Internet stuff.

[Jayr]

(If you're like me and have anxiety connected to the internet, this could be triggering. I know, sounds crazy.)

I have no idea where to post this so I'll just post it here and if there's a thread for this that I didn't see, just move it.

I have very bad internet anxiety. Ummm very hard to explain. I go crazy thinking about stuff being online that connect to me or even that connects to my girlfriend. It's idk. Before anyone says ''Well don't get on the internet than.'' Well I'm in a ldr, half my family lives in another country, jobs make you fill out applications online and this is the only place I have support. So yeah.

Years ago, I was naive, and the internet was just invented so I didn't know exactly how it worked, neither did most of the population. and I'm sure I posted stuff online I shouldn't have. Not porn or anything lol just random stuff, opinions or whatever. I've cleared most of those things and the few that still are online, well are not connected to my name and are so old that well even google doesn't have it in the first 5-6 pages even when you know what you're looking for.

Yet I still freak out. Now I'm CRAZY careful, here is basically the only place I talk openly about anything.
And I've had mods delete all the pictures they could find of me on here, luckily my real name isn't connected to this.

Is there anyone, company or anything you can contact that will act as a stalker and see how much stuff they can find so you know?
Cause I've done research but it's not the same doing it yourself. I freak out about millions of things being about me.
Anyone else get randomly triggered thinking about this stuff?

I read a youtube comment on some dude's video that triggered me, which is why I'm making this thread now.
just so you know if you ever posted anything with ur name attached to it, they can still find it even if the original file is deleted. your effort may be redundant dude.

[Jamie D]

Here is a good tip about posting your own pictures:

Don't, unless you want the world to see them.  If you want to get rid of them, delete the link in your post, then delete at the source.

There are ways, with sites like Google Images, to have those images taken down.  Eventually they will drop off, anyway.

I believe that images in the "Just for Us" boards are less likely to be compromised.

A "Please do not quote" make it easier to do clean-ups too.

Rule #18 of the Terms of Service has been interpreted to preclude asking others not to quote your pictures - sorry, my fault.

[Jeatyn]

Since going stealth I worry about this a lot. I know for a fact that if somebody looked hard enough and managed to connect the dots they would figure me out....but honestly who does that?  If somebody I meet is willing to google me to that extent they're probably crazy anyway and I shouldn't associate with them. I've tried my best to delete things but there's a few bits and pieces I no longer have access to and can't get rid of, old myspace pages and twitters, stuff like that. That don't contain my current name, but like I said if you look hard enough you could probably eventually find a link between the two.

There's also several newspaper articles floating around from when my mother died in a house fire, I am listed in them with my old name. I worry some day somebody will find that and be like "How come your name isn't on here? Isn't this your mum? OH WAIT IT IS ON HERE, THIS CHICK IS YOU!"

Not to mention, my pictures are featured on a certain blog that cannot be named. -_-

In the end, I've decided to try not to worry about it. If it happens...it happens, it won't be the end of the world. Unless I completely cut everyone I know out of my life, leave the country and change my name again there is always that small chance of being "discovered". Hell even then, there would probably still be a chance...I'm too busy living my life to let it get to me.

[Cindy]

If people want to trawl through the IT to find my past they would save a lot of time and energy by asking me straight out.

I decided that I have nothing to hide, nothing to apologise for and if some perv wants to get its rocks off by fantasizing about me well go for it.

Since I don't fear anything, then fear doesn't affect me.

[Beth Andrea]

Another internet archive is the "Wayback Machine"...it still has my old website. (No, you don't get to know what that was LOL)

[sylvannus]

 I kept all my past posts and pictures on facebook and renren (similar to facebook, popular in Chinese language), but they are mostly about calling for democracy and human rights in China, or comments to the traditional culture. The only unexpected result is that people all know I am a trans if they dig my past posts and photos. However, just like Cindy, I don't intend to hide anything. Rather than digging my past on the web, they would find it  much easier to send me an email.

[N.Chaos]

This is rapidly becoming one of my biggest fears. I'd kill for a time machine so I could go back and beat some sense into my past-self for this exact reason.

[spacerace]

"Wasn't me - must be a different person with the same name"

There are reputation management companies.  The big ones work with businesses to help them manage online reviews, etc, but there are ones that help individuals too.  Probably overkill for whatever is out there about you, though.  I can't recommend the name of one or anything, but I know they exist.

I am so paranoid about this too.  A few years back I had to go through and get urban dictionary to delete entries I stupidly submitted under my real name. I don't even want to know what the wayback machine has in the way of stuff tagged with my old name.

But I'm working on getting over my fears. Google knows everything anyways, and I have a much more common name after changing it. Common names are cloaks.

plus privacy is circling the drain anyways. It is only going to get worse, so I think we need to suck it up and get over it.  I'm still never making a facebook profile, however.

[milktea]

there are books and articles on survillence and counter survillence. if you are really paranoid spend time to read up.
as a general rule of thumb, someone determined enough will eventually figure you out. all you can do is make that process take a longer time.