Posting your picture on the 'net: Dangerous?

[RidleyofZebes]

RANT WARNING: PROCEED WITH CAUTION

I love the "Post your pic" thread! I've lurked through dozens of pages of it, and I must say, there are some rather nice pictures in there. Ryan really is Asian and I am not! LOL It only saddens me that I won't be able to join in on this fun.... As long as I live in my parents house, at least. They're all like "If you put your picture anywhere on the internet, someone will find it and use it to track you down and (dun dun dun!) ruin your life."

...personally, I think that's a load of bull crap. But as long as I live in their house, I must abide by their rules. As long as I live in their house.

People post their pictures on the internet all the flippin' time and nothing ever comes of it. It's been done hundreds of millions of times. It's a good method of social interaction, and it helps your friends know who you are on facebook and stuff. It's a cryin' shame that a few freaks have to get on here (see: The internet) and spoil it for everyone by actually stalking someone in real life.

But guess what? Guess why those stories were in the news? Those people were CAUGHT and TAKEN OFF the STREET. They're behind bars or otherwise 'under supervision' now. They can't stalk anyone anymore.

But okay, say there was (and, knowing the amount of idiots there are on the internet, probably is) another character out there who decided he wanted to invest in such illicit activities. What are the chances that a certain individual will be chosen to be stalked?

Well, let's see. There are, oh, over 400 million active users on Face book (that's taken from Wikipedia), and... what, about the same, maybe more on Myspace? Now, let's be generous and say that only, oh, HALF of those profiles have pictures and belong to an actual person. I could go and track down stats for the dozens of other social networking sites in the internet, but I think I've made my point. An individual's chances of being tracked down simply through posting their picture to an online profile (or message board) are basically 1 to 1/3-the-population-of-earth. (unless that board is [CERTAIN PART OF THE INTERNET], and if you're stupid enough to post your picture there, you deserve whatever you get.)

Simply put, I honestly see absolutely no immediately possible liability in posting an image of yourself, fully-clothed, possibly doing something goofy, to a publicly viewable profile.

If I'm wrong, please, be my guest. Go right ahead and point out any gaping hole in my argument you might find. I'd love something else to chew on.

[Tsukuyomi]

The good thing about the pic thread here, is that you must be a member to see the picture thread ^^

That may not help alot, but it does bring some peace of mind ^__^ I guess.. Just use caution when posting up pics of yourself and know what you may be getting yourself into ^^

[Valkaiser]

Identity theft is much more common and the perpetrators are much harder to catch. If they can string together bits of information about you from various places (including photographs) then it is possible for them to do a great many unsavory things. This is the true danger of "social networking" sites, people lay so much out in the open for all to see. I personally have so far refused to have anything to do with that type of interaction. Anything on an internet capable computer is susceptible to such malicious pilferage, even when the information is considered secure. If one insists on utilizing the internet, for whatever reason, then they need to limit exposure of sensitive information as much as possible...
>.>
<.<
...pardon, I must away.
You see, they're after me

[ShiroiHikari]

My Facebook is locked down so you can't really see anything unless you add me, and I don't add people I don't know. On here, the most you can get is my first name, what I look like, and perhaps what state I live in. I'm not concerned about it-- if you met me on the street, you could also see what I look like and would know what state, even what CITY I live in. O: OH NOES

[Roz]

But guess what? Guess why those stories were in the news? Those people were CAUGHT and TAKEN OFF the STREET. They're behind bars or otherwise 'under supervision' now. They can't stalk anyone anymore.

Sadly, there is a huge number of online predators. These people often make accounts of themselves as people they are not (like a young person) in order to make friends with people and later hurt them. People that you are sure you "know" could not be those same people. Unless you are friends with these people in the real world there is no way of telling if those pictures of that person are actually them.

Also your future boss may be able to see your past activity. A lot of times a person looking to hire people will Google or with a special search engine look you up and glean all the info on you they can. If that includes the pictures of you drunk at the party the other day that answers a lot of questions for a prospective boss.

Here's a really sad statistic. Less than 10% of sexually abused kids ever tell that it happened. The number of people hurt by online predators is, like the number of perps, a huge and unknown number. I didn't hit up Google for all of this. Someone close to me (who is a professional) deals with this every day and I got my information from them.

I'm not trying to scare anyone or spread distrust. Just encouraging (especially younger members) to PLEASE be VERY careful with what you put on the internet because you really never know who might find it. Just like everything else in life.

[Midori]

Well, anyone who has your IP address can trace it to where you live. They don't really need a picture. That said, I habitually don't post personal info or pictures either, though it's actually comparatively easy to find out who I am.

Of course, if your parents say no you gotta listen. Just remember that nothing on the net is private.

[goldenspines]

I think there was a thread made about something similar: http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=41269

Concerning safety issues on CAA, like Tsuki mentioned, the Post Your Pic thread is not viewable by non members. Yet, of course, this doesn't mean that everyone who joins CAA is a nice person.
The important thing is just to use common sense and don't be too quick to trust a person you have only just met online. This is mostly directed towards our younger (under 18) members, but I think it's good advice for all of us.
That being said, the safest option of course would to be not give out any personal info online. Though, I think posting a picture with no other personal info about yourself would not be too dangerous. I'm not expert on security, though.

But, somewhat along the lines of what Roz mentioned, the internet can be something like a strainer. What you pour into it may leak through. And also, considering I recently learned that most crime in general isn't reported, it would not surprise me that most sexual predators have not been caught yet. I mean, the guys we all saw on Dateline were just a small hand full of the creeps out there. Some of them are not that smart and only target "easy" people that give out all their personal info online, and others are a bit smarter and will target anyone randomly.

Therefore, I echo what has already been said in this thread, be cautious with what you post. Know the risks of what you are doing and where you are doing it.


EDIT: And I agree with what Midori (who is a faster typist than I) posted.

[blkmage]

1. People underestimate how easy it is to get personal data on the Internet and what constitutes a piece of personally identifiable data. That said, photographs are really only dangerous if in the hands of predators, and that only applies if you're of a certain demographic. The other data is far more useful for identity theft.

2. People overestimate and have a false sense of security of how cautious they are in leaving behind personally identifiable data. Unless you use the Internet for entirely trivial purposes, you will have left something behind that, when cross-referenced with other data, will be able to identify you. It takes a surprisingly little amount of data to be able to uniquely identify someone if you're able to cross-reference data.

Basically, anonymity is not privacy. There are a few pretty good articles which may shock and surprise you and scare you into never using the Internet again.

Aya's lecture on privacy combines computer science and Touhou to bring you an educational experience on this topic unlike any other. Ars Technica has a less technical rundown on the same subject, why anonymized data really isn't.

[TGJesusfreak]

Photos on the internet are only useful when you already have other information. I think that it would only serve a predator if he already knew where you lived. Being that I am young maybe I don't understand just yet. *shrugs*

[Nate]

Yeah TG is pretty much right. A predator would need much more than a simple photo of someone to harm them. They'd want a name, location, stuff like that. Similarly, someone interested in identity theft wants more than a picture too. They want address, credit card numbers, social security numbers, so on.

Honestly of all the things you can post online, a picture is probably the least dangerous of them all, with a first name being the second least. Once you get to last names or addresses, then you're in danger. Unless your last name is Smith or Johnson or something. There's like a million of those guys.

But that isn't to say people shouldn't be cautious about posting their pictures online. Posting a picture could bring a person unwanted attention. Could bring them unwanted ridicule too (not here I'm sure, but elsewhere). So really it's up to the person (or their parents I guess), but I wouldn't go so far as to say "Yeah it's totally and completely safe to post pictures of yourself online!" That isn't really true at all.

[Warrior4Christ]

Honestly of all the things you can post online, a picture is probably the least dangerous of them all, with a first name being the second least. Once you get to last names or addresses, then you're in danger. Unless your last name is Smith or Johnson or something. There's like a million of those guys.

I kid you not: there's someone I know... if I type just his FIRST NAME into Google, his Facebook page appears on the first page. His name is a bit unusual, but I wouldn't expect it to be so unique..

Anyway, blkmage's post actually said/implied it's unlikely that an online nasty person would only have access to a picture. It's kind of likely they'll easily be able to find a name and location to go with it, which makes it more dangerous. But on the other hand, the sheer amount of existing linkable picture/name/location/other information available on the internet reduces the physical danger somewhat.

[goldenspines]

I kid you not: there's someone I know... if I type just his FIRST NAME into Google, his Facebook page appears on the first page. His name is a bit unusual, but I wouldn't expect it to be so unique..

What may have caused this: Google picks up tidbits of info (er, cookies, right?) of places you have been before on the net. They do this in order to make your web search the most efficient for you (or something). But, this could also mean that of you have been to your Facebook page more than that of a person who shares your same name, your FB will pop up first on Google's search list for your name because they know you so well (and probably think you lost your FB page? XD; ). :3

[Mithrandir]

I'm not aware of any context-based overlays to google's search tech, but I suppose it's a possibility.

[goldenspines]

I'm not aware of any context-based overlays to google's search tech, but I suppose it's a possibility.

Maybe it only happens to me because Google loves me so much. o.O

[Mithrandir]

Maybe it only happens to me because Google loves me so much. o.O

Everybody loves you!






Doesn't the world seem brighter now? XD


Anyway, I think most of what I think about this topic has already been said. A picture is prolly not that bad. However, there's a reason CAA has a policy which forbids users asking where other users live.

[Shao Feng-Li]

I rarely, if ever post pictures or personal information, so... Still, there's more danger off line I think. Someone might see you at the grocery store then follow you home.

[airichan623]

Yeah TG is pretty much right. A predator would need much more than a simple photo of someone to harm them. They'd want a name, location, stuff like that. Similarly, someone interested in identity theft wants more than a picture too. They want address, credit card numbers, social security numbers, so on.

Honestly of all the things you can post online, a picture is probably the least dangerous of them all, with a first name being the second least. Once you get to last names or addresses, then you're in danger.

But that isn't to say people shouldn't be cautious about posting their pictures online. Posting a picture could bring a person unwanted attention. Could bring them unwanted ridicule too (not here I'm sure, but elsewhere).

I totally agree. For me, my full name is quite dangerous. Why? Because it is very unique, and thus I am the only person with my name that appears on google. Also, it is worth noting that even if you use a chat name (like airichan623) but put your real name in your profile, it could be hazardous. Even leaving your full name in a post in anonymous forum is dangerous! My uncle told me that if you google me, the first thing that appears is my Tokyopop.com post on someone else's profile where I was reminding them who I was! case in point: type in your CAA name. I type in mine, I find my naruto forum stuff, CAA stuff, AND MyAnimeList.com stuff!

I probably could post my pic, but I dont want to have my pic used by people I dont know. Facebook is fine cuz they know me in real life. So even if I DO post a pic of me here someday, I will probably warp my face or somethin just to be safe.

[Mithrandir]

case in point: type in your CAA name.

For some reason this doesn't cause any concern for me. XD The bad thing about having a unique UserID is that you can be tracked back to all your different places. The bad thing about a well-known username is that it's usually taken where ever you want to post.

[blkmage]

So more on de-anonymizing data. Today, there's an interesting article about how a person is almost uniquely identifiable just by the groups they're in on various social networking sites. And obviously, if you use other social networking sites or forums and the like, it's possible to combine datasets to get an even more accurate pinpointing of a given person.

And it's not just social networking. Beyond the fact that pretty much any social graph can work, it's possible to determine someone's identity based on some surprising bits of information. Home and work location pairs? Check. Netflix ratings combined with gender and birthdate? Check.

Like I said before, if you do anything non-trivial on the Internet, you're probably uniquely identifiable with a very little amount of information.

[Mithrandir]

I took a few classes on data mining, and I took away something that still makes me nervous. You can be uniquely identified by only your First Name, Date of Birth, and Zip Code. That's all it really takes.

[Peanut]

For some reason this doesn't cause any concern for me. XD The bad thing about having a unique UserID is that you can be tracked back to all your different places. The bad thing about a well-known username is that it's usually taken where ever you want to post.

I can second this experience...its why I now have two usernames, one for sites like CAA and another for places like Youtube where my name is guaranteed to be taken.

[That Dude]

All I gotta say is, don't do anything on the internet that you wouldn't in real life. You wouldn't give out vital information to just anybody on the street. Though, I wouldn't mind some random person knowing my first name and what I look like either. Just proceed with caution.

And abide by your parents rule while you are under them.

[Roy Mustang]

Like a few have said and Nate said best, I don't feel that posting your picture would be dangerous. They need more personal information then just a picture and your first name.

I have a few user names and places like Facebook are locked down so you can't really see anything unless you add me and I add you back.

I would be more worried about Identity theft and they have to have more then a picture. I wouldn't go around posting your full name if its unique.

For me, my name it out there. Since I deal with photography and there is no way around it. But my name not unique and I have done google search of my full name and here is what I found about me,

I have about 15 facebooks, must be all the chicks that that just want love. XD

I'm a Family Practice doctor in AZ, an actor, a PHD in Psychology and a Psychologist in TX, lawyer in Minn, and I was slain in a Toronto subway car!

I didn't know that I had awesome life and did all that!


[color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color]

[Straylight]

I think posting pictures is more or less safe, so long as you ensure there is no personally identifiable information in the picture. For example, envelopes with your address on, phone numbers written on someone's hand, that kind of thing. This is pretty important with today's high res cameras.

[Mithrandir]

I think posting pictures is more or less safe, so long as you ensure there is no personally identifiable information in the picture. For example, envelopes with your address on, phone numbers written on someone's hand, that kind of thing. This is pretty important with today's high res cameras.

And along these lines, make sure you don't have your car's license plate in the shot.

[Rusty Claymore]

My take on this is that it's up to you to research the risk. Then you decide wether it's too risky or not.
But hey, I'm and advocate of being trained and armed. Then it doesn't matter if someone tracks you down.
(Part of good training is not being alone.)
I third Starlight, ID theft is a pain, so leave out personal info. Your F.C. (Finely Chisled, or Face, for those who haven't yet had the chance to enjoy Jeeves and Wooster) is good enough subject matter.
Course I don't know why someone would want the ability to look at my ugly mug 24/7, but hey, I'm different...

[Warrior4Christ]

[quote="goldenspines (post: 1381192)"]What may have caused this: Google picks up tidbits of info (er, cookies, right?) of places you have been before on the net. They do this in order to make your web search the most efficient for you (or something). But, this could also mean that of you have been to your Facebook page more than that of a person who shares your same name, your FB will pop up first on Google's search list for your name because they know you so well (and probably think you lost your FB page? XD]
I tried it on a different browser that I never use (ie. IE), and the Google results were still the same (I doubt cookies are shared between browsers).

[Bobtheduck]

case in point: type in your CAA name. I type in mine, I find my naruto forum stuff, CAA stuff, AND MyAnimeList.com stuff!

WHen I google bobtheduck, the first thing that comes up is bobtheduck.com... Not me (I'm .org). What used to come up was a bobtheduck dead journal. Not mine either. In fact, bobtheduck on dead journal was apparently a girl.

When I googled my full name, an LGBT page would come up, and some track runner, I think, for some school.

I know a girl with a unique (in the true sense of the word) name because her family line is extinct once she dies or gets married (unless she keeps her name). She is literally the only person on the earth with her Given and Family name combination... If you google her full name, you'll find her government picture on a German government website. Her first name is actually quite common, though.

[SnoringFrog]

I think posting pictures is more or less safe, so long as you ensure there is no personally identifiable information in the picture. For example, envelopes with your address on, phone numbers written on someone's hand, that kind of thing. This is pretty important with today's high res cameras.

Or keys, that's another one. If you get a good enough locksmith or the right equipment keys can be copied via photo.

I totally agree. For me, my full name is quite dangerous. Why? Because it is very unique, and thus I am the only person with my name that appears on google. Also, it is worth noting that even if you use a chat name (like airichan623) but put your real name in your profile, it could be hazardous. Even leaving your full name in a post in anonymous forum is dangerous!

I used to be concerned about this, and thus was pretty stringent about what I put online. Now I've slackened up a bit, why? Because my name has been put out there in ways I can't change, along with information that would make me very easy to find. Along with some info that doesn't work lol. I googled my first+last name, first result is my facebook, the next result says I'm deceased. But I've had newspaper articles written about me, those are the worst for what they contain, and I've also written an article or two for various websites, so I come up there as well. Alot of this I can't change, so I figured if someone does want to track me down, they already have a very easy task so there's not too much else I can worry about. One result I found that I hate, however, is my Twitter account. When I saw you could search for me by real name, I changed my last name, but now you can find me through BOTH names.

For some reason this doesn't cause any concern for me. XD The bad thing about having a unique UserID is that you can be tracked back to all your different places. The bad thing about a well-known username is that it's usually taken where ever you want to post.

Even the most unique usernames are taken sometimes. Mine has been taken once or twice, and my friend's username Qoyjkenz has been taken before.

One thing I noticed that can be pretty dangerous doesn't even deal with the information you put up yourself. I used to guard my last name, school, and city pretty closely, but, if you were to go look at one of my friends' accounts on Facebook or Myspace, you could easy find city/school. With just a parent's name (for minors) and a city/state you can narrow down addresses very quickly. I've shocked a few of my online friends by showing them where they live. So even if you're meticulous about keeping your data private, the fact that you have 70 friends from Banana Academy makes it easy to see that you probably live pretty close to Banana Academy and attend here.