myself on the forum, but nothing that I think renders me unsafe. I have also given hints that I am a retired social worker and served many years in the RAF. I accept that a determined person could find me. But I can’t hind the fact that I’m a Yorkshire tyke and proud of it. I love writing my little bits for the Stroke Zine so I will probably reappear under a pseudonym. Er…Yorkshire tyke, Yorkshire girl, Yorkshire rambling (no chance, I hate rambling). Flat’at and ferret; the list is endless. Watch this space. For the last time, best wishes Norma

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It could be a concern for some, if someone they know for instance, should happen across one of their posts and something was said in that post that upset, alarmed, worried them or whatever. There’s all sorts of reasons for remaining “incognito” in any kind of social media online including the gossips, bullies and trolls you are best keeping yourself safe from. It’s always best to be safe than sorry :wink:

Lorraine

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Confession folks! I fully intended to change my online identity. But I have come up against a problem that the web site is ‘down’, and I have no idea how to do it. So for the time being I will remain Norma751. Sorry to cause confusion. Best wishes Norma

1 Like