Dealing With Unstable People On The Internet (Internet Opsec)

Treo

Treo

Bullet Proof
We all know that the internet is full of unstable people and we have folks that take their online lives entirely too seriously. Back when my email used to be visible on my forum (won’t say which forum) profile I used to get random email from people I didn’t know telling me that they were going to be in town for the night and hey would I mind if they crashed on my couch? (Ummm yeah, I would). I once made the mistake of quoting a coworker (nationally known hunting writer) who liked to Google himself and had him show up at work the next day demanding that I remove his name from my post on another forum ( I still threaten to out him as a PeTA creep periodically just for fun).

There are also a couple of moon bats out there that I have no problem believing would show up at my church or my place of employment to "take vengeance" if they could visually identify me. (Like I said there really are a lot of unstable people in this world who invest entirely to much into their online lives).

My question is what measures (if any) do you take to insulate your online life from the real world? Do you take extra precautions to ensure that the two worlds never meet?

In my 6 year online career I have shown 1 photograph of my self and it was 20 years old and I have actually met FTF with one person from the net. I don’t put my photo out there, I don’t “check in” on face book, I don’t post photos with identifiable backgrounds in them and I never post pictures of my home, car or family.
 
I would say it's prudent to take normal precautions, but I try to keep in mind I cannot control everything in life, such as what others may decide to do. I don't have a hunker down train of thought, but I definitely do take normal precautions to try and stay safe and out of trouble. For example, I don't hang out (anymore) at bars and honky tonks where I know trouble is more likely to be found. I don't walk down dark alleys. I don't park in large dark parking lots. I don't invite strangers for a ride in my car. I don't knowingly commit any crimes. I try to stay aware of my surroundings and what's going on. I don't drink and drive. I do carry my EDC always, unless I'm going into a place that doesn't allow it legally to be carried. At home I DO have my EDC near me or on me (except when in the shower:secret:) If trouble does come, I would hope I'm prepared and able to deal with it. That's about all I can really do is control myself.
 
I'm sufficiently boring enough to be left alone. No extraordinary precautions taken, beyond the typical property, life, and family.
 
Other than photos from the boat(somewhere on Lake Michigan) and jeep(some mountain area around Arizona), not much gets posted. Any important email is encrypted.
 
I work from home, so everything is done via the internet. I do take plenty of precautions... I periodically google my name, and if anything shows up I remove it or set it private, with the exception of my LinkedIn profile. My Facebook is set to unsearchable, too. I never use personal details anywhere, and I never tag myself in locations or pictures of "friends of friends."

I would recommend googling yourself occasionally... You might be surprised what information is out there. I've had to remove myself from things like online white pages, since I don't particularly want my name, address and phone number publicly available. Now if you look for me, you'll find mostly an obscure Finnish actor with the same name. Of opposite gender, incidentally.
 
Treo said:
We all know that the internet is full of unstable people and we have folks that take their online lives entirely too seriously. Back when my email used to be visible on my forum (won’t say which forum) profile I used to get random email from people I didn’t know telling me that they were going to be in town for the night and hey would I mind if they crashed on my couch? (Ummm yeah, I would). I once made the mistake of quoting a coworker (nationally known hunting writer) who liked to Google himself and had him show up at work the next day demanding that I remove his name from my post on another forum ( I still threaten to out him as a PeTA creep periodically just for fun).

There are also a couple of moon bats out there that I have no problem believing would show up at my church or my place of employment to "take vengeance" if they could visually identify me. (Like I said there really are a lot of unstable people in this world who invest entirely to much into their online lives).

My question is what measures (if any) do you take to insulate your online life from the real world? Do you take extra precautions to ensure that the two worlds never meet?

In my 6 year online career I have shown 1 photograph of my self and it was 20 years old and I have actually met FTF with one person from the net. I don’t put my photo out there, I don’t “check in” on face book, I don’t post photos with identifiable backgrounds in them and I never post pictures of my home, car or family.
Click to expand...
This is the only forum where I participate. I think Luke runs a pretty good site. I don't use Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, any other gun or other social media site.
 
Since I know someone is going to ask, the genesis of this thread is a moon bat from another forum who has taken to stalking me around the internet. At first I thought it was funny and to be truthful there’s part of me that still does.

That said, I was talking to my wife about it tonight and I mentioned that the guy appeared to be wound up so tight that I wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up at my church tomorrow with an Uzi. She said “You shouldn’t be (surprised)” and I got to thinking.

What if someone out there really was that close to the edge that something you posted on the net was the straw that broke the camels back?

It’s really not that far out there, there are some crazy people in this world.

I’m not ready to put on a ballistic vest every time I go out the door but I think the topic is worth some consideration
 
Treo said:
Since I know someone is going to ask, the genesis of this thread is a moon bat from another forum who has taken to stalking me around the internet. At first I thought it was funny and to be truthful there’s part of me that still does.

That said, I was talking to my wife about it tonight and I mentioned that the guy appeared to be wound up so tight that I wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up at my church tomorrow with an Uzi. She said “You shouldn’t be (surprised)” and I got to thinking.

What if someone out there really was that close to the edge that something you posted on the net was the straw that broke the camels back?

It’s really not that far out there, there are some crazy people in this world.

I’m not ready to put on a ballistic vest every time I go out the door but I think the topic is worth some consideration
Click to expand...
Ah yes grasshopper. The argument of gun control is we never know when some bug is gonna pop.
 
BC1 said:
Ah yes grasshopper. The argument of gun control is we never know when some bug is gonna pop.
Click to expand...

Really ? that’s your take away from this?
Isn’t the reason you carry a gun because you never know when you might need it?
 
I am on this forum and Facebook and post some pictures. Being an old bird, I don't find many people trying to friend me I don't know or they have friends in common with me. Before I respond on the friend request, I go to their profile to try to get a clue why they were friending me. So far, I have cancelled all unsolicited friend requests as it is apparent the young chicks have nothing in common with this turkey.
-----Seriously, there are ways you can post on Facebook and protect your info. In your profile, much of the data you can leave blank. Or you can specify to not show certain info. Any pictures you post you can identify who can see them, such as "Family" or "Friends". Anyone else coming upon your page would see there were pictures posted but would not be able to see any. However, most law enforcement or those in the business would suggest, especially for women, it is better to be careful of any postings, pictures or details such as "updates" showing you checking in some place. I do not post any of my whereabouts except as after the fact as I do not want to advertise my home is empty.
------My brother was getting unwanted solicitations and he sent messages to me and family he wanted to continue contact with and had us identfy him as private so only those he identified on his end and we did the same on ours could access his FB page.
 
I'm a published author. Kinda hard to hide if somebody really wants to find me. So far no one has.
 
Treo said:
Really ? that’s your take away from this?
Isn’t the reason you carry a gun because you never know when you might need it?
Click to expand...
Nah, I don't usually carry anything. Only if I'm carrying money or in a bad area.
 
How do you know I am not the unstable one, I take no extra precautions, if you want to find people you can not very difficult.
 
I may not be the proverbial spring chicken, but I am technologically savvy beyond belief. For example, I don't do anything at all on the internet--just on my computers. And I make sure they are always in places surrounded by metal, some of which is probably grounded, to ensure that nobody can hack them.
 
Treo said:
We all know that the internet is full of unstable people and we have folks that take their online lives entirely too seriously. Back when my email used to be visible on my forum (won’t say which forum) profile I used to get random email from people I didn’t know telling me that they were going to be in town for the night and hey would I mind if they crashed on my couch? (Ummm yeah, I would). I once made the mistake of quoting a coworker (nationally known hunting writer) who liked to Google himself and had him show up at work the next day demanding that I remove his name from my post on another forum ( I still threaten to out him as a PeTA creep periodically just for fun).

There are also a couple of moon bats out there that I have no problem believing would show up at my church or my place of employment to "take vengeance" if they could visually identify me. (Like I said there really are a lot of unstable people in this world who invest entirely to much into their online lives).

My question is what measures (if any) do you take to insulate your online life from the real world? Do you take extra precautions to ensure that the two worlds never meet?

In my 6 year online career I have shown 1 photograph of my self and it was 20 years old and I have actually met FTF with one person from the net. I don’t put my photo out there, I don’t “check in” on face book, I don’t post photos with identifiable backgrounds in them and I never post pictures of my home, car or family.
Click to expand...
First of all, I don't jump from one forum to the next starting junk with people...you make friends easy huh?
Treo said:
Really ? that’s your take away from this?
Isn’t the reason you carry a gun because you never know when you might need it?
Click to expand...
I think what he is getting at is...none of us have this problem. Just you. Maybe you should look into the other solution to your problem...quit being an ass.
 
If they can identify me from my shark photos they know me and will leave me alone.

Frankly I try to treat everyone with respect and it works for me. Well, I guess I'm not too respectful of some political types but I'm not a big enough fish for them to want to fry. Simply by avoiding pissing contests most respond in kind. If I was getting that much hate messaging I would sit down and evaluate whether I was just being a pain in the a$$ or if I was trying to positively impact others with my comments. If it were the former I'd tone it down a notch. When enough others look at me that way I say it is time for a bit of introspection. OF course it ain't paranoia if they really are out to gitcha :nono: (thanks for the quote Mr. Will Rogers - not in "" "" because I'm sure I biffed the quote). Sometimes the only message heard must be blunt. In that case you just have to decide to take the heat.

More and more I say screw'em. See? Time for some more introspection:wub:

All that said, I am what I am and I'm not changing to make some idiot feel better about him or herself.
 
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