βso this week my town made the news forββ nope
βthereβs a restaurant two miles from my house calledββ nope
βtoday I learned [celeb] went to my high schoolββ nope nope nope nope nope
these are all real posts Iβve seen on the internet that allowed me to identify a userβs hometown instantly. if itβs a small town, thatβs doubly dangerous, because a bad actor could trace you just by a unique first name or selfie you once posted. in an age where doxxing and stalking are some of the worst Iβve ever seen it, you HAVE to think twice about what youβre posting online.
i once saw a 13-year old post an image they noted as being βa few miles from their house.β it had a theater in the shot with a unique enough name to be local. one google maps search, now everyone knew not only what city they lived in, but the possible neighborhoods in that radius too. and they had a HUGE followingβ¦who all knew this was a 13-year-old child.
so yeah. not to sound like a 90s internet safety PSAβ¦but Iβm gonna be that PSA for a minute.
if youβre posting an image, there is NO need to say that you live there. you could just be traveling. βsaw this in Montanaβ is better than βsaw this by my house!β
before you post about a venue, especially a restaurant or small store, check and see if itβs localβCRUCIALLY if it has only one or two locations. people might travel to arenas or convention centers, but theyβre far less likely to be traveling to Bartlebyβs Fish and Chips. if itβs an anecdote and you still live nearby, you can honestly just leave the name out entirely.
if youβre sharing a news story, it can just be a story you found and wanted to share. you donβt have to clarify βit happened in my town,β because even if you donβt mention your town name, an easily-googled news article will.
if youβre seeing a concert or meeting a celebrity on a tour thatβs stopped locally, wait until theyβve hit a few more venues before you post about it, or at the very least wait until you get home. this is honestly a smart move for any event you attend: unless youβre marketing yourself, thereβs no need to advertise your location in real time.
check your selfie backgrounds for anything identifying. this includes city names on venues, school names, street signs, and house numbers.
this stuff is flexible if you no longer live in your hometown, or if your city is particularly big, but thereβs STILL no reason to tie yourself to your school, your workplace, or your street. you can call it paranoid, but as someone whoβs seen my friends get literal death threats over fictional characters before, the last thing I want is someone willing to act on those threats finding out where they live.
anyway. PSA over. does a kickflip or whatever
germansingergirl
stormborns
turnnoffyourmind
yousharknotpass
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izzy806
