I have debated (with myself) about voicing my opinion on this subject, but the more I see it come up, and the more I see Mods and forumites claiming those with a legitimate concern are all Chicken-Littles, it made me reassess this whole situation.
So, here is my buck-fifty opinion:
I have been dreading all the forumites posting peoples real names in the forums. The OP is right, and so are some of the views on this situation (which may, or may not be officially resolved as of this writing). Some names are common such as “John Smith” (my apologies to any real John Smiths here), which to any nefarious searching leads to many results that would make it difficult for an unscrupulous individual to narrow down to the correct individual (though possible) and correct information.
Others, such as myself, have unique names, which once known to the public (with identifiers such as hobbies, or DAZ itself) make for an easy target, because any search results harrow in on correct info (not difficult with unique names) that can be used against someone.
Now, for those who are thinking I, or those like me, are Chicken-Littles, or even paranoid:
Have you ever been a victim of identity theft?
I have. Three very frustrating times, thank you…
Have you ever had a spouse, an “ex”, or jaded lover hire people to put you in the hospital?
I have. Though, due to my survival skills, thankfully did not come to pass. Nonetheless, it was a real event in my life.
Point being; Am I really paranoid? Or am I just trying to be safe, and self-protecting?
I am glad (and at ease) that no one has posted my real name (yet?) publicly in these forums under the guise of “WTF? I’m not “so-n-so”, why am I logged in as him/her?” I worked really hard to disappear from my former life, and if anyone from my past saw my name, even without knowing my alias, they would at least have a place to start searching for linking information.
This has been a security breach from day one, and I am sick and tired of those (including Mods, and DAZ officials) stating otherwise. Yes, it might not be a total breach, and might not reveal sensitive information such as credit card, addresses, or etc., but showing real names is definitely a breach. Show some respect. Own up to it. And, stop pretending, or backpedaling this whole fiasco is a figment of the paranoids imagination.
Not everyone is on Facebook, or participating on the internet with their real names. Some of us are incognito for valid reasons. And, no, I am not any kind of criminal who needs to hide my identity. I hide my identity because of real criminals in my walk of life (not yours; nothing to do with any of you. You have your walk of life. I have mine).
Sorry for the rant, take care all…
Ken
