[kwlug-disc] kwlug-disc mailing list privacy

[Chris Frey]

On Sat, Dec 15, 2018 at 11:40:06PM -0500, Paul Nijjar via kwlug-disc wrote:
> A number of people have suggested using a different email address as a
> pseudonym. This is a fine suggestion, unless you've screwed up (as I
> have) and already said things you don't want public on your regular
> email. This can either be because you didn't know the lists were public
> in the first place, or because your views have shifted over time and
> you've come to regret things you've said, or perhaps you just got
> carried away in the heat of the moment (as can happen to the best of us)
> and had a momentary lapse in judgment. (Additionally, pseudonyms can be
> broken over time. If you use one too long, it can become easy to build a
> profile on you that can in theory be matched to your real world
> identity. And this is ignoring all of the technical ways that pseudonyms
> can be broken.)

I see a difference between having a public list and being willing to
delete messages that people don't want in the archives anymore.
The first I don't want changed, but the second, I have little issue
with deleting things for someone who is worried.  I think there is
little to worry about (this is a pretty crazy internet after all) but
each has their own level of comfort when it comes to these things.

Since posting was done inadvertently, I personally have no problem
with deleting those specific messages from the archives.  I don't know
how feasible this is, or if Paul offered it (I forget if this was mentioned).

Now that you know, once the old messages are gone, you can proceed
as if the misunderstanding never happened, and use a pseudonym,
and distance yourself from your old name.


> > if you don’t want your *text* showing up: don’t post. Keep your
> > information to yourself. I think it’s awfully selfish to post on a
> > list such as this and then hold it close to your chest because someone
> > outside of your network might see it. That’s not what this list is
> > about, in my opinion. We’re here to ask questions, share knowledge and
> > exchange pithy one-liners. Whether the person reading it is in Guelph
> > or Guangzhou is irrelevant; they may have the same question and a
> > simple answer may be found here. Why would you want to prevent that?
>  
> I'm selfish for fearing the consequences of messages I thought were
> private actually being visible to the entire world? Really?
>  
> And once more, as explained above, I seriously doubt that the answer to
> anyone's question can be found here and only here. "Ah, I'm so
> incredibly glad that this random LUG mailing list contained the solution
> to my problem that could not have been found anywhere else on the entire
> internet!" -- said no one ever. If that is the case, it shouldn't be,
> and that knowledge should be shared elsewhere.

I find it *slightly* incongruous that you are worried about people
finding your inconvenient posts, and yet argue that this list is
hardly used for research and nobody would find anything of use on it
anyway.  Something tells me it can't be both ways.

*shrug*

I don't want you to be inconvenienced by something you would like
deleted.  But I also don't want the KWLUG to be inconvenienced or
hindered by a fake privacy that I think would do no good.

Just my $0.02.

- Chris