This is an interesting point. However, given that people seldom have interest in random strangers, this really doesn’t seem that worrisome.
If I were particularly dedicated to finding out, say, the name of the roommate of someone I don’t know on the internet’s roommate, this’d give me a decentish pointer. It’d still be really hard.
If I actually met the subject of this person and wanted to find out personal details about her life, I’d need to know specifically about this post and the author’s relation to the subject. Otherwise, it seems quite hopeless.
At the very least though, she could have been more vague on their relationship, as it would have minimized any such risk and cost the post nothing.
If Swimmer963 and her roommate have overlapping social circles, and Swimmer963 talks about posting on LW with her real life acquaintances, it’s fairly likely that someone will be able to put two and two together.
We don’t have the same circles, and we’re no longer roommates, and I don’t talk about Less Wrong with most people, and if any of you did meet her you might find out about it from her first…
Nevertheless, I did not think through all of that. I have some problems with privacy, i.e. I don’t actually notice situations that involve ‘personal’ information, whether it’s mine or other people’s. At least I have the right to post whatever personal stuff I want wherever I want...but I don’t have that right for other people.
I did change the wording of the original post to ‘friend’.
This is an interesting point. However, given that people seldom have interest in random strangers, this really doesn’t seem that worrisome.
If I were particularly dedicated to finding out, say, the name of the roommate of someone I don’t know on the internet’s roommate, this’d give me a decentish pointer. It’d still be really hard.
If I actually met the subject of this person and wanted to find out personal details about her life, I’d need to know specifically about this post and the author’s relation to the subject. Otherwise, it seems quite hopeless.
At the very least though, she could have been more vague on their relationship, as it would have minimized any such risk and cost the post nothing.
If Swimmer963 and her roommate have overlapping social circles, and Swimmer963 talks about posting on LW with her real life acquaintances, it’s fairly likely that someone will be able to put two and two together.
We don’t have the same circles, and we’re no longer roommates, and I don’t talk about Less Wrong with most people, and if any of you did meet her you might find out about it from her first…
Nevertheless, I did not think through all of that. I have some problems with privacy, i.e. I don’t actually notice situations that involve ‘personal’ information, whether it’s mine or other people’s. At least I have the right to post whatever personal stuff I want wherever I want...but I don’t have that right for other people.
I did change the wording of the original post to ‘friend’.