Information
 

I listed to much sensitive information recently on a thread. The kind moderators,and administrators deleted this information for me. I don't feel comfortable about it because we now have a government that takes notes.

I'm sorry to ask this my friends. Please don't use my first name on the forum anymore. BF:hug::hug::hug:

steve you can ask that a post be removed or deleted if you want administrator to do that for you.
This is a public forum and you post anonymously. they can't trace who you are.
bizi

I guess I am wrong with this statement...

Oh, but "they" most certainly can! The terms of agreement of this site and all other social media sites state or imply this, where they state that your IP is recorded.

There is a clear electronic path between this forum and you, that is readily accessible to anyone holding a warrant.

Moreover, given the personal nature of the posts here, if some "interested" party wanted to sniff one of us out, it would only take a bit of browsing/searching and half-decent powers of observation. No warrants. Add a data harvesting bot or two and you speed the whole thing up 100-fold.

It is at improbable anyone will figure any of us out, only because, and as long as, it is improbable someone should take an interest in one of us. But it is entirely possible.

BF, check your private msgs.

does that mean that doc john or another administrator can locate our home computers address to locate where we are?
Like jeff is the admin for this computer.
I guess the government can access many of our personal stuff/ so could a hacker right?
bizi

Dear bizi.
DocJohn has everything set up here extremely well so there will be no hackers.

Much much effort is taken in keeping harm away here. Please be assured.

"the govt" would be needing to waste far too many man hours to be going through posts on forums on the internet. I think they've got better things to do really. They would be more interested in criminals than us.

It's always good to use different names and things like you all do here anyway. (I'm the silly exception with my name but it's too late to change that now). I would imagine that for legal matters or worker's compensation it would be imperative to not post real name or anything too personal. Mostly what I've seen throughout the years is just general.

I pm'd BF btw. I'll see what we can do about that one post.

Sometimes people using the quote feature will repost info then the original poster might find it difficult to edit or delete their personal details, but I'm sure Admin will check into it.

:hug:

Thank you Jo*mar,and Lara. BF:hug::hug::hug:

You can edit your posts in this thread if you want, there is a 24 hr self edit time frame.
If you feel you posted too much personal information, and it is past the 24 hr self edit window, you can report your post and let us know what personal information you would like to have removed in the comment box.

The best way to avoid that problem, is to not use real names, locations or specific details when posting.

Thank you Jo*mar,and Lara. BF:hug::hug::hug:

I am really really sorry about that. :hug::hug:

We all promise to be be more careful. :grouphug:

M

data-mining
 

Bizi,

1 Doc John would have no interest in that.

2 But any other goof ball (not legitimate) or agency (legitimate ) can do that.
As far as I know, that has been the case since the beginning of the Internet.

3 The U.S. government does not need a warrant.
It is doing "data-ming" with the permission of Congress. (Congress gave governmental agencies authority to do those things.)

Mari

Thank you, Lara.

We appreciate your help and kindnesses. :Heart::Heart::Heart:

Mari

No worries. :) Jo*mar tidied it up.

It's ok Mari. You didn't do anything at all wrong. I was the one who was giving out my sensitive information,and thought about it,and decided to stop it because of the times that we live in.

I thought that the stigma of Mental health challenges where going to be more understood,and that there would be more acceptance in the future.

Some of it is true. Some has changed because of the events in the last couple of years. BF:hug::hug::hug:

BF,

I believe that that as people in this country come to have universal access to medical care, the stigma will decrease a little.

People who are not mental ill l will not worry as much about who is paying for the care because they will be getting their own case as well.

Anyway, I have hope for the future and sometimes it pans out in good ways we cannot even imagine.

M

No, Doc John or other web admins cannot pinpoint your home computer.

The authorities, with a warrant, can.

If you are being investigated, for a legal/criminal matter, the police can request a warrant to see your internet activity through your provider. Your provider has logs showing exactly what sites you've accessed and when.

Likewise, site admins have access logs, for security purposes, showing IPs that access their sites. Site admins are held to comply with any legal requests made by the authorities. Site access logs info, together with your provider info, would identify your posts.

Similarly, the contents of your email is technically, legally accessible to the authorities.

It is pretty unlikely that "the government" would be interested in any of us.
If you are not a person of interest in legal matters, the authorities are not going to bother with you either.

My main concern is retaining privacy from
-- real life acquaintances
-- employers
-- prospective employers

These are people who already know some things about you, in real life, and who might be interested in "checking you out". It's amazing what pops up in google. It is for this reason I try to avoid personal specifics.

To BrokenFriend
 

Noted, and will do. I use the same precaution.

I am sorry you are feeling threatened by all this. I've posted a bit of they what can be done, mostly in answer to someone who seemed to think it couldn't happen.

But to you, I'd like to stress that there is an ocean of improbability between what is technically possible and what is llikely to happen.

It is very, very unlikely that you will be identified by anyone that matters to you.

I agree about the name, even if I jumped on the train of using yours myself. I'm surprised how many people here list their stuff freely. I say things here I don't openly speak about. I guess if one posts things they'd say to anyone, then it doesn't matter.

But to us (you, BF, me, and some others) it does matter. :hug::hug: We will all look after you.

:circlelove:

Dear BF, You could change your profile picture to something else if this is also a concern for you.
I know that on either here or brain talk, someone was actively being suicidal and they traced her to her home and checked in on her. they said they would never do that again. so it is possible.
that was a long time ago. on the sos forums.
bizi
I had forgotten about that. My memory stinks most of the time....

Let me clarify a little of the misinformation in this thread...

1. Nobody has access to the site's logs except for me. The logs are deleted every day, so we don't know who accessed what, say, last week.

2. In the nearly 20 years I've been running online services like NeuroTalk I've had exactly zero subpoenas or warrants for any information we have. Zero. Not saying it couldn't happen in the future, but past history suggests we don't have information of relevance to anyone.

3. While we do suggest that it is wise to not connect your real life identity with your online health support identity (e.g., by not using your real name in any of your posts, your username, etc.), we do that because we know that, in the past, such information could've been used to deny you access to health insurance coverage of services. Usually this was done because of the pre-existing condition clause -- which has now been made illegal due to the Affordable Care Act (so insurers can no longer deny you coverage for a pre-existing condition).

However, life insurance companies can still use such information to help determine your rates or whether to offer you a policy. So again, it is still something I would work to protect a bit, because I still believe such information can be used in ways never intended.

4. The government is looking for terrorist threats and criminal activity, neither of which are topics of discussion on NeuroTalk.

Best,
DocJohn

I thank you all for your thoughs, ideas,and recommendations. I don't have a criminal record,nor a bad driving record,and I'm not engaged in any criminal activity,nor do I go to illegal websites what ever they are. I stay home most of the time these days. I'm not suicidal,and I'm not violent. I don't have a violent bone in my body.

I'm still concerned about the information that I hear daily. I try to discern what I hear on the news,and sometimes it's difficult to tell what's true,and what the half truths are, the partial lies,or facts that have been twisted with recognized truths,mixed with lies,and wonder about motives. Who's using scare tactics,and why? I find myself going to Snopes.com,and try to find out the facts,and they don't know it all either.

I love my precious country,and I don't want it to get off track. I hope that my nieces,and young relatives have a free America to live in the future.

I think that I've been alarmed at the things on Facebook. If facebook continues to bother,and frighten me,I might get off of it all together. I might unfriend the people who put troubling things on facebook,and say I don't want to see these things that are posted on there.

Yes. Facebook is troubling me,and there are people making money by scaring us.:Dunno: They keep giving us a gloomy slant of the future. BF:hug::hug::hug:

I posted this message before I saw DocJohn's post. I thank him,and all of you.

Oh. Hi DocJohn. I just posted a message on here,and saw that you posted a message,and thank you for that. Brokenfriend:grouphug:

I would definitely clean up your friend list on FB.

You don't need added worries or stress that is posted by people that are not trusted friends..

I apologize if I have alarmed any of my friends on the Bipolar forum. I may be over reacting to the news that I've heard recently.

I value my friends on here, and thank you all for the information,and support.
BF:hug::hug::hug:

BF

Unfriend those people on FB.


It will make you feel better.

I try to do things that make me feel better.

M

BF

Please make sure if you see me use your first name. You tell me
immediately. That goes for all others too. I wouldn't violate
that request on purpose. Its just sometimes I forget. And
I wont remember fast enough.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

Sure Dmom3005. Thank you. Have a nice evening. BF:hug::hug::hug:

Thank you Mari. I also started to unsubscribe allot of these emails that had started to fill up my email box again.

I need to stay away from the posts on Facebook that try to get me upset,and alarmed over possible nothing. They must be being paid allot of money for using hype.

I hate that type of thing,but I forgive the people who practice Facebook scare tactics.

I need to be extra careful with the cable news channels. I keep hearing more,and more bad news,and it's made me upset. BF:hug::hug::hug:

Dear BF,

I hope you feel better soon. I too get worried about things at times. Sometimes, I get overly worried and even though I know it is excessive, it is hard to stop myself.

I stay away from news. I kind of absorb a little, passively, whenever I cannot get away from it ... that is more than enough exposure.

I never actively turn on the news on tv, or read a paper, EVER.

Occasionally, if I hear about something specific and want more info, I go to a news site online, and read only about the thing I want to know about.

9/11 was an exception... I read and watched news constantly for the first week or so after that.

But we need to protect ourself from overstimulation. I apologize if I contributed to upsetting you more by indicating technical possibilities... which turns out are pretty limited for NT, with the logs here being erased daily.

waves

It was on Brain Talk, not here. It was Lemondrop and they scared the living daylights out of her. And she was furious.

They did not automatically do that... only in cases where they feared for someone's safety AND someone or multiple people requested it.

And BT could not have "traced" her by themselves -- either someone knew her address or they had to have got the cops involved. Considering how fast it happened, I think someone knew the address. They did get the cops to go over there to check on her, but I do not believe she was "traced". Privacy laws do protect from tracing. Although technology allows for it, generally speaking, but there have to be compelling reasons for the authorities to request it. Your provider will not arbitrarily give out your address to anyone who asks.

I will shut up now.

I thank each,and everyone of you for your help,and input. BF:hug::hug::hug:

And to clarify our policy here at NeuroTalk, we do not invade people's privacy or send police to our member's homes. While we understand the intention is in the right place, we don't think that's conducive or in keeping with providing a safe and supportive support group community.

Best,
DocJohn

Hi waves
 

You are right. anything we say, or imply could be listened to. I wish our conversations would not include people who listen just to stir up trouble. It is micro management of everything we say and do that gets my goat. Love to all. ginnie:hug:

Hi BF
 

I don't go to face book at all. I just didn't want to have me out there for the world to see. I have nothing to hide either, but I want my privacy to some degree. Here is special, I think DocJohn is right. No one is interested here as none of us are what the Gov. is looking for.
This world of ours is changing. Cars, now can track each move you do, there are cameras on and off our bridges so they know who and from where the cars are coming from.
To me the world is changing, and it is a little scary. I will just hang around here, and leave the face book alone. The only reason why I ever looked there at all was to see a picture of my daughter and the grandchildren I have never met. This brought me comfort.
We all care about you and each other here. I feel safe and comforted when I hurt. I hope the moderators know how much we appreciate this site. So many of us come here in pain and confusion, and leave with knowledge and friends that last years. I know I have made a friend or two to last a life time. To me that is the gift of NT.
Even though I am still just an elder with the posts, I still feel like each of us make a contribution to the whole.
Take care BF and know I care about you too. ginnie:hug:

thank you doc john for your reassuring input!
biiz

Thank you DocJohn. This website is so helpful for so many people. I'm grateful that it's here. Have a nice day. Brokenfriend:grouphug:

Thankyou ginnie. :hug:

I appreciate your comment. Sometimes I think it's possible for people to forget that all of the moderators here at this site are volunteers who have been here a long time as members first and foremost. It's a great and safe community and I'm very grateful for all the friends I've made here as well.

take care there.

I totally agree with Ginnie about the fantastic Moderators.

You do an fantastic job.

And thanks Doc John for such a safe place.

Donna :hug::grouphug: