Everyone,
I know that many of you like using each other's real names online. I think that people feel better about others, more closely related, more privileged, or whatever when they can point at others and say "hey, I know your real name".
That's great. It's also dangerous.
This is a public site. These are publically indexed boards. The reason you use a net-handle is to protect your identity because, online, your real identity is the only thing that keeps you apart from the truly dangerous people who will seek to steal your identity for any number of purposes.
If I see a "Haven" online I know who I believe that handle relates to as I know Haven face-to-face. I can quiz a Haven who starts asking me for passwords or access to this and that and discover that he is who I think he is and his identity has not been stolen... that it's not someone else pretending to be him.
Every time you hand out someone's real name, including your own, you put them or you at risk. You give away that which you should damn well be keeping safe to, well, anybody who cares to look. Most people just don't give a crap, but there's that small, select few who are looking for that edge, looking for the angle, looking to steal your identity and use it to cover up some evil little caper they've thought up.
Why take the risk? More-over, why put your friends at risk?
The Internet is a hostile environment. I've worked for an ISP for 18 months, admittedly a little while back, and I've seen some of the nasty stuff that happens out there -- account theft, libel, server ownage, and so on, not to mention some of the startling nasty sites out there you can find yourself signed up for. Don't give the bad guys any edge. Keep your identity safe. Don't use your real name, and certainly don't use other people's real names at that.
You may come back at me and ask me why I present my real name in some places?
I'm already discoverable. I'm listed as a domain owner, where I must provide my real name, in both US and UK registrars. Moreover, I'm an admin for various sites and to be an anonymous admin undermines trust, so I accept some a low level of risk to offset the distance created by people not knowing who I am. And despite that, you don't see me using my real name... in fact, online, I am Ronin Storm, not just assuming that name.
Stay safe. Keep your real name for the real world.
Same goes for your real email address, your contact details, your IP...
--RS
I know that many of you like using each other's real names online. I think that people feel better about others, more closely related, more privileged, or whatever when they can point at others and say "hey, I know your real name".
That's great. It's also dangerous.
This is a public site. These are publically indexed boards. The reason you use a net-handle is to protect your identity because, online, your real identity is the only thing that keeps you apart from the truly dangerous people who will seek to steal your identity for any number of purposes.
If I see a "Haven" online I know who I believe that handle relates to as I know Haven face-to-face. I can quiz a Haven who starts asking me for passwords or access to this and that and discover that he is who I think he is and his identity has not been stolen... that it's not someone else pretending to be him.
Every time you hand out someone's real name, including your own, you put them or you at risk. You give away that which you should damn well be keeping safe to, well, anybody who cares to look. Most people just don't give a crap, but there's that small, select few who are looking for that edge, looking for the angle, looking to steal your identity and use it to cover up some evil little caper they've thought up.
Why take the risk? More-over, why put your friends at risk?
The Internet is a hostile environment. I've worked for an ISP for 18 months, admittedly a little while back, and I've seen some of the nasty stuff that happens out there -- account theft, libel, server ownage, and so on, not to mention some of the startling nasty sites out there you can find yourself signed up for. Don't give the bad guys any edge. Keep your identity safe. Don't use your real name, and certainly don't use other people's real names at that.
You may come back at me and ask me why I present my real name in some places?
I'm already discoverable. I'm listed as a domain owner, where I must provide my real name, in both US and UK registrars. Moreover, I'm an admin for various sites and to be an anonymous admin undermines trust, so I accept some a low level of risk to offset the distance created by people not knowing who I am. And despite that, you don't see me using my real name... in fact, online, I am Ronin Storm, not just assuming that name.
Stay safe. Keep your real name for the real world.
Same goes for your real email address, your contact details, your IP...
--RS
