Why don't you put your general location in your profile?

(This came up in a recent thread, so starting a new one so as not to derail that one.)

This is not a poll, I'm just curious.

I've belonged to many forums over the years ranging from automobiles of varying makes/models, motorcycles of various makes/models, boats, audio, electronics, video production.

This is the first one I can remember where the majority of members don't include their general location in their profile. I find location to be useful information for a number of reasons.

So I'm curious, if you haven't included your location in your profile... why not?

 

It should be mandatory.

 

People are mildly paranoid. As if chatting on an internet forum wasn’t already anonymous enough.

People will give excuses why they don’t post their location, but all the excuses come down to a mild case of irrational fear.

 

Realize this is about "location", which for some might simply be a personal omission as their reasoning.
Along with location, it would be very helpful if those needing assistance would add their vehicle specifics....Trim(Base, Limited, SR5), Cab(Regular, AC, DC), Eng(3.4L V6, 4.7L V8).....etc onto the
Vehicle One-Line Description line.

Personal Details | Toyota Tundra Forum (tundras.com)

 

This sounds like something a data collector would say...

 

"some people" are not truthful when adding their location. Especially when looking at it in street view.

 

I think it stems from the olden days of the internet when you weren't supposed to tell strangers ANY info about yourself. Now you can order up a stranger to hop in their car and give you a ride. Now you got FB, IG, Snap, Tik to broadcast your entire life. Things have definitely changed.

 

Blows my mind. Grow up being told "don't talk to strangers" to now people posting their whole life online.

 

Is that a NotaRubicon reference?

 

Just hang on a second while I also go and get a photo of my truck's license tag!!!!!

 

Some folks may not be real proud of where they currently live.

 

Because cancel culture is real. I list my state but removed my first name even though most here already know it.

 

So they won’t deploy overhead drones?

We live in a world where people try to extract your phone number and email via some cover in the hope of resetting your email password and reading all about your life.

Beware the Craigslist and FB scammers.

 

What exactly is the damage one can do, or the info one can glean from a person's license plate #?
Everywhere you drive, everyone can see your tag.
Or, do the people with blotted out tags keep them covered all the time? So no one can see them?
Seriously, I'm asking because I don't know whether or not you can find info based on a plate #. Pretty sure you cant in NYS. Unless you're a cop.

 

In this day and age, people are slammed with telemarketing calls, emails, text messages, etc., all trying to get your "information" so that they can steal from you. I think people in general have become much more reluctant to share information about themselves.

 

Mine isnt accurate. I'm over an hour away from the center of san antonio. But some people know roughly where it is.

 

I know some guys who go to Paranoids Anonymous...but they won't tell me where they meet!

 

I think it's this. You don't have to give a street address. Even just a state or region of a state would be helpful and not give away your location.
I used to be a little paranoid about giving away too much info on a forum. Honestly, I couldn't give you a good answer if you asked why.
At this point, I really don't see the big deal about anyone knowing my name or region I live in. I'm not a secret agent double spy or working in area S4 on classified weapon tech. If anyone here was doing anything that important or secretive, well,....they wouldn't be on here at all.
I can relate to the not wanting to post pics that are too revealing though. I've lived in some dumpy places, including the nightmare of a home I live in now. But I'm also moving to a new home that we just built, on a stupid large piece of rural property. I'll also feel funny about that, because I grew up with nothing and I'll feel like I'm bragging. So, people have their weird little personal reasons for stuff.
But my lack of revealing every aspect and finer detail of my life on a truck forum, won't be because I'm worried that someone will get me.
(It's mostly because I'm ornery and don't want you mooches showing up).

 

YES!! I like his content.

 

I put this in the same category as people who insist on covering up or blurring their license plates when posting pictures of their vehicle...

 

You can't but a cop or private detective can and do in the event you feel you're being stalked and have a license plate to provide. Same as well for car accidents where you couldn't get all the info like name of insurance company but only had the licensed name and address. I went through that myself as a teenager and later found out the guy wasn't insured who hit me.

 

Are you sure about that?

 

I knew that comment would expose a secret agent or 2.
Looks like I better switch my user name and cover my license plate.

 

"I'm mildly paranoid" => Yet somehow OK with having a 24/7 tracking device (aka smartphone) in their possession at all times

"I'm concerned about my privacy" => 90% of the people I know who say this are on Facebook 24/7 who resell your data to just about anyone, and-or they use TikTok, which has multiple backdoor proxies to the PRC.

"I'm worried someone will dox/find/hunt me down" => First off, if you're not doing asshole shit, this isn't a problem, but I know at least 50% of y'all are packing, and know how to use it, so what's the BFD?

It really gets me. I've had jobs in the digital sector, many directly in or tangetally connected to digital security, going back to the days when AOL was still sending CDs in the mail for dialup access. Never once have I used an alias other than "shifty", never once have I concealed the city I live in. And you'll find me on many truck and car forums across the internet...

 

Not me, but I know of a couple BMW and Tesla fanatics who work in that realm and also regularly visit their respective car forums.

 

Not me man.
I keep my phone in incognito mode.

 

I dunno, I think anyone who remotely knows you isn't about to cancel you because of the state you live in. If so, people would've cancelled me a long time ago, GA ain't the peach it'd like to be

Fun story for you three:

My truck prior to this was a GMT400. Former GM guy, through and through, from a long-lasting GM bloodline. What can I say, I'm smarter now . I've posted pics on here before of that truck. I plopped it on fleaBay and one of my old GM truck haunts online that's been around a couple decades to sell, post-BBS life (for those of you who remember BBSes)

I sold the truck, got a bill of sale, cancelled the tag with state of GA. About 10 months later, I start getting bills in the mail from SunPass in Florida because I ran some tolls. In my old truck. That's long sold to my mail carrier. Whose tag I have hanging in my garage. Whose registration was cancelled. Some piece of human garbage with a truck near-identical to mine had one of those re-pop tags made with my old tag number on it, I assume after finding pics of my old truck on the internet.

Because the last registered owner of an extended cab late-90s GMC Sierra in green with that GA tag number was me, even though it was cancelled in GA's system, I got the bill. And the bills kept coming. They were basically just running tolls all over FL using my old tag number. And SunPass WOULD NOT let me off the hook. Even after I sent them the bill of sale and tag cancellation info. Even after I rang up one of my LEO buddies at the precinct and got a stolen tag report, as they requested, even though I had the tag sitting in my hand.

So - call me paranoid for concealing my tag - but there is actually a legit reason to do it. This may not be a well-known con, but it happens, and any of y'all MF can be a victim.

 

Operational Security to protect CATS and Tow Hitches.