How Secure are "Conversations"?

[etrain16]

@Joe Link,

Since some of us are sharing things like phone numbers, emails and addresses in PM's, I was wondering, how secure are they?

I heard from another member that they were contacted by someone they had not given their number out to after they were able to do a search online to an apparently cached page?

Just curious who has access. I don't think other members can get there, or can they? Do you and/or the mods have access to Conversations?

Just curious what type of info, like phone numbers, will remain only between the participants?

Thanks

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[broncman]

Interesting question . . . . Inquiring minds want to know?

 

[308]

http://www.keenumber.com/

 

[broncman]

Ok what does that sight have to do with the OP.

 

[308]

Just that whatever we post online gets mined by someone. I put my # in google and that site popped up with way too much personal info.

 

[deadeye]

Mods do not have access to any members conversations, unless the member adds one of us to their convo.

The member who was contacted may have at some point posted their number in a classified ad and forgotten they did. It would be fairly simple to look through their posts list here or found an old post via google type search.

 

[IheartSig]

Oh suuuuureeee....Deadeye says that now, but I bet he's all up in our PM's watching, touching stuff, doing ...things.

I'm on to you Deadeye.

 

[Stomper]

 

[Joe Link]

Mods do not have access to any members conversations, unless the member adds one of us to their convo.

The member who was contacted may have at some point posted their number in a classified ad and forgotten they did. It would be fairly simple to look through their posts list here or found an old post via google type search.

Yep, this is correct. For admins we could do it technically, but we'd have to go though the back-end, and it wouldn't be easy. In eight years we've never had to do it.

I try to repeat this general tip every time I get the chance: If you're worried about something staying truly private online and you're not in the upper percentiles of computer knowledge, it's best to not post it. Law enforcement needs a court order, but I'm quite certain if the NSA wanted something off of our servers (or those of just about any other website) we probably wouldn't even know they took it.

 

[etrain16]

Yep, this is correct. For admins we could do it technically, but we'd have to go though the back-end, and it wouldn't be easy. In eight years we've never had to do it.

I try to repeat this general tip every time I get the chance: If you're worried about something staying truly private online and you're not in the upper percentiles of computer knowledge, it's best to not post it. Law enforcement needs a court order, but I'm quite certain if the NSA wanted something off of our servers (or those of just about any other website) we probably wouldn't even know they took it.

It's hard to know when and where you can share certain personal information anymore. I never doubt that certain entities, such as the government, can get access to anything they want - of course if they want my number and address, I'm sure they will have that in a heartbeat without digging in some forum. Heck, we're probably all already in some database somewhere.

It's more about keeping things secure from other folks - more general public. It's just nice to know that conversations/PM's shouldn't be showing up using the tools that most regular folks would have to do a search.

Nothing is 100% secure, and we should all be aware of that. Use good judgment in what personal data you put online - anywhere.

 

[DieselScout]

This is nothing negative against this site or It's security, but I'd you want something 100% private keep it off the internet and off your smart phone. It's just the world we live in. As far as phone numbers, I have no problem sharing them via a conversation. It's needed to do transactions on this site.

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

Makes a person wonder if there is an NSA set-up occurring..

an unknown person recently-called my cell number but left no voice mail; I dialed and she said she called me because I called her...and left no message.

So now the record looks like I called her twice....

Then, I put my cell number into a search engine and....wow.

Put nothing

 

[Martini_Up]

I'm pretty sure that all my phone calls, txt, emails , everything I do on the computer including the sites I visit, boards I post on, IM's within those boards and any documents I work on are all being tracked, recorded with the ability for someone to view it all.

The 4th amendment is gone already as is the 10th. The 2nd is almost gone. Politically correctness has the 1st on the ropes.

We the People have forgotten that 'the sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sum beam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.'

(Alex Hamilton 1775)

 

[Koda]

you all should be more concerned with what internet browser and search engine you use...

well worth the read: https://duckduckgo.com/privacy

 

[Brutus57]

IN the immortal words of Hudson or Hicks, I can never remember which.....Game over, man. Game over.

Brutus out