This bothers me regardless from which angle I view it

[PrairieSong]

But see, isn't that wrong??? Why do my pictures get to be put anywhere???

Why do pictures of celebrities get published without their permission and sometimes taken without their knowledge? I do understand not wanting photos of yourself on FB or somewhere without your consent, but should we actually pass a law or something prohibiting it? How could that ever be enforced?

[LucyStoner]

I don't. But that doesn't mean it isn't wrong.

Why is it wrong? I don't accept that it is wrong or right, I just see that it is how things are. I can't control people seeing me when I am out in public. The public has moved online, it's different than it was.

 

Part of how people celebrate now is sharing pictures online. For every person upset to be posted, there would be another upset to be excluded from the picture (in fact there was a recent thread along those lines) or to not have their picture posted.

[MFG]

But if I go to Walmart, I assume people will see me that day. I make that choice. But I don't want people seeing me 2 weeks from now still wearing that. I just don't like photos. I'm ugly. I just don't like them.

If you go to Walmart, you will be on security footage. It will be used if a need arises. All those clips of security footage we see on the news when they are trying to investigate a possible crime? They don't just record the "bad guys".

[bluemongoose]

If you go to Walmart, you will be on security footage. It will be used if a need arises. All those clips of security footage we see on the news when they are trying to investigate a possible crime? They don't just record the "bad guys".

Ya but the difference with this is it is not public all over the internet. It is stored to be used as needed when they are investigating stuff. And usually when you see footage from these things on the news they blur out the faces of the innocent bystanders who just happen to be shopping there.

 

Going out into public is not the same thing as having your image taken and plastered all over the internet.

 

Also, just because there is something that I cannot control or change, just because that is just how it is, that doesnt make it "right". There are a lot of things that happen because that is "just the way it is", I could list a ton, but none of them are right. It is not right to post a picture on the news, on the internet, in a newspaper etc. that is not your own image but someone elses without permission.

[LucyStoner]

But if I go to Walmart, I assume people will see me that day. I make that choice. But I don't want people seeing me 2 weeks from now still wearing that. I just don't like photos. I'm ugly. I just don't like them.

Geez, I seriously doubt you are ugly.

[Jenny in Florida]

I don't.  But that doesn't mean it isn't wrong. 

 

But, aside from the ease with which people now post photos, this isn't actually any different than it has ever been. As long as there have been cameras, photographers (both amateur and professional) have been taking pictures and publishing or handing them around at will without the permission or knowledge of the subjects. 

 

I mean, think about the group photos you see in newspapers: Clearly, not every person pictured has signed a photo release. Many may not even know they have been caught on film. There are a number of famous photos from the past that are of people who've never been identified or weren't for many years, despite the fact that they have been published and republished for decades. (I'm thinking specifically of the famous VE Day kiss photo of the couple in Times Square or some of the photos of people falling from buildings on 9/11 or the folks in the background of those pictures of Ruby Bridges heading into the school in Little Rock.)

[Jenny in Florida]

 The public has moved online, it's different than it was.

 

I think that is the salient point.

[Moxie]

All of this makes me want to stay in my house and never leave.

Really?? Why??

[Guest]

But, aside from the ease with which people now post photos, this isn't actually any different than it has ever been. As long as there have been cameras, photographers (both amateur and professional) have been taking pictures and publishing or handing them around at will without the permission or knowledge of the subjects.

 

I mean, think about the group photos you see in newspapers: Clearly, not every person pictured has signed a photo release. Many may not even know they have been caught on film. There are a number of famous photos from the past that are of people who've never been identified or weren't for many years, despite the fact that they have been published and republished for decades. (I'm thinking specifically of the famous VE Day kiss photo of the couple in Times Square or some of the photos of people falling from buildings on 9/11 or the folks in the background of those pictures of Ruby Bridges heading into the school in Little Rock.)

So true. If anyone else is old enough to remember Poloroid Insta-matics, they recall how pictures goofy and terrible would be snapped and passed around, for the pure silliness of it. Same when disposable cameras came out. Remember weddings, with disposable cameras on every table, so the couple could get candids of each seating group?

[Guest]

This might be a bit tangential, but I loved reading the blog post from Paul Miller after his year off-line. He did it as an experiment, expecting his relationships to be more "real" and to use his time better and more intelligently. He did even think this was happening, three months in. His conclusions are fascinating, though. He said he found that the internet *is* reality. Not being on-line made him socially irrelevant - literally disconnected - from all the tech-using friends and family who were, after all, still on-line, just without him. I find that a very interesting, not to mention candid, conclusion to draw.

 

My SIL is a "hold out" - doesn't use FB, barely answers an e-mail and claims to never shop on-line. I see how out of the loop it makes her on many points, though she doesn't realize it. Technology is here to stay, so one can either go along with it or sit in the dust, but people in general aren't going to help you stay in the loop unless you're maybe 70+ years old. I see the on-line sharing of photos as related; it's just how it is now done.

 

In reality, my life is not private. That ship has sailed. Even the fact that I chat about my life on thus public board, open for all to see...well, actually, it is weird. But I do not have an IRL Source of wisdom, interesting facts, smart ways to do things, advice on shoes, and just plain sharing lives to the scope that it available by coming here. So, this has become my reality. Strangely, there are posters here who may know "the real me" better here than nearly everyone

I know IRL.

[poppy]

Yes, it's a different world.  Electricity changed our world, the highway system changed our world, the internet changed our world.  Better some ways, worse some ways.  But to completely opt out would be a challenge and sacrifice at this point.

[Mergath]

Because that is just the way it is. It's really that simple. All of the possible solutions I can think of to your perceived problem are either unenforceable or onerous. What solution do you think there is?

 

I suppose one could always get him or herself elected president and have the Secret Service or whoever take down all unapproved FB pictures.  But that wouldn't help so much with the whole privacy thing. ;)

 

I don't really care if my picture is on Facebook.  I figure if I ever have some wacko friend or family member who's crazy enough to actually come after me because they found out where I lived via FB, they probably would have tracked me down eventually anyway.

[Liz CA]

I had not even thought of signing release forms as Faith suggested. Very good point. This woman is evidently a professional photographer (has a website and portfolio where I got her number) but she is also a friend of the bride's family. She very quickly removed the close-ups - perhaps because she realized she did not have permission. Next time someone jumps around with a camera, I suppose I can ask where the release form is...

[LucyStoner]

I had not even thought of signing release forms as Faith suggested. Very good point. This woman is evidently a professional photographer (has a website and portfolio where I got her number) but she is also a friend of the bride's family. She very quickly removed the close-ups - perhaps because she realized she did not have permission. Next time someone jumps around with a camera, I suppose I can ask where the release form is...

In most instances and states though, she actually doesn't need a release to publish pictures of you.

[Liz CA]

My SIL is a "hold out" - doesn't use FB, barely answers an e-mail and claims to never shop on-line. I see how out of the loop it makes her on many points, though she doesn't realize it. Technology is here to stay, so one can either go along with it or sit in the dust, but people in general aren't going to help you stay in the loop unless you're maybe 70+ years old. I see the on-line sharing of photos as related; it's just how it is now done.

 

In reality, my life is not private. That ship has sailed. Even the fact that I chat about my life on thus public board, open for all to see...well, actually, it is weird. But I do not have an IRL Source of wisdom, interesting facts, smart ways to do things, advice on shoes, and just plain sharing lives to the scope that it available by coming here. So, this has become my reality. Strangely, there are posters here who may know "the real me" better here than nearly everyone

I know IRL.

 

I realize that this online world is real and present. I use it constantly and am delighted to be able to research every little thing - to some depth at least - but I feel everyone ought to be able to decide just how much of one's life is out there. I have never and likely will never post a pic of myself on this board or anywhere else online though I enjoy seeing Christmas pics of other people. Seems like we do this during Christmas more than any other time. I don't feel my life is narrower because of it. I just want to decide what is accessible by the masses. I hope I have at least that much "say" in the matter. Twenty years from now, cameras may be taking pictures of us at every moment - who knows what the brave new world is coming to, but I am hanging on to the illusion of privacy as much as I can and as long as I can.

 

[Liz CA]

Busting Myths About Model Releases (There are many more sources that confirm this information.)

 

Scary.

 

[Moxie]

I realize that this online world is real and present. I use it constantly and am delighted to be able to research every little thing - to some depth at least - but I feel everyone ought to be able to decide just how much of one's life is out there. I have never and likely will never post a pic of myself on this board or anywhere else online though I enjoy seeing Christmas pics of other people. Seems like we do this during Christmas more than any other time. I don't feel my life is narrower because of it. I just want to decide what is accessible by the masses. I hope I have at least that much "say" in the matter. Twenty years from now, cameras may be taking pictures of us at every moment - who knows what the brave new world is coming to, but I am hanging on to the illusion of privacy as much as I can and as long as I can.

 

I don't understand how having my photo taken at Susie's wedding and posted online is invading my privacy. What am I missing?

[katilac]

Um, how do you do this if you don't even have a facebook page.  I wonder if I would be tagged and how I would know...

 

You can't be tagged if you don't have a Facebook page. They could list your name as simple text, but I'm guessing that anyone who has a particular interest in you would recognize you with or without the name. 

 

It may relieve some people to know that, even if you are tagged or your name is listed, the post and photo won't show up in a Google search. There are automatic 'robots,' also known as crawlers or spiders, that index web pages so you can search them. Facebook can't be crawled. There are a zillion photos and mentions of me on Facebook, but when I google, the only thing that shows up is my profile summary, the same as if you searched my name directly on Facebook. 

 

So, if the people you are hiding from are friends with the people who are posting your pictures, then yes, they can see those pictures, but they can't just google your name and have a bunch of Facebook photos or posts about you show up. 

 

fyi, Pinterest is crawlable, and your profile photo and your pins will show up if you google your name. 

[In2why]

So you have to join facebook and lose privacy (as it searches through all your stuff) so you can try to gain privacy by changing settings so others will not link your face. LOL...lovely.

 

And the problem is people can be nice and caring people that lack good sense and post stuff about your family thinking that only people who are in our immediate circle will care to see it, not thinking about the fact that it is PUBLIC in a very big sense. 

 

You can't be tagged in a photo unless you have an account.  They could write who you are in the comments section but unless you are a Facebook account holder you can't be "tagged".  A tag is just a link to your Facebook page.  No Facebook page, no tag.

[In2why]

I don't think anyone should have the expectation of privacy while out in public.

 

 

Very true and there have been many court cases affirming it.  When in public people are fair game.  Privacy is an illusion.  

[In2why]

But see, isn't that wrong???  Why do my pictures get to be put anywhere?

 

They aren't your pictures.  They belong to the person taking the picture.  We don't have to like it but it is the world we live in, and have lived in for a very long time.  

[Guest]

Do you think that one day all of these kids growing up with their lives plastered all over FB will want to change things? I can see selfies and all of downsides to posting pictures all the time going out of style eventually. There have been a lot of news reports about selfies, narcissism, isolation and quite a few campaigns like this one about the backlash of too much phone time.

 

Maybe we'll get something done like the Right to Be Forgotten lawsuit that happened in the EU.

It certainly could go that way, which is a reason I have advised my teens to think about what they put on FB. But, there were things I displayed publicly as a kid that I now realize make me look dopey. In high school, the seniors could publish a paragraph or so in the yearbook, saying whatever they wanted to say. Mine was so idiotic. I said something gushy about my then-boyfriend and made a reference to a now-forgotten song. And how about yearbook candids, team and class pictures, and the stuff friends wrote in your yearbook? I understand the scope is much wider on FB, but my point is, dopey stuff you say and do when you're 16 has little to no relevance on who you become as an adult.

[Liz CA]

I don't understand how having my photo taken at Susie's wedding and posted online is invading my privacy. What am I missing?

 

Because those photos are now not just in "Suzie's" possession but by posting it online, they are potentially accessible to thousands - literally. In this case, there were more than 100 people present. Assuming that the majority is on FB or some kind of online place where photos can be shared, pictures can circle far and wide. For the most part, people may not recognize those they are not familiar with, but the fact remains that your image is now accessible anytime - now and in the future. Then there is the rather unpleasant fact what can be done with digital photography - something that could not be so easily achieved with old-fashioned prints.

 

I could post pics of the beautiful couple here. Possibly nobody here would recognize them and not think anything of it - but I won't because I don't know if they would want it and I don't have their express permission. (My guess is they don't care since they are already on FB but it's a respect issue for me.)

 

Perhaps this whole thing is as much a generational issue as a privacy issue. I am nearer to fifty than forty and privacy still means something to me. I am also more of an introvert. Dh does not care as much as I do and he is older than I am but an extrovert.

 

[MFG]

You can't be tagged if you don't have a Facebook page. They could list your name as simple text, but I'm guessing that anyone who has a particular interest in you would recognize you with or without the name.

 

It may relieve some people to know that, even if you are tagged or your name is listed, the post and photo won't show up in a Google search. There are automatic 'robots,' also known as crawlers or spiders, that index web pages so you can search them. Facebook can't be crawled. There are a zillion photos and mentions of me on Facebook, but when I google, the only thing that shows up is my profile summary, the same as if you searched my name directly on Facebook.

 

So, if the people you are hiding from are friends with the people who are posting your pictures, then yes, they can see those pictures, but they can't just google your name and have a bunch of Facebook photos or posts about you show up.

 

fyi, Pinterest is crawlable, and your profile photo and your pins will show up if you google your name.

I discovered this through my own experiment. I did a Google image search of my name, using various combinations of both my maiden and married name and full name and nickname. No pictures of me came up. And I know there are tagged pictures of me on Facebook.

[Moxie]

Because those photos are now not just in "Suzie's" possession but by posting it online, they are potentially accessible to thousands - literally. In this case, there were more than 100 people present. Assuming that the majority is on FB or some kind of online place where photos can be shared, pictures can circle far and wide. For the most part, people may not recognize those they are not familiar with, but the fact remains that your image is now accessible anytime - now and in the future. Then there is the rather unpleasant fact what can be done with digital photography - something that could not be so easily achieved with old-fashioned prints.

 

I could post pics of the beautiful couple here. Possibly nobody here would recognize them and not think anything of it - but I won't because I don't know if they would want it and I don't have their express permission. (My guess is they don't care since they are already on FB but it's a respect issue for me.)

 

Perhaps this whole thing is as much a generational issue as a privacy issue. I am nearer to fifty than forty and privacy still means something to me. I am also more of an introvert. Dh does not care as much as I do and he is older than I am but an extrovert.

 

I guess I don't see it as any different from the old 'Society' page in the paper except that the access is easier.

[Farmgirl70]

GREAT.. So how do I figure out if I have any photos tagged on facebook????  I DO NOT WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED.

If you don't have a Facebook account, you can't be tagged.  A tag is a link to your Facebook wall.  The poster of the photo can list your name without a tag, but anyone searching for you would not find it that way.

[Joker]

I think that is just how things are today. I also don't think there is anything that can be done. There is a Facebook page for my high school and they have scanned yearbook pages from the 50s until today. They include the picture with the name beside it.

 

Also, I have a Facebook page with loads of pics to keep my family up to date (they all live out of state) and I have a Pinterest account. When I search images for my name on Google, there is nothing that shows up that is mine. I have tried using many different combinations of my name but there is nothing in a Google search.

 

[OnTheBrink]

Ohhhh, this is one of my pet peeves. I am SO tired of going to church events, or friend's parties, and having someone take pictures and post them. I actually had someone unfriend and block me from her FB when I asked her to remove pictures she took of me at a party. She didn't have my permission to take my picture and she surely didn't have my permission to post them. And she's no longer speaking to me. Yeah, that's right. A 50ish year old woman got that offended that I asked her to remove pictures she had no business posting in the first place. 

 

It makes me crazy that the days of enjoying an event or party have ended because someone's got a *^%$#@*& camera and a FB account. 

[MFG]

Ohhhh, this is one of my pet peeves. I am SO tired of going to church events, or friend's parties, and having someone take pictures and post them. I actually had someone unfriend and block me from her FB when I asked her to remove pictures she took of me at a party. She didn't have my permission to take my picture and she surely didn't have my permission to post them. And she's no longer speaking to me. Yeah, that's right. A 50ish year old woman got that offended that I asked her to remove pictures she had no business posting in the first place.

 

It makes me crazy that the days of enjoying an event or party have ended because someone's got a *^%$#@*& camera and a FB account.

I bet she kept the pictures up, too.

[OnTheBrink]

I bet she kept the pictures up, too.

 

I have it on good authority she did take them down. 

 

People are crazy. 

[In2why]

GREAT.. So how do I figure out if I have any photos tagged on facebook????  I DO NOT WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED.

 

You are not tagged on Facebook if you do not have a Facebook account.  If you do have a Facebook account then look under the tab photos and there is a section for tagged photos.  You can also change your settings so no one can tag you unless you permit the tag to take place.  Again...If you do not use Facebook you are not being tagged.

 

Now someone might comment....hey that is a great picture of Seekinghim45 but there isn't a darn thing you can do about that except stop going to events where your photo might be taken.  

[In2why]

I have it on good authority she did take them down. 

 

People are crazy. 

 

I would remove a picture if someone wanted me to, but I post pictures all the time on Facebook and wouldn't think to ask someone's permission.   I think the etiquette of posting on Facebook is to not preempt the "star" of the event.  So wedding pictures shouldn't be posted until the couple shares and new babies are for the parents to share.   That type of thing..........

[Liz CA]

I guess I don't see it as any different from the old 'Society' page in the paper except that the access is easier.

 

I would not have wanted to be featured on the society page either without my permission. :lol:  "Society Page" reminds me of a very old article my MIL had cut out of the local paper when she was a kid. The community was so small that it was mentioned when her relatives visited "and a good time was had by all."

[Liz CA]

Ohhhh, this is one of my pet peeves. I am SO tired of going to church events, or friend's parties, and having someone take pictures and post them. I actually had someone unfriend and block me from her FB when I asked her to remove pictures she took of me at a party. She didn't have my permission to take my picture and she surely didn't have my permission to post them. And she's no longer speaking to me. Yeah, that's right. A 50ish year old woman got that offended that I asked her to remove pictures she had no business posting in the first place. 

 

It makes me crazy that the days of enjoying an event or party have ended because someone's got a *^%$#@*& camera and a FB account. 

 

Makes it kind of a priority to always stand straight, never show too many teeth while laughing and heaven forbid - don't scratch yourself... :lol:  Brave new world!

[Guest]

I would remove a picture if someone wanted me to, but I post pictures all the time on Facebook and wouldn't think to ask someone's permission. I think the etiquette of posting on Facebook is to not preempt the "star" of the event. So wedding pictures shouldn't be posted until the couple shares and new babies are for the parents to share. That type of thing..........

Yes. I did ask my sister before posting a photo of her newborn. They had not put up photos yet and I wasn't sure if that was philosophical or she just hadn't yet. Also, if I put up photos of my young nieces or nephews, I don't type in their full name, and I will tag the parents.

[Jenny in Florida]

GREAT.. So how do I figure out if I have any photos tagged on facebook????  I DO NOT WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED.

 

As I think a few others have explained, if you don't have a Facebook account, you can't be "tagged." Someone could, in theory, identify you in a photo by typing your name, but it wouldn't be searchable, as far as I know.

[Jenny in Florida]

Yes. I did ask my sister before posting a photo of her newborn. They had not put up photos yet and I wasn't sure if that was philosophical or she just hadn't yet. Also, if I put up photos of my young nieces or nephews, I don't type in their full name, and I will tag the parents.

 

When my son was younger, the parents of all of the kids in his close friends group agreed to identify the other kids only by first names and to tag parents when we posted photos of the kids at events. One mom has people in her extended family whom she would prefer did not see photos of her child, and we all respected that.

[DianeW88]

GREAT.. So how do I figure out if I have any photos tagged on facebook????  I DO NOT WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED.

 

You can't.  People can post photos of you all over FB if they want, and if you don't have an account, you'll never know. 

 

Tagging just means identifying someone with an account by naming them in photo.  If you don't have an FB account, you can still be identified in the photo.  The person will simply post it in their comments.  As in, "Here's the latest photo from Suzy's baby shower.  From L to R, Jane Doe, Ann Smith, Lisa Jones, etc."  You will never know about it, but the photo will be there for anyone on her friends' list to see.  And depending on her privacy settings, for anyone who isn't, but still has an FB account.  I allow "friends of friends" to view my page, so they don't have to know me to see what I post or see my photos.  I have over 400 FB friends, so they can see what I post, plus all of their friends.

 

If you really don't want any photos posted of you online, the only option these days is to stay at home or wear a bag over your head when you're in public.  You can tell people you don't want them to post your photo, but there isn't a darn thing you can do about it if they do.  And let's not forget Instagram.  That's ALL photos.  And some people post them constantly.  Take a photo with your phone, and post it instantly.

[MFG]

wear a bag over your head when you're in public.

 

I thought of suggesting this as a possible solution a number of times but was afraid it would not be well received. It might also raise difficulties with the whole "not being flagged on a security camera" thing.

[PeacefulChaos]

I don't get why it matters. I mean, what's going to happen from my picture being on fb? Nothing. It's just there.

It's also in old yearbooks, in newspapers, and various other media.

I feel like people love to demonize fb. If people you don't know see your picture, who cares? When I see pictures of people I don't know I don't even glance twice at them.

 

I'm sorry. I just don't get why it's a big deal. *shrug*

[Moxie]

I don't get why it matters. I mean, what's going to happen from my picture being on fb? Nothing. It's just there.

It's also in old yearbooks, in newspapers, and various other media.

I feel like people love to demonize fb. If people you don't know see your picture, who cares? When I see pictures of people I don't know I don't even glance twice at them.

 

I'm sorry. I just don't get why it's a big deal. *shrug*

I agree. My face and/or name are not private.

[DianeW88]

Most public places that I've been to within the past year (zoos, amusement parks, museums, swimming pools, even some restaurants) also have signs by their entrances saying something along these lines:  "By entering our facility, you are agreeing that your photo (or any member of your party, including your children) may be taken and published in the form of advertising, promotional literature, news stories, or on social media, without any notification or remuneration." 

 

If you leave your house, expect that your photo will turn up online somewhere.  It's inevitable.

 

 

[LucyStoner]

As has been previously expounded upon, some people are not concerned about strangers seeing them, but rather non-strangers being able to identify them, and extrapolate all sorts of information about them (or their children/spouses/etc) from sites like fb.

I have some crazy in the family. I have an evil nasty relative who lives with another relative, both of whom I just won't have anything to do with at all. I have changed my phone number and email on their account at least 6 times since I got my first apartment at 17. So I get that. If they show up on a social media site, I can block them. In fact, I have blocked them.

 

Bluntly most people seem concerned about privacy or how they look, not because they have a stalker. Most of us do not have crazy stalkers in our lives. Even those that do have people they don't want to find them (like me) can manage that risk and still participate in social media if we wish. Odds are good no one at the wedding was in witness protection or in any danger whatsoever from the pictures being posted. For those in hiding, you take far more extra precautions than asking not to have the picture posted online. You let photographers know you don't want your picture taken at all.

[LucyStoner]

People are entitled to not like things and not participate in anything they don't want to participate in.

But they are, for the most part, not entitled to tell people what to do with their image. That IS just the way it is. If they don't want their pictures online, they basically need to proactively prevent having pictures taken.

[MFG]

I have hard copy pictures in my possession from a family vacation in the mid-80's with total strangers in the background - heck, sometimes in the foreground. I'm pretty sure that somewhere in the world some stranger has vacation photos with me in them, too. The digital age hasn't changed things all that much.

  

Yeah but it'd be pretty weird if someone knocked on your door, asked to see those pictures, then photocopied them, and was like "don't worry we have several mutual friends and I know the person in these pics".

Yes, it would weird if a stranger showed up and asked to see old pictures. But it would not be weird at all if either Kinsa or the mysterious random strangers scanned their own old pictures and put them online. People do that all the time.

[Leav97]

GREAT.. So how do I figure out if I have any photos tagged on facebook????  I DO NOT WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Face-Shield-Sun-Protection/dp/B0049H2KCG

[Guest]

I know you guys think I'm funny. But I have an old boyfriend from high school that was controlling/abusive. He showed up at my college unannounced. Several years ago I got some hang up calls. It was weird. Come to find out my mom ran into him about the same time. ( He is a lawyer now. She told him all about my being married, etc.) Coincidence...maybe. But I just don't really want him to know where I am.

I had one of those, too. I have seen on FB people who are related to crazy ex. They are not my "friend," but they are sometimes friends-of-friends. The thing is, if cray-cray wanted to stalk me or hunt me down IRL, I'm sure he could. That I have a FB page and photos on-line doesn't make me so much easier to find. With some slightly advanced Google-fu, any average person can locate any other average person. Unless a person is literally being hidden by the government or has gone to unusual lengths to "disappear"; I.e., pay only cash for everything, earn money through cash only, use no health insurance, move to different states or countries a lot, etc., they can be found. Unless you are going to remarkable lengths to leave no trail, there are files galore all about you. There are health files, there are government profiles, there are marketing demographic files with retailers like Target and Amazon, there are financial services reports, there are profiles about when you got married, when you took an anti-depressant and what kind of chocolate you like.

 

So...just saying that unless someone has a serious reason to disappear, on the level where the government will move you and assign you a new identity, the likelihood that FB photos at a graduation party will be your undoing is very remote. Stalker sand crazy exes were able to pursue their victims before FB existed.

[DianeW88]

I had one of those, too. I have seen on FB people who are related to crazy ex. They are not my "friend," but they are sometimes friends-of-friends. The thing is, if cray-cray wanted to stalk me or hunt me down IRL, I'm sure he could. That I have a FB page and photos on-line doesn't make me so much easier to find. With some slightly advanced Google-fu, any average person can locate any other average person. Unless a person is literally being hidden by the government or has gone to unusual lengths to "disappear"; I.e., pay only cash for everything, earn money through cash only, use no health insurance, move to different states or countries a lot, etc., they can be found. Unless you are going to remarkable lengths to leave no trail, there are files galore all about you. There are health files, there are government profiles, there are marketing demographic files with retailers like Target and Amazon, there are financial services reports, there are profiles about when you got married, when you took an anti-depressant and what kind of chocolate you like.

 

So...just saying that unless someone has a serious reason to disappear, on the level where the government will move you and assign you a new identity, the likelihood that FB photos at a graduation party will be your undoing is very remote. Stalker sand crazy exes were able to pursue their victims before FB existed.

 

Exactly.  Google your own name.  Chances are, your name and address will be right there for all to see.  Mine is.

[Liz CA]

I thought of suggesting this as a possible solution a number of times but was afraid it would not be well received. It might also raise difficulties with the whole "not being flagged on a security camera" thing.

 

I may have to consider this if things deteriorate even more. Grab the last paper bag before we all have to go to canvas bags, cut out eye holes and go about town. Hides bad hairdos and wrinkles too.

[Liz CA]

Exactly.  Google your own name.  Chances are, your name and address will be right there for all to see.  Mine is.

 

Interesting. I google myself regularly but evidently I've been careful enough so nothing comes up...yet.