Do you worry about being indentified on Gransnet?

Not particularly worried. My family know I am on here my daughter encouraged me. I try not to post too much detail for example say what county I live in rather than what town. I have identified my job on here when I’ve given helpful information to people

JamesandJon33

Not terribly worried as I try to be restrained in giving away information to anyone, and I am on no other SM .
A lot of people presumed I was male to begin with…can’t think why !

Probably the and 😄

Not terribly worried as I try to be restrained in giving away information to anyone, and I am on no other SM .
A lot of people presumed I was male to begin with…can’t think why !

Oldnproud

I forgot to mention - a few times now I have found myself reading through what turn out to be old but newly resurrected threads, and have come across some posts that I totally agree with, only to realise eventually that I had actually written them myself some time in the past.

I reckon that if it takes me so long to identify my own old posts, the chance of anyone else recognising me from them is negligible 😂

🤣

The partner of someone on here worked out who I was - in the early days when we out profiles on. It was weird but not at all a worry.

Graphite

Oh, I have no doubt I could be identified. Not because I give too much away but simply because I understand:

a) how hacked data gets onto the dark web and

b) that our internet interaction is being scraped constantly by bots for data that can be added to what’s already known, to build profiles for scammers and other malevolent forces.

The Reform Party have made so secret of they fact that they are building profiles of people. There is a case against them in the High Court as they are refusing to respond to requests to discover what personal data they are holding.

When there’s a political party that wants to repeal the legal acts which currently give us some protection, that is very worrying especially when they plan to target specific groups.

People don’t just disclose personal data about themselves, do they? They disclose personal data about other people in their life. I wonder whether those other people are aware and how comfortable they would feel knowing that things which should be private are being widely discussed and shared.

The Human Rights Act gives us the right to a private life and that does include keeping our personal and medical records confidential.

It follows therefore that if you could be identified and have discussed personal information about a family member which would identify them then you are breaching their right to privacy.

Job seekers nowadays are advised to review their social media as prospective employers will look at it. AI tools make that very easy to do. What if your child or grandchild has done that but you have disclosed information about them that could damage their chance of getting a job?

DWP and HMRC already look at social media in investigations but it wouldn’t take much of a step to use it more widely.

Crikey...think I'll just talk about the weather. Then again that could be identifying.

There’s also such a thing as TMI

That's for MawsRosie.
It is quite cathartic expressing a few things.

Hmm....might rein it in a bit.

Labradora

Don't worry about it but wouldn't like to be identified. Don't usually do personal stuff.
Probably misnamed myself.
Probably should be Doberwoman rather than Labradora. I don't think I'd want me as a pet.
🤗😊😉

Love it 😜

Smileless2012

As long as you're OK with how much you've divulged Plevey IMO that's all that matters.

It was a thread about estrangement that brought me to GN 13 years ago and if I hadn't shared how I was feeling here, I wouldn't have been able to share at all.

Doing so helped me and I know that what I and other EP's have shared has helped others too so I agree Plevey what's the point if you can't share how you are feeling.

Thank you. I'm thinking the same as you

Plevey08

What's the point if you can't share how you are feeling.? And it's fairly inevitable that you give some context to your life.
Someone tell me please if I've divulged too much? 🤔

No problem with sharing feelings with a good friend.
But the rest of a crowded Starbucks?

Don't worry about it but wouldn't like to be identified. Don't usually do personal stuff.
Probably misnamed myself.
Probably should be Doberwoman rather than Labradora. I don't think I'd want me as a pet.
🤗😊😉

Not at all. X

As long as you're OK with how much you've divulged Plevey IMO that's all that matters.

It was a thread about estrangement that brought me to GN 13 years ago and if I hadn't shared how I was feeling here, I wouldn't have been able to share at all.

Doing so helped me and I know that what I and other EP's have shared has helped others too so I agree Plevey what's the point if you can't share how you are feeling.

What's the point if you can't share how you are feeling.? And it's fairly inevitable that you give some context to your life.
Someone tell me please if I've divulged too much? 🤔

I sometimes worry that maybe I have said too much, not because people could try to find me, they’re welcome to as long as they can wipe their feet and put the kettle on, but because it might sound self absorbed and rather tedious.

I think that if someone went looking for me on here they would be able to find me from things I have posted, but I don't think anyone reading would think 'Oh, that must be Mrs Dog from Doodle Avenue'.

The chances that anyone I know would bother to try to seek me out on here are very slim, and I don't think I post very personal things anyway. Like others, I tend to change small details, so might say 'my mum' when I mean 'my sister' or similar.

I'm not sure what anyone could do with the information if they did work out who I am. I don't have particularly controversial views. I was very careful when the 'trans threads' were in full swing, as when I was working it could have been tricky if I'd been identified, but now I'm fully retired I doubt anyone cares what I think.

I do remember somebody whom I knew in RLwho must have been paranoid about being identified- to the extent that she wrote about her sons and about her DIL’s anxiety issues, when I know she has daughters, implied she lived somewhere, commenting on the weather, until another poster wrote something along the lines of “ I live there and we haven’t had rain for days” and made some other comments about GC which were far from the mark.
Surely it doesnt matter all THAT much as long as we all realise how easily a few details can place us and that our posts are open to all, including the media.
So while it may be tempting to pour out your heart, discretion should always be exercised.

Just going off on a bit of a tangent, I often wonder if there are any famous older contributors on here. Obvs, we will never know, but just be good to know how far-reaching gransnet goes. Anybody else curious?

A couple of people I follow on another site have been followed and harassed by people who disagree with their views. Police have been involved.

I forgot to mention - a few times now I have found myself reading through what turn out to be old but newly resurrected threads, and have come across some posts that I totally agree with, only to realise eventually that I had actually written them myself some time in the past.

I reckon that if it takes me so long to identify my own old posts, the chance of anyone else recognising me from them is negligible 😂

I don't think they mind Mollygo we often do challenges together. We are all doing different languages. DGS, always competitive, is currently top of the diamond league
Oh dear was that too much information?

I avoid really personal things and don’t seek advice on personal issues. What would strangers know anyway ? I would never seek advice on tricky personal situations on a forum like this. Madness as far as I’m concerned. I would, however, seek information about things like health issues and reactions to medications to see if others have similar reactions. The GPs don’t always tell you about side effects. I live a long,long way away in a very big country, unlikely anyone would ever ‘find’ me. 😀

Grammaretto

I had to inform my DGC that the old woman emoji stalking them on Duolingo was me. 😄😄

Did they mind Grammaretto?

Not long after I started Duolingo, DD1 asked me if the Xavier on there was me-because she’d just started and she knew I was learning Dutch.
I didn’t know she was a Duolingo fan, but ever since, we’ve been friends and sent each other gifts.