Poster country flags and privacy

by Simon 263 Replies latest forum announcements

  • Island Man
    Island Man

    Simon, I take your point that revealing a person's country, on its own, is insufficient to identify someone, especially if it's a relatively large country with a "hay stack" number of JWs.

    But if other details are known about a poster, then knowing their country could just become the last critical piece of the puzzle to identify them.

    You must also keep in mind that this is especially true of some of us who live in very small countries where there are very few JWs thus making it not too difficult to identify an anonymous poster if their country is known.

    I have no problem with a feature like a spinning globe with little points anonymously representing the location of each poster. That would give a nice feel of the international scope of the ex-JW community posting on here without individual poster identity of each point on the globe.

    Your point about us being responsible by not giving out too much information is taken. But you must appreciate the fact that posters on here would have determined, in the past, just how much information they can share and how much is too much, within the context that their country of origin/location is anonymous. An awake JW may have determined in the past that revealing X, Y and Z about themselves is perfectly safe because no one knows what country they're in. Is it fair to come now and retroactively invalidate that poster's past assessment of the security of his anonymity by now revealing his nationality and thus putting his anonymity at risk when it was not at risk in the past?

  • One Last Kiss
    One Last Kiss

    I have no issue displaying a flag but can understand those who do.

    I don't get how it would help me identify spammers though....I'd rather see someone's join date at a glance rather than their country...

  • Simon
    Simon
    Simon:but the scammer  can use a proxy too

    Yes, which is why people should be able to see that as clearly as possible. Showing the country next to each post is the most effective way to do that.

    It's all about protecting people more.

  • Simon
    Simon
    I don't get how it would help me identify spammers though....I'd rather see someone's join date at a glance rather than their country

    Their posts will show as coming from a random mix of different countries.

    You can see a join date by hovering over the avatar.

  • Simon
    Simon

    Can someone provide an example or actual instance where revealing something doesn't identify them but combined with a country it does?

    Apart from "I am a king" + "Country: CA"

    Wait - he's the king of Canadia !

  • bohm
    bohm
    Suppose I was a  snooping  elder from Iceland.  I go to Jwn.  If I see someone with the Iceland flag, you bet I would go over his posting history with a comb. Ah, so he wrote two years ago he failed with his hairsalon,  that sounds like bjork.. the point is the flag indicate which posters are interesting and worth examining.
  • hamsterbait
    hamsterbait

    The Country ID was usually given if you wanted . Look at all the different nations given b¥ Blondie over the years.

    It was never displayed for me, because I never filled out that part of the form. 

    CHOICE CHOICE CHOICE, Man!!

    You are going to scare away more with this vinegar truthy stuff, than with sweet lack of fear...

  • bohm
    bohm
    Simon: the scammer would of course use a proxy in the us so the info does not change. Many at my work do it to watch the us netflix.
  • AnnOMaly
    AnnOMaly
    Mildred is of course free to be anonymous ... but can't be surprised that others who feel a need to protect their identities may chose not to share as much information with her. After all, what do they really know about her? She doesn't even want to reveal the country she is from. Why should they trust her? 

    Absolutely right. And those who have country identifiers may turn out to be untrustworthy too. I don't see how choosing NOT to disclose a country in public is less trustworthy than choosing TO disclose a country in public. This is the internet. We need to cautious with everyone.

    IMO trust is a two way thing - we all share a little about ourselves in return for some trust in the other party. I think sharing the country we're located in is a small, small thing to share but provides some additional trust potential in return.

    That's fine IN PRIVATE. There are several I've trusted that information with over the years. Having a default public country identifier removes the choice of who we want to trust with that information. You make it public and ANYONE, trustworthy or UNtrustworthy, is privy to that personal information. You remove the choice. That is wrong, that is irresponsible, for this kind of forum.

  • One Last Kiss
    One Last Kiss

    Hovering is a royal pain on mobile, but thanks :) 

    So if I came across a member who showed a UK flag then checked their post history, each post would display a different flag? Or do I have to rely on my iffy memory to stop and think 'hold on, sparlock4eva was showing as USA last Tuesday!' ?

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