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Opt Out of Being Shown On the Member Map?

Discussion in 'Forum Suggestions / Bug Reports' started by Rassandra Gendal, Apr 13, 2015.

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Should We Have the Option to Opt Out of Member Map Listing?

Poll closed Apr 27, 2015.
  1. Yes, let us turn it on or off from our privacy settings.

    5 vote(s)
    45.5%
  2. Yes, let us choose between Members Only, Whitelisted Only, and No One.

    6 vote(s)
    54.5%
  3. No, it's not necissary/I don't care if someone can find my house on this site.

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  4. ZOMG, TEH NSA IS GUNNA GET YOU, TAKE THIS TIN FOIL HAT!!1!1

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. Rassandra Gendal

    Rassandra Gendal Well-Known Member

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    Not even thirty minutes to an hour ago, I clicked on the button "Member Map", thinking it was a mapping of various user activities on the site (everyone's Last Seen and the Last Seen before that graphed together), or the tendencies of each user to post in certain parts of the forums, because I'll admit, I can be a snoop! However, personally I was horrified at what I found.

    The Member Map clearly shows that it tracks and displays a user's Current/Last log-in location based on IP Addresses, with enough accuracy that I could have visited the house of one of the members prior to moving a month ago if I wanted to. Personally, while I can see the convenience of this for visiting a forum friend who you're on really, REALLY good terms with, I also see the potential for HEAVY stalker abuse. It's probably not as much of a problem now, considering how far spread out everyone currently is across the world and the fact that this site is still very young and quite small, but I'd still feel a heck of a lot more comfortable knowing that I don't have to worry about a random on the internet registering a fresh account (mine is currently less that 8 hours old!) and then clicking a magic button to know almost exactly where I live. Granted, due to the nature of IP Addresses, anyone can do that if they have or know a program or web application out there that can match IP Addresses to physical addresses and know the former, but I'd like to not make it any easier.

    Therefore, I'd like to suggest the addition of an option in our settings page under Privacy, so that either we can opt out of being listed on the Member Map (preferably defaulting to "Do not list me"), or have a few choices as to who can and cannot view us on the member map (Members Only, Whitelisted Only, No One).
     
  2. MurphyAlter

    MurphyAlter The Floofiest

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    If you click the "add or update location" button to the top right of the map, you can delete your marker.
     
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  3. Wolfcat

    Wolfcat Well-Known Member

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    Mine doesn't seem to be showing up by default, and I never opted in / out.
    Or, perhaps, it doesn't show me because... it's me, and others can see me.
     
  4. Vitani

    Vitani Tertiary antagonist

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    Murphy makes a good point...but all the same, I'd like the option for it to be completely hidden. :x
     
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  5. MurphyAlter

    MurphyAlter The Floofiest

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    Nope, I show up on my own.
    It is. There are a number of users not on the map, though I can't list any off by memory.
     
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  6. vahaala

    vahaala Nobody wants him, he just stares at the world...

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    It must have been added then... I *think* that by default I had to add myself manually when first registering. But I agree on the option, IMO it would be good if on by default, but could be switched off/for friends only.
     
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  7. Rassandra Gendal

    Rassandra Gendal Well-Known Member

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    I wasn't sure if that would do anything, but that could explain the absence of a number of users I recognize on here not being on the map.

    &
    I cannot see myself on it either, though I'm looking at the list and not scrolling over to where I live (I figured being told your own map location based on IP Address is irrelevant unless using TOR or a proxy)


    That would have been an acceptable stand-in solution, having to add yourself to the map rather than being automatically listed. Shame that wasn't the case for me.
     
  8. Rassandra Gendal

    Rassandra Gendal Well-Known Member

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    Okay, so I checked the "Update or Add Location" thing, @MurphyAlter , and it's the same thing as what I put down on my profile, which is a bit of a joke for those who know me. I would THINK that could be why I don't see myself on there, but A) I'm seeing a few listed on there who don't have that filled in or also entered a bogus location, and B) That wouldn't provide the results I am seeing on the Member Map, because as I stated above it was accurate enough to where someone on here could have found me knocking on their front door if I were that kind of person....more than a bit scary. Still vouching heavily for an opt out feature.
     
  9. Wolfcat

    Wolfcat Well-Known Member

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    I have my location set to Oregon (in my profile,) and it does not add me to the map. I'm not sure how people get on there, unless they specifically update their location (on the map.) Are people getting added to the map another way?
     
  10. Rassandra Gendal

    Rassandra Gendal Well-Known Member

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    Perhaps some of us unknowingly or secretly are using TOR? xP
     
  11. Serathaiya

    Serathaiya Draenei Tail Puller.

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    I changed mine long ago...not the true location but close enough in case anyone wanted to meet up in the future, not that there's anyone really close. :D
     
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  12. MurphyAlter

    MurphyAlter The Floofiest

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    Are you sure you aren't just near the center of your city? I don't think that the map even CAN be that precise. (though I could be wrong)

    @BDCA Where are you on this?
     
  13. Rassandra Gendal

    Rassandra Gendal Well-Known Member

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    When I say visit them if I wanted to, I refer to a month ago, when I lived back in a city. I live out in the country now, a good ~5 hours away from there. I'd even willingly give out the full address of it now, except that my brother still lives there in more or less "Solitary Confinement" due to some domestic violence, the very reason I had to move recently.....that and it's just make the general area of the user I referred to more accessible to those without an account who normally couldn't view profile info (I think), and that'd sit bad with my conscience. As for being near the center of the city? Not even close, I THINK I was actually outside the current city limits as per it's management/legislation. Could be mistaken on the city limits part though, as I'm not sure if the utilities were provided by the city but paid to companies, or provided by and paid by the companies.

    Also, for as poor service as they seem to be providing with many things these days, from the logo in the corner I'd say it's powered by Google Maps, which surprisingly is actually accurate enough to tell between a person using it with an IP Address at one house from their next-door neighboor. Trust me, I've checked, and you can likely do the same test yourself just by going to http://maps.google.com/ . It's a scary world we live in these days......
     
  14. Chelseapolitan

    Chelseapolitan Don't dream it, be it!

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    I say my location is Cincinnati, OH yet on the map it showed my true location (about 20 miles from Cinci). I definitely don't like people knowing my EXACT location, hence why I just generalize Cinci. I deleted my mark. Let's see if it works.

    I literally showed my house. Someone could have found me. That's creepy.
     
  15. Rassandra Gendal

    Rassandra Gendal Well-Known Member

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    I couldn't find a way to delete my mark, just a way to "Add or Update Location", which turned out to be the exact same field on my profile that I put down a joke location since I don't want people knowing where I live save for the most trusted of friends. ("Hall of The Mountain King, Research Chambers" is a little thing for those who know me fairly well as the person behind the character; I have a soft spot for older, obscure literature, music, games, movies, and shows so long as they pique my interests in the first place and don't offend me; And I have a thing for researching just about anything that catches my interest but isn't something I know a lot about or entirely understand.)
     
  16. Chelseapolitan

    Chelseapolitan Don't dream it, be it!

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    It's exactly what Murphy said, when you click that button there should be three button options, the one to the right will say delete. From what I can see you aren't on the map.
     
  17. Rassandra Gendal

    Rassandra Gendal Well-Known Member

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    I only see "Search" and "Cancel" as options. I'm guessing that makes me one of the lucky few who don't have to worry (for now) ?

    I talked to a family member earlier today/yesterday about the map thing, mostly just them wanting to know why I was a bit stressed after I had told them so. They said that Satellite Internet (what I have now) users might not have to worry about it, due to the fact that it regularly reassigns IP Addresses because of the nature of the connection. I said I honestly thought each would be paired with the same physical address, meaning it would carry the same risk factor with something like this...but perhaps not? Either way, I'd like for anyone here to be able to not show up on that map if they don't want to, if not out of consideration then as a means of providing or declining the consent to share personally identifiable information.
     
  18. BDCA

    BDCA The Tallest Staff Member

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    If you click the "Add or update my marker" button it should show you an option to delete it?
     
  19. Exeter

    Exeter Cuddly, Snuggly, Slutty Dragon

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  20. Rassandra Gendal

    Rassandra Gendal Well-Known Member

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    I don't know....according to others, I don't show up on the map to begin with...I'll just say I live SOMEWHERE on this part of the map.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2015

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