âso this week my town made the news forââ nope
âthereâs a restaurant two miles from my house calledââ nope
âtoday I learned [celeb] went to my high schoolââ nope nope nope nope nope
these are all real posts Iâve seen on the internet that allowed me to identify a userâs hometown instantly. if itâs a small town, thatâs 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 Iâve ever seen it, you HAVE to think twice about what youâre posting online.
i once saw a 13-year old post an image they noted as being âa few miles from their house.â 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 followingâŚwho all knew this was a 13-year-old child.
so yeah. not to sound like a 90s internet safety PSAâŚbut Iâm gonna be that PSA for a minute.
if youâre posting an image, there is NO need to say that you live there. you could just be traveling. âsaw this in Montanaâ is better than âsaw this by my house!â
before you post about a venue, especially a restaurant or small store, check and see if itâs localâCRUCIALLY if it has only one or two locations. people might travel to arenas or convention centers, but theyâre far less likely to be traveling to Bartlebyâs Fish and Chips. if itâs an anecdote and you still live nearby, you can honestly just leave the name out entirely.
if youâre sharing a news story, it can just be a story you found and wanted to share. you donât have to clarify âit happened in my town,â because even if you donât mention your town name, an easily-googled news article will.
if youâre seeing a concert or meeting a celebrity on a tour thatâs stopped locally, wait until theyâve 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 youâre marketing yourself, thereâs 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 thereâs STILL no reason to tie yourself to your school, your workplace, or your street. you can call it paranoid, but as someone whoâs 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
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