Poster country flags and privacy (page 3)

bohm

You seem pretty settled on this issue. Please make it an option, I will have to leave the site if it is not.

Magwitch

Simon, you can post my cell phone and passport number for all I care!

Simon

I think perhaps of all the reasons mentioned for adding the flag, the primary reason would be Simon found a cool little widget that places the flag on the posts and thought it looked cool... the other reasons strike me as considerations after the fact.

That's a little insulting. I've always tracked the IP address / location that posts are made from and previously had the ability to display flags as well (hardly rocket science in need of discovery).

After thinking about it more I realized that something I find it useful to identify spammers etc... would also be useful to other people too. I looked into potential privacy issues and it seems there are none. Country is simply not a PII unless combined with many other pieces, none of which the forum shares.

To me it seems the benefits far out-weight the negatives that exist more in peoples paranoia than in reality.

Please make it an option, I will have to leave the site if it is not.

Sorry, I don't consider that kind of ultimatum to be any sort of argument one way or the other. No one is captive and forced to post or use the site. We have a clear and open policy about how data is captured and used and do our best to protect people's identities and personal information and have an outstanding track record of doing this for the past 14+ years.

Again, let's strip away all the hype - we're talking about a flag that for the overwhelming majority, is shared by millions of other people.

It's hardly revealing.

Simon

Simon, you can post my cell phone and passport number for all I care!

Wait, the camera is having trouble focusing ... I hate when it does that. Can you lean to the side, you're blocking the numbers ... no, the other way - yes, that's it! OK, now I'm off to Barbados with all your money.

LOL

Simon

Something else for people concerned about their identity to be, well, concerned with ...

Do you ever share photo's online? Ever take a picture with your cellphone? Or new swanky camera?

Do you know they can often include GPS location data embedded in it ... so if you send that image to someone they can see where it was taken which, if it was at home will be your home.

You can remove the data or configure the device not to include it.

bohm

It was not an ultimatum... you asked about our opinion and I tried to convey it as well as how important I felt it was and a suggestion for adding the feature. I would hate to leave. Sorry on mobile device.

AnnOMaly

I'm not just referring to Cedars. He's outed himself anyway so it doesn't matter now (but it did matter once!). It's others here who have specified they don't want their countries revealed. Hamsterbait has just voiced his misgivings and I can think of 4 others off the top of my head.

People should have the choice. Other forums, other ex-JW forums, give their members the choice. I was attracted to this forum 11 years ago because you gave that choice. I displayed my country for a long time as the non-existent Yugoslavia as a joke. Being 'country-less' has served me well in my online life and in my fade. I privately reveal my general whereabouts to those I trust. I do not want it displayed publicly for any Tom, Dick or Harry to see. I am under no obligation to divulge that information to the general public. They are not entitled to it.

Regardless of the objective risks, exiting JWs need to FEEL safe and in control of their own information on the forum, and removing their choice about whether or not to reveal their country will undermine their personal sense of security. Automatically displaying a country's flag, especially if it is that of a small country, will hand any potential snoopers an extra piece of identifying information on a plate.

Do the right thing by faders and your long-standing reputation in protecting members' privacy. Please make it an option whether to have one's country displayed or not.

bohm

Actually I guess I could just start a new account. Still not hot on the country idea. Why not make it an option in the profile?

QC

flag is fine

berrygerry

It should be the option of the poster.

Personally, I do not mind, but with my initial posts, I would have minded.

People in smaller countries could rightly feel a threat.

As for introducing this now, I would challenge the ethics of a compulsory change that was not in the terms of service AT THE TIME OF JOINING.

As for Canadian privacy rules, I would think you would be in violation. Canada is the only country with mandatory privacy for .ca domain name registrations. (Contrast that to the US who forbids private .us domain registrations - complete opposite views.)

I would suggest asking Michael Geist for his opinion.

Poster country flags and privacy

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