PRIVACY?

[Andy997]

How come it is possible for someone to add you to their 'mates list' and effectively track when you are online or when you last visited - without your knowledge?!

Surely the mates list should be mutual, i.e. you have to give permission to be added to someones list and even if agreed a user should have the right to remove their name from someone else's list? As a MINIMUM all users should have the option to remove their ID being tracked.

I'm not a data protection or privacy laws expert, but as an example the Yahoo terms and conditions in relation to UK privacy laws clearly state the law requires a user has to agree to someone seeing their 'online status'...

Edited by Andy997 on Wednesday 21st November 09:31

[Mrs Fish]

You can hide yourself iirc, so no-one can see when you are logged on.

[Mrs Fish]

Oh, scrap that, it seems you can't anymore....

Good point though

[Andy997]

Kinda scary that anyone (boss, BiB, colleagues, partner, etc) can sign up and track anyone on here without their knowledge?!

Don't we have strict privacy and data laws in this country that prevent that? Couldn't see anything in the T/C's on this site that relate to it either?

[FunkyGibbon]

Mrs Fish said:

Oh, scrap that, it seems you can't anymore....

Good point though

The invisibility option is in my profiles bit. Does it not work?

Edited to add - just tried it and it seems to work for me.

Edited by FunkyGibbon on Wednesday 21st November 09:50

[David Godfrey]

What a stange first post.

[Podie]

Mrs F, you can still hide yourself.


Andy, if you have that big an issue, then "logout" and read the forums. That said, you can still watch IP addresses, so better start wearing a tin foil hat...

[oggs]

David Godfrey said:

What a stange first post.

Just what I was thinking

[Andy997]

David Godfrey said:

What a stange first post.

Happily admit to having created a 'new ID' for this conversation...

But lets not turn something serious into a discussion about who I really am though?

[Podie]

Andy997 said:

How come it is possible for someone to add you to their 'mates list' and effectively track when you are online or when you last visited - without your knowledge?!

Surely the mates list should be mutual, i.e. you have to give permission to be added to someones list and even if agreed a user should have the right to remove their name from someone else's list? As a MINIMUM all users should have the option to remove their ID being tracked.

I'm not a data protection or privacy laws expert, but as an example the Yahoo terms and conditions in relation to UK privacy laws clearly state the law requires a user has to agree to someone seeing their 'online status'...

Edited by Andy997 on Wednesday 21st November 09:31

Just re-read this... so you're THAT concerned about privacy, you put your name into your profile, and where you live.

[Podie]

Andy997 said:

David Godfrey said:

What a stange first post.

Happily admit to having created a 'new ID' for this conversation...

But lets not turn something serious into a discussion about who I really am though?

No, I can run and IP check and tell everyone for you..

[oggs]

Andy997 said:

David Godfrey said:

What a stange first post.

Happily admit to having created a 'new ID' for this conversation...

Which is against the T&C you agreed to when you joined PH

[Andy997]

Podie said:

Andy997 said:

David Godfrey said:

What a stange first post.

Happily admit to having created a 'new ID' for this conversation...

But lets not turn something serious into a discussion about who I really am though?

No, I can run and IP check and tell everyone for you..

Any chance of a serious response to a legitimate enquiry?

[Podie]

OK, enough laughing about.

You signed up to the T&C's, and there is an option to hide your online status, should you choose to do so. Therefore from a data protection aspect, the site is covered.




For the record, if it was a REAL concern, I would have expected someone to mail the site's owners, rather than putting up a "stiring" post.

Edited by Podie on Wednesday 21st November 10:06

[Andy997]

Podie said:

OK, enough laughing about.

You signed up to the T&C's, and there is an option to hide your online status, should you choose to do so. Therefore from a data protection aspect, the site is covered.

Is the 'hide' option only available at the sign-up point (I can't see it on my profile)? Sorry to be pedantic, but the terms explicitly state that user information is not available publicly, yet it is if users can be tracked by anyone who so chooses? In fact, being the IT nerd that I am, a simple external program (name not disclosed for obvious reasons!) over the internet could track dozens of users at once and report their useage statistics individually?

To be honest, this came about when one of my colleagues came over and said 'I know you're only arsing about on PistonHeads, so can you give me a hand with something?'. And when I denied it (as anyone would!) he laughed and told me he'd just checked and could run something over the next weeks that would show useage stats for anyone we chose if I wanted!

[Andy997]

Podie said:

OK, enough laughing about.

You signed up to the T&C's, and there is an option to hide your online status, should you choose to do so. Therefore from a data protection aspect, the site is covered.




For the record, if it was a REAL concern, I would have expected someone to mail the site's owners, rather than putting up a "stiring" post.

Point taken - but I actually thought I was missing something (probably obvious too!) and would get a quick reply of 'just change this bit and it'll hide you' or similar...

[David Godfrey]

How to Prevent other users from seeing if I'm online:

• Log back in as your normal account
• open profile
• click forum preferences
• tick the "Invisibility:" box
• click save at the bottom of the profile.

Done.

[Andy997]

David Godfrey said:

How to Prevent other users from seeing if I'm online:

• Log back in as your normal account
• open profile
• click forum preferences
• tick the "Invisibility:" box
• click save at the bottom of the profile.

Done.

You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman!

(in future please get up earlier though?)

[Podie]

Andy997 said:

Podie said:

OK, enough laughing about.

You signed up to the T&C's, and there is an option to hide your online status, should you choose to do so. Therefore from a data protection aspect, the site is covered.

Is the 'hide' option only available at the sign-up point (I can't see it on my profile)? Sorry to be pedantic, but the terms explicitly state that user information is not available publicly, yet it is if users can be tracked by anyone who so chooses? In fact, being the IT nerd that I am, a simple external program (name not disclosed for obvious reasons!) over the internet could track dozens of users at once and report their useage statistics individually?

To be honest, this came about when one of my colleagues came over and said 'I know you're only arsing about on PistonHeads, so can you give me a hand with something?'. And when I denied it (as anyone would!) he laughed and told me he'd just checked and could run something over the next weeks that would show useage stats for anyone we chose if I wanted!

The “hide” option does not legally have to be made at sign-on IIRC. User information (by this I assume they mean PII) is not publicly available, but by posting on a PUBLIC internet forum, you are making your chosen details and comments available for all to see (in fact, Google picks up on things). Yep, quite easy to track users / usernames, but it is with any forum – and again that’s the nature of the public internet.

[David Godfrey]

Andy997 said:

David Godfrey said:

How to Prevent other users from seeing if I'm online:

• Log back in as your normal account
• open profile
• click forum preferences
• tick the "Invisibility:" box
• click save at the bottom of the profile.

Done.

You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman!

(in future please get up earlier though?)

Please PM me from your normal account.