Privacy on the internet forum

[Bindlestiff]

Most PGCA forum users probably know this but for those that don't this is good practices to know about.

I have been thinking of posting this note for some time and a post on another thread got me motivated post this.

Members of this forum sometime forget that this is the internet and when we post something it is here for EVERYONE to see and will be here forever. If you post something today and then "google" for it a few days later; you will probably find it; even if you are not logged into the forum. So, with that in mind, I have two suggestions:

1. If you ever post a photo of a PGCA Letter on a gun you own (or have owned), take a moment and place a piece of paper over the name and address section that the letter was sent to before scanning it for upload. That will protect the original addressee (you?) from having his/her location revealed and will not damage the letter.
2. When posting anything to the forum, try to protect any personal information. A phone number or address, even of a business such as a gunsmith, would be best transmitted via a private message. If the business wants to advertise they can post here or get an ad in Parker Pages. But it should be their choice. If they already have their information on the web, say on their own web page, then I would feel comfortable posting it. But if I am making it known on the web for what might be the first time, I would probably not post it.

If I see your address on our forum, I can make a good assumption that there are valuables to be found at that location......


Here is another general computer user point that users should follow when forwarding and sending email. Take some time and delete the email header that contains the email address from any mail you forward. If I were to send you some email and you simply click on forward to send it to someone else, my email information is copied into the body of the forwarded email. It takes only a second to click on my email address in the body of the forward and then delete it to protect my privacy. Just highlight the address with the mouse and press the delete key and I am protected.



Also, if you are sending an email to several people in your address book, keep their email address private by using the 'bcc:' (blind copy) section of the addressee section of your email rather than the default 'to:'. Doing this is a very polite way to help your friends from having their email address being used to send them junk email or criminals trying to break their computer security and get their personal information (identity theft).


I hope this is understandable.