Spouse Aggro podcast: RealID and you: How to worry about something that will never happen.
BLEEPED, BUT EXPLICIT ALL THE SAME
Today we rant and rant about LiveID. Blizzard’s attempt to put real life first and last names on message boards. Optional message boards.
Optional.
Warning, while we bleepped the naughtiest (and LOUD) stuff in the show, you will hear the S word. Still, bleeps are funny. Let me use these show notes to finalize a few points:
There is a difference between caution and paranoia.
Cautious Bob: “Maybe I should not give Billy my real life address, just yet. After all, he is new to the scene, uses no real life photo and I have never heard his voice. He provides very little real life information, and is a little creepy anyway.”
Paranoid Billy: “If Blizzard were to have it’s way, posting on the technical support forums would lead to some crazy guy showing up to my house. Oh, wait a second, I need to post new baby pics on Facebook and update my Foursquare!”
Also, I want to challenge the listeners, or the person that is reading this now: Using your real life first and last name, go find your name, address and phone number online. It’s out there, but you try to find it. Use Google to find services that locate people. Search until you either find your real life information or until you find nothing.
Then, take stock of your online security. Go look at all of the sites you have signed up for; the forums, the websites, the services, the game accounts. Keep digging.
Then, take stock of your real life security. Do you know your neighbors? Is your phone number listed? Is your address known? When was the last time you talked to your neighbors?
After all this, you will more-than-likely have a better idea as to how secure you really are, and how or why you have avoided any issues so far.
Remember, caution is smart. Paranoia is unrealistic, paralyzing and often makes your forget that you are probably already making poor security decisions, like continuing to be in a guild full of crazy people, or telling us all where you are using Twitter.
Beau
Beau, your advocating facts and realistic expectation is a very logical and strong point of view that is hard to argue against, however, anything illogical and however improbable can still happen no matter how much facts and logic you can stack against it. It can be as small as game account being hacked and banned for spam or as big as 9/11, take your pick.
I think, that it is better to worry about possibility of something improbable than being blindsided by it down the road. Every major disaster would have been considered a product of paranoia until it has really happened. So a little paranoia is always healthy for the society, because you never know what can really happen.
Luk that’s true which is why we said being cautious is important. Being paranoid is destructive.
I would also like to point out that humans obviously have an ability to shut off their “worry” button. If not, they would not be able to leave the house. Statistically, you have more chance of getting into a car accident than probably anything, yet many people that would consider themselves “paranoid” can go to work.
It reminds me of many religious people I know: they are very good at compartmentalizing their worry.
Being “blindsided” will happen to all of us, at one point. All of us. At one point we will all come across something that will hurt us very badly. This is not paranoia, this is fact (we are mortal.) Yet, many people that would worry about flying or crowded rooms are not consumed by worry of germs or car wrecks…it’s not logical. A “little paranoia” is defined as Leala just pointed out: “it’s “caution.” It’s a healthy dose.
The reactions from some of the people to the LiveID worry was to be very paranoid. Not only would it not have effected them by them avoiding the forums, but more-than-likely it would not have effected them even if they were to visit the forums, and were to have arguments with someone. I have had these arguments with many people over the last 10 years, many of them that knew me personally. I have always used “Beau Turkey”, just as much my real name as Beau Hindman. Yet, I am still here. I have participated in the most intense arguments with the nuttiest of people, and have actually received threats because of it, yet it is my point that my real identity (remember, Turkey is my real identity, look it up) was actually a mental barrier that counter-acted those crazy people taking it too far. They knew my city, and could even find my street. If they were to attack my real identity, they would be stepping into a very public arena.
On a side-note, a name does not mean you gain access to someone’s phone number. Address? Easier to get than their phone number. How many people use not only a land-line, but have it listed? And if so, how many phone numbers can be UN-listed with ease? Point being that a name on the internet is not what gets you into trouble: it’s the lack of common sense and caution that does.
So hang on you mention greeting visitors with easy access to guns and dogs, to never answering your door until you look at the person and you think that that’s not paranoid but giving your name out to the entire internet is?
Just out of interest how many times have you been right to check out your visitors before opening the door? Are they usually axe murderers? Or are you, cough, worrying about something that never happens?
Stabs it’s been nice knowing you but you can leave now. For good.
My biggest problem with RealID is that making using real name mandatory on the forums would not, in any way, accomplish was Blizzard was claiming it would (cleaning up the community). And I do have to disagree that it’s no big deal to use your real name online — it may not be for you, but it is for other people for various reasons, not all of them being ‘paranoid’ or irrational.
But to blame the state of the general WoW forums on anything other than Blizzard’s own fail at moderation is just wrong.
Great show, guys.
As someone who gives out my name on my blog, I’m not especially worried about something happening to me. My main issue was that I don’t see “if you don’t like it, don’t use it” as a good option. The forums were part of the service I thought we were paying for, and maybe I’m wrong in that, but I’m going to be against removing functionality from players who’ve had it for five years on the condition of giving out their real name. That’s essentially force feeding your players something they may not be comfortable with – which, I agree, is certainly their right. But, it doesn’t mean it’s an especially nice thing to do.
People don’t like having their right to privacy leveraged against them. Facebook lost %16 of its users for their auto opt-in privacy settings that had the same alternative – don’t use it if you don’t like it.
I wrote a post on my site about the risks for identity theft. The fact is, even if you’ve never touched WoW, if you’re in an online phone book, you could be the victim of identity theft. That being said, if I was a scam artist, I’d definitely turn to the forums as an easy pool to pull potential victims from.
Then there’s the issue with minors having their names released, which is something else entirely. When I was growing up, a good friend of mine gave out her “a/s/l” and name to someone over Yahoo messenger. The guy drove two states up to stalk her as she walked home from school, until we told the local sheriff what was up.
It may be unlikely that something will happen, and you may be at risk regardless, but saying “do it or lose this part of our service” is, frankly, ignorant on the part of Blizzard. They said they anticipated the outcry but obviously not enough. If nothing else, I hope this acts as a refresher for them on how their players feel about privacy concerns.
I whole heartedly agree with your suggestion, too, Beau. Virtually no one is secure. It’s just a matter of controlling what you can and limiting how far your personal information spreads.
Oh man, more /facepalm going on because of RealID, this time from the ESRB: http://www.wow.com/2010/07/12/esrb-unintentionally-exposes-email-addresses-of-people-who-filed/
I get what you are saying Babyface I really do. But I’m really just kinda spent on the topic.
And frankly I’m just kinda bummed out about the whole situation at this point. People like stabs are still coming back here to hassle me and beau and somehow prove us “wrong” in our opinions, which it doesn’t work that way. And I’ve basically watched a friend of a friend have a public mental breakdown over it.
Put a fork in RealID. It’s done.
Leala, you shouldnt take disagreement and willingness to comment, especially when in invited to do so, as “hassling.”
You wouldn’t ask a friend who disagrees with you to leave your home and never return. Make no mistake you and Beau have, by deciding to become public figures, invited people into a virtual home at this blog wherein we can listen to Beau discuss topics on his mind and occasionally toss in our two cents. We are here because we like what we find here, including you and Beau.
So relax. Take a deep breath, it’s not personal until you make it.
…or until RealId makes everything personal. : p
I agree, it’s time to be done with this stuff. I was just late to the party in listening to this cast