Don’t Out Your Host — Public Record Does Not Equal Common Knowledge — Privacy Checkup
Photo by Tony Rojas
Public Record
It’s virtually impossible to stay 100% anonymous on the Internet. So privacy and discretion are of utmost importance within the kink community. If you don't want to mix your kink and vanilla lifestyles then it's your absolute right to control your own narrative. That narrative, however, can unwittingly be supplemented or overwritten by Public Record.
Whether you consent to it or not, your legal identity immediately becomes Public Record as soon as you carry out one of a myriad of professional or legal tasks, some of which include:
Registering your business name.
Incorporating your business or registering an LLC.
Registering a trademark.
Applying for a professional license.
Pulling construction permits.
Applying for occupancy permits.
Purchasing land or property.
Running a nonprofit.
Registering as a sex offender.
Filing court paperwork.
Speaking at a town meeting.
Joining the board of directories of a registered company or organization.
Security Through Obscurity
As an oldschool hacker I'm usually the first one out of the gate spouting clichés like information wants to be free and arguing against the practice of security through obscurity. Obscuring information, or making it difficult to access, does not secure or hide that information.
Instead, it's the equivalent of sticking your head in the sand while pretending that the information doesn't exist. Someone will eventually find it. And that someone may eventually choose to disclose or publicize it.
Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. — Dr. Ian Malcolm
Illustration by Met Mangindaan
And that's where I come to an ethical crossroads. Instead of documenting a comprehensive list of all the resources that could be used to disclose Public Record, I'll have to settle for shouting a simple caution to the community:
Your information is available for the taking, usually for free with no registration required, on public Government websites.
Of course, by not publicizing the resources, I myself am practicing security through obscurity. And, by cautioning the community, I'm also arming potential stalkers with the knowledge that the information is out there.
So does that make me a hypocrite, an asshole, or both?
Hopefully, neither. It’s my (possibly naive) belief that malicious folks will eventually discover the resources on their own while potential victims have a right to know the resources exist.
Don't Be Evil
So don't be evil. Period. Just because you've managed to intentionally or inadvertently unearth a community member's vanilla identity (or vice versa) that doesn't mean that it's now Common Knowledge to share. Doing so just violates the trust that's preciously hard to foster in this community.
Instead, simply start a dialogue with the person explaining where their personal information is exposed.
To sound like a kindergarten teacher, if someone shares rumors or dirt about someone else with you, chances are they'll soon be sharing rumors or dirt about you with that someone else.
KR, Reify Joie