Topic

A little privacy aka anti-stalker measures

currently glitch updates everyone on our minute-to-minute activities... while that's fine for people who prefer that, it provides no options for anyone who would rather a little privacy.

why not allow players the ability to limit their location, updates, contact information and perhaps even achievement, skills and friends to (1) everyone (2) friends only or (3) no one except me and my cats. plus make sure apis respect these settings as well. this would accommodate everyone's privacy wishes.

personally, i don't like that we're forced to share our business with everyone and don't see a reason not to give us this feature.

some people like to be ninjas! please and thanks :)

Posted 14 months ago by Fur Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

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  • Agreed. I want a little tighter controls on that aspect.
    Posted 14 months ago by Jarhaven Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Umm.....The only thing that would be considered Contact Information in this game would be....your name.
    I don't see any piece of contact info on my profile (or yours, in case I was missing something I checked), and I don't see anything but confusion coming out of hidden usernames. How would you communicate in chats?

    I also don't quite understand why it would be important to someone to keep their skills+achievements private. I can see the point to hiding location, and possibly even updates but then that would confuse those of us who have one piece of a conversation that seems interesting in their feeds :P
    Posted 14 months ago by Biohazard Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I've not added any contact information (link to twitter, email, blog, etc.) or wrote a status because of the inability to make it only known to my friends.

    If you don't see any importance in making skills and achievements private that's fine, I don't see why it's important to make every little thing we do public. Those who don't care about privacy wouldn't be impacted by this feature but those who do care would benefit positively. So what's the harm?

    Umm i said nothing about hiding your username.. that would be silly :P
    Posted 14 months ago by Fur Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree there is a need to provide some level of player preferences regarding what is published on our timelines and profiles.

    Features I would like to see added:

    1.) Preferences for which messages get published on your profile (i.e. Skills accomplishments, Friends added, Achievements/Badges)
    2.) Preferences for which messages from others are viewable on your timeline
    3.) Set default view for timeline (i.e messages only, all, none)
    4.) Online Status/Location Visibility allowing each user to show as offline from a profile perspective, not visible in groups. Players would not be able to see groups in sidebar of game or chat in groups unless "visible". Players would not be able to IM unless "visible"
    5.) Broadcast levels for all messages, statuses, achievements awarded etc. - Private (self only), Friends, Public 

    For #2 and #3, although we have a "filtering" type of function with the different views I think it makes sense to be able to suppress messages you don't want to see at all and view your preferred stream when you are on your home page.
    Posted 14 months ago by g33kgurrl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It's a complex problem, but I think it's necessary.
    Posted 14 months ago by TK-855 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • In what way are your glitchy achievements related to privacy?

    I know privacy. I wasn't allowed to use my real name online until I was moved out on my own as an adult, because my mom was afraid my dad would find us.
    I am not google-able under my real name AT ALL.

    So tell this paranoid person how exactly what skill you learn in this game relates to privacy, rather than just saying I wouldn't understand in order to avoid having to explain why this idea is important.

    I don't see what the issue is either, with an optional addition of contact information, you have not put any up, therefore nobody sees it. Friends in this game are not the same as friends in real life, or on facebook. You have no idea who most of the people in this game are, and there are badges for adding friends which you will likely one day want. Even if it were made friends-only, most actual private information should probably be kept private as the friends aren't real friends.

    I would like to also point out that being able to look at the skills acquired by others has helped me help them. When someone on the main forums was upset at the lack of quests, I told them which skills they could learn that they had not yet learned which would give them a quest. I could explain to them why they did not have many quests (their chosen skills did not have associated quests for the most part)

    I was confused by your mention of contact information, because I was never asked for it, nor is my signup email listed on my profile. I had not seen contact information for anyone, saw only a place to put a Bio (freeform written, not forcing contact info), and wasn't even aware that there was an ability to add links to other websites until I actually looked for it. In my mind, there was no such thing. And the way to contact someone within Glitch is by their username, thus making your Glitch username contact information.
    Posted 14 months ago by Biohazard Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Biohazard
    This has little to do with NPI/PII information. It's a social game, and some users prefer to be less visible. Simply because you feel it's unnecessary or has helped you help others doesn't make it invalid. 

    Maybe I only want my achievements shared with my friends. Maybe I only want my messages visible to people I choose to add to my friends list. Maybe I don't want everyone in the game to see where my house is because a few people keep following me around and it's creeping me out. It may not happen to you but it does happen.

    BTW - you can opt to add contact information in the description block of your profile.
    Posted 14 months ago by g33kgurrl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Well, it has already been said that adding someone to your friends list is akin to Following them on twitter, thus meaning that your messages would be read by not those you choose to add, but any who choose to add you.

    And maybe if people are actually following you, you should file a report, rather than just take away your address and hope that they forget where you live. Maybe the people "following you around" are your neighbors. Maybe you should keep in mind that anyone can follow anyone they please by simply taking the same street sign as them, and you would still get followed around if they ever came across you in-game.

    And having achievements doesn't actually make you visible. The only people who see information that you have gotten a skill or achievement are a) those who have added you as friends (not the other way around) b) those in the same street as you when you get it (part of the game for a definite reason, I'm sure) and c) those who go to the effort of looking at your profile (which they can only reasonably be expected to do if you have already made yourself visible, either in chat or forums. If they never see you doing something "interesting", they won't bother to look up your profile)

    And yes, you can opt to add contact information. Same goes for opting not to. That is the clear solution to not wanting strangers to know where else you spend online time. If you'd like to share that info with friends, tell them personally.

    What I take issue with is not the idea of giving people privacy, but asking staff to spend time writing new code sections to add this ability when you can simply not put in the info, not say personal things in updates, and file reports if you are genuinely being harassed.
    It's the idea of actually thinking that the system currently used for friends needs to be completely re-hauled (would need to make friendship forcibly mutual if you didn't want people to read friendsonly stuff, as of right now they can add you without your permission, which seems deliberate to me) just to fit a small number of people's completely unexplained requests.

    Privacy implies that whatever you wish to hide could be properly defined as "Private". I don't see game achievements or skills acquired as anywhere near sensitive information. I don't see any way in which someone knowing your achievements could cause you harm.
    Posted 14 months ago by Biohazard Subscriber! | Permalink
  • i meant privacy in context of this game. i didn't avoid your question, i answered it in what i believed a perfectly reasonable manner... it is my personal preference to restrict my character info, updates, contact info, etc. to whoever i choose to share it with. you may not see skills or achievements as personal but that may not hold for someone else. i would like it if you respected that and for the game to respect that as well.

    the system wouldn't need to be re-hauled but addition code written to determine whether the friendship is mutual and if so then they would each be able to see their friend-locked info/updates. those who choose to can still have all their info public. i don't see how this would negativity effect anyone save for the people who enjoy having free range to peep at other people's info.

    also, i think g33kgurrl would like the ability to pre-emptively stop stalkers from being able to stalk her (i assume they're a girl :P) rather than have to wait for Tiny Speck's intervention. In the long run, this would save TS' staff time. they wouldn't have to personally deal with stalkers or people who use our publicly displayed location to harass us.
    Posted 14 months ago by Fur Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think some changes to friends/privacy are inevitable. I haven't accepted many friend requests, and the flow of information is such that I have to scroll back to make sure I didn't miss any important updates or messages. I can't imagine what it would be like for people with more expansive lists.
    Posted 14 months ago by TK-855 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The issue that I have with this is the whole "minute to minute activities."  In my mind, at least, the activities which I do here on Glitch are not...real...activities.  They have no bearing on my RL, only on my Glitch life, and my Glitch life has been designed by TS to include these updates. 

    I do understand wanting to take pre-emptive measures against stalkers.  Especially well-known Glitchen like g33kgurl may have a problem with that (loved the vows, by the way).  But I'm not understanding the need to be ninja in a social game which is designed for everyone to be able to meet and connect in a virtual world.  Is it an introverted thing, or am I missing something?  I'm not trying to harass, but to really understand the desire here, one point of view to another.
    Posted 14 months ago by Ren_tara, BatQueen Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "Well, it has already been said that adding someone to your friends list is akin to Following them on twitter, thus meaning that your messages would be read by not those you choose to add, but any who choose to add you. "

    On Twitter you are able to have a private stream, so that the things you say there are invisible to search engines and people you don't explicitly allow to see them. 

    Personally,  I can see how users might want some privacy settings around updates (as in things you say), online status, game location, personal info (contact links, etc). Some of this might be to do with playing a game when you shouldn't be, dealing with unwelcome attention in game, or from elsewhere,  but also from a simple desire to have one's online presence not available to all and sundry.  
    Posted 14 months ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes, and I already had said that hiding your location, and possibly written comments from strangers (though I would like to see the replies hidden from people who would not be able to see the original, because seeing half of a conversation is annoying) sounded reasonable, and by not saying anything about home address I thought I had implied that I had no strong opinions on it. That is primarily because the worst that someone can do with your house info is either knock on the door many times (I believe that blocking someone removes this option), or leave things outside, "littering" (Oh no, my perfect doorway!).
    There is a huge difference between a legitimately anti-stalking idea of hiding current location or house location, and hiding your skills and achievements. There is no world in which the latter are private (synonymous to Secret and Intimate). You still haven't actually explained a reason for wanting them hidden, only repeated that you did. As someone who manages to keep private information private for entirely valid reasons, and as someone who is vigilant about their own privacy, I asked what the reasoning behind hiding skills and achievements was. What exactly the point would be, and what the consequences of not hiding those specific pieces of information might be.

    I don't understand the idea of hiding in-game activities because you are "playing a game when you shouldn't be", if your parents are bothering to check your Glitch feed, they are probably on your friends list anyways, so they would see it regardless. If it is a work situation, they don't need your feed to see what websites you have visited, they all have tracking programs for that.
    Posted 14 months ago by Biohazard Subscriber! | Permalink
  • this is a game, not a social networking site. i see no reason to do what op suggested.
    Posted 14 months ago by Electric Wizard Subscriber! | Permalink
  • i did explain the reason... preference. it that a crime? i would actually be happy with just being able to make location, contact info. and updates private but others may like even their skills and achievements to be hidden (this is why i used the words "perhaps even") as well and i see no reason not to give them that option. the point being some people might like it, it might make them feel more secure, less naked, like their backdoor isn't open, etc.

    i don't think we are talking about the same kind of privacy
    http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/privacy

    @Ren_aissanceriss: yeah you could call it an introverted thing haha. right now it seems glitch is built for extroverts :3
    Posted 14 months ago by Fur Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Some glitchaholics like to play without everyone knowing how long they've been online today trying to get a masterwhacker or sacbagger badge.
    Posted 14 months ago by snarkle Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I can't see how long anyone has actually been playing, only specific times that they achieved things. Skills can be finished while away, and achievements (once you are past the initial stages) often take hours between them. I don't assume someone has been playing the whole time between.

    Taco, even your link refers to "private life or affairs".
    And a preference is not a crime, but it isn't exactly a valid reason to ask a company to pay their employees to write extra bits of code for the sole reason that you would prefer it that way, there is a reason some websites allow privacy settings, and that is for personal safety in almost every case.
    And again, your contact information is already private, you can IM or mail it to friends whom you wish to have that information, and not place it on your profile.
    Posted 14 months ago by Biohazard Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Speaking as a crazy friend-all person from beta, I'd prefer more of a granular filter to the update page, but that's neither here nor there.

    While I can see the argument for some modicum of privacy in communication considering just how easy it is to stalk pepole, I wonder if this would apply to guides, who regularly use te data to help pepole with their problems? What about housing neighbors, who can see the player's name on their door currently?

    I think you might be discounting slightly the effect of how the flow of information affects play and the current community, and given Tiny Speck's commitment to having players assume the best of each other and lastly, creating a long term and thriving commmunity where the abiove can be true. I would really rather they take their time to create a set of privacy standards that suits their needs rather then hacking them in wholesale.
    Posted 14 months ago by Caesura Subscriber! | Permalink
  • That includes you, the OP, ftr. Tablet wasn't letting me scroll to the end.
    Posted 14 months ago by Caesura Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Caesura: privacy standards should suit and benefit customers rather than the company. houses could still display their owners, guides can simply be granted access to skills or simply ask. this really isn't a game-breaking suggestion it just provides options that people can choose to use or not use.

    @Biohazard: providing options for players is not a valid reason? just because you wouldn't personally enjoy it or don't find use in it does not make it invalid. frankly, you're not the person who deems whether or not something is an acceptable use of TS' time. 

    have you ever even written code? a privacy setting already exists in our profiles for our real names, Real name is visible to: My friends or Anyone. it wouldn't take that much effort or time to replicate that option, modify it slightly and apply to other things.

    also please thoroughly read the definition of privacy.
    1. the state of being private; retirement or seclusion.
    2. the state of being free from intrusion or disturbance in one's private life or affairs: the right to privacy.
    3. secrecy.

    and the definition of private:
    1. belonging to some particular person: private property.
    2. pertaining to or affecting a particular person or a small group of persons; individual; personal: for your private satisfaction.
    3. confined to or intended only for the persons immediately concerned; confidential: a private meeting.
    4. personal and not publicly expressed: one's private feelings.
    5. not holding public office or employment: private citizens.

    if one were to make either location/info/updates/skills/achievements/etc. private, they would be secret and therefore have privacy.
    Posted 14 months ago by Fur Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I definitely see a use for locking down my current location, and my home address. Too easy to abuse by a greifer / stalker to follow you around in game.
    Posted 14 months ago by Rayana Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I like many of these ideas but yes I would like to see more privacy added as well. I don't like everyone and their brother to see where I am and what is my skills and all that, etc.. especially those I don't even have as a friend!
    Posted 14 months ago by Casombra Amberrose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • TS appears to be much more interested in spending staff time removing griefers and stalkers than in writing privacy code.  Personally, I agree with their priorities. 

    If someone is stalking you in the game, let staff know.Give them a chance to make this a safer community instead of  making each Glitch responsible for their own safety. 
    Posted 14 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This isn't Facebook, where your RL address and location are suddenly open to the world. RL privacy is strong and you don't have to link your Glitch account with your FB account.  Your email is protected and you don't need to enter your name either.

    You are welcome to check out my skills, see my achievements, and even see where my Glitch is.  When browsing other players, I find achievements and skills interesting.  I am typically curious about players who are on the leaderboards.  I don't care in the least where non-friends are in the game, nor do I care about their street address although the region they've chosen to live is interesting. I wouldn't be upset if location and exact address reverted to friends-only.

    Stalking - meh.  Another player can't do much to you other than follow you around and say stupid stuff in chat.  They can't take your stuff, enter your house, or autofollow without permission and if you ignore they can't interact with your character.

    The thing that's needed is a stronger ignore and Tiny Speck told me they're working on it.  An ignored player should disappear from chat channels, have chat bubbles not visible, and not be able to see your profile as well as the existing restrictions on interactions.  At that point, all an ignored player can do is follow you around the map and that gets boring (and expensive in terms of teleport tokens) really fast.
    Posted 14 months ago by Lucille Ball Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes please allow us to lock our profiles from public view if we so choose! This is a good reason why www.glitch.com/forum/genera...
    Posted 13 months ago by Casombra Amberrose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 to op!
    Posted 13 months ago by syntax error Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There is a need for privacy of game information within the game.  There have been at least two other threads where there were long discussions of players monitoring other players through achievements, skills and leveling to track their activity level.  And when and how often they are online.  The stalkers were justifying this behavior by claiming that they are being "helpful" by spotting inactive players who should have their housing taken away so that other players can use it.

    Without going into the whole housing debate, and whether the information they are looking at has any real ability to judge true activity level...THIS IS CREEPY AS ALL SH$%(*$&%T!!!! 

    And NOT hypothetical at all.  And NOT something I can know about and report, unless they are stupid enough to brag about it in the forums.

    So yes, being able to restrict my game activity and location IS an important issue, both to me and TS, because being harassed and stalked in a game makes me less likely to want to play that game.
    Posted 13 months ago by KhaKhonsu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Exactly Mereret! It is creepy to think a player(s) are doing this where really it isn't any of their business to begin with, it is Tiny Speck's business! Please please PLEASE tiny speck give us the right to privacy by allowing WHO and WHEN we want anyone or nobody to view our profiles!
    Posted 13 months ago by Casombra Amberrose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • To be fair, I think that the OP of that HOA thread meant well and had no idea that his/her actions might distress other players. That said, offering better privacy settings is a good idea that will, in the long run, prevent a lot of time-consuming Help issues requiring TS staff involvement in players' interpersonal disputes.

    IIRC, there was another thread that requested the ability to tag other players you "friend" in the game as acquaintances, friends and close friends. Acquaintances (the default setting) would be able to see only a very limited profile (name, avatar appearance, level, and little else), friends would be able to see a little more (such as current location, home address in game, recent activity, recent updates and group membership), and close friend would have full access to all game activity information and external links to other social network / blog / personal website info.
    Posted 13 months ago by ✰ Lorelei ✰ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Those are some good points Lorelei. And yes I think maybe that OP of that HoA did not mean harm but it distressed many, including myself. Hence why I really would like for a privacy feature where I can choose who sees my profile and who doesn't. It isn't anyone's business how much I log and how active I am or how many achievements or levels I have, that is between me and TS and nobody else! If I have a question I need answered I will go to the forums or ask someone in game or go look it up on the wikia,  I do not need a "group" to do that for me.
    Posted 13 months ago by Casombra Amberrose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The fact that the OP of the HoA thread "meant well" in their stalking practices is one of the scariest things about the whole situation (most RL psychopaths actually say that too).  And as I said, that person or group's behavior is not unique;  a few other threads have shown that other people feel perfectly free to pry into other users' profile information, mining for data and patterns that they feel they have a right to know about.  So, what are the people up to who do NOT have mistakenly beneficial views of their prying, but actually intend to be nasty?  Sure, they probably cannot affect my work or my finances through the information on Glitch, but I still don't want them being able to track me while they figure out how to mess with me.
    Posted 13 months ago by KhaKhonsu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Believe me, I hear you, loud and clear. I was not crazy about the HOA's methodology but they were not breaking any rules or deliberately being nasty to other players. I'm trying to keep that in mind. If someone is dogpiled too much, they will waste time being butthurt rather than taking time to reflect upon the peer feedback they have received. I assume (perhaps incorrectly) that you eventually want them to grok that their behavior is perceived as being invasive, even while you acknowledge that no malice was intended and it was supposed to be a sweet, community outreaching, nice thing. Beating up on the OP is going to make it difficult for them to step back from their own hurt feelings (if any) long enough to hear what your complaint is really about and to decide independently that maybe they should think about NOT poking around other people's profiles to the extent that they have been poking.

    ...If you know what I'm saying. 

    Best solution here would be that the game makes it difficult for players to commit well-meaning and innocent invasions of privacy as well as thwarting not-so-innocent ones.
    Posted 13 months ago by ✰ Lorelei ✰ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This thread is why I am glad I am a male.
    Posted 13 months ago by Kirnan Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You know, until I read through this thread, I was kind of like, "pff, why does anyone in Glitch need privacy settings? Everything is pretend!"

    Yeah. Part of me is sad I read the whole thread. It's creepy as hell that we need this, but we kind of do. I wholeheartedly support this initiative. Give each account control over what is visible to friends / general public / apis. It doesn't have to be a whole lot more complex than that, but a basic level of control with checkboxes for each level (much like the group permissions) would solve this issue very nicely.

    Bottom line? If we had these options, I would use them. Great idea.
    Posted 13 months ago by Xev Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Is stalking a problem? And if it is, are the options that are already available (blocking and reporting) insufficient? I'm asking because I truly don't know if stalking behaviour is really widespread or pernicious - or simply feared as a possibility.

    I've been playing quite actively since just after launch and I've had perhaps 5 people (whom I had had no interaction with) attempt to add me as a friend or contact. All of which I ignored. I assume they were only doing it for a badge.

    I agree that "preference" is a valid reason for wanting this kind of change; things that tend to make players feel more comfortable and safe in the game are inherently good. But I guess I'm questioning what kind of evil can arise from people knowing your Glitch home address and achievements, etc.

    Because at the end of the day, it's a pretend world with pretend houses and achievements. There's absolutely no information about anyone's real-life personhood or location or anything at all in the real world, unless you yourself reveal it. And the real world is the only place where scary and threatening things can actually happen.
    Posted 13 months ago by Flowerry Pott Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Should reading someone's profile be a bannable offense? 
    Likewise, does banning someone prohibit them from seeing your data, or just communicating with you?

    While I initially agreed with you, Flowerry Pott, having read through this thread answered a lot of your (and my) questions. I highly recommend it. It is quite enlightening.
    Posted 13 months ago by Xev Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks, Xev. I did read through the thread a first time, but I just read it a second and third time and I still have the same questions. The topic title refers to "anti-stalker measures". Is stalking a dangerous and egregious problem in Glitch? (I'm asking this seriously, not rhetorically.) Or is this another example of trying to fix what ain't broke - like the donnybrook over so-called "inactive players"?

    If stalking is not a problem, then TBH it sounds a lot like paranoia to me. In the real world, a fair bit of paranoia is justified and in fact necessary. Glitch ain't the real world and the small bit of real-world info that we all gave to Tiny Speck has been rigorously protected.

    Should reading someone's profile be a bannable offense? Well, I'll give you an example. Yesterday, I looked up a player's address in her profile because she has started a program to give massive amounts of an item away. I decided to go over there and give her some of my supply to help her with that project. I had fun, enjoyed the walk and I think she appreciated it too. Should I be banned for that? Should I not be able to do that?
    Posted 13 months ago by Flowerry Pott Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hmm, maybe you missed Mereret's post? There are players who snoop on other players and use that information to make judgmental posts on the forums. This isn't the first time it's happened - a month or so ago, a player got very up in arms and called out a lower-level player for making a lot of money selling keys. The argument being that a low level player shouldn't be able to accumulate that much wealth in the game. 

    I see this stuff as an invasion of privacy - information being used for questionable purposes without the consent of the players involved. Having control over what is available and what isn't would be very welcome. 

    I do NOT think that players should be banned for looking at other players profiles. I don't think that should be a bannable offense, and no one in this thread is suggesting that. Instead, people want privacy options - to set their own boundaries on the information that's available to other players. 

    Banning is not an appropriate response to this issue, and I don't think it would even address the privacy issue at hand. It's a reactionary measure, not a preventative measure, and I don't believe banning someone restricts them from viewing your information. I think it simply restricts their ability to contact you in the game.
    Posted 13 months ago by Xev Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Im not the guy who goes stalking people or anything but sometimes I go around leaving presents at my mates houses or go find them at their location, chat and give more presents so I don't see what seeing your location is doing to offend you except the stalkers, which is easy to block so I don't think we need these settings
    Posted 13 months ago by Santa Clause Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Santa-my-nana - if I understand your post correctly, you're saying we shouldn't have privacy settings, because you want to know where your friends live so that you can give them gifts. To which I would argue: 

    1. With privacy settings, your friends decide if you can see where they live. They may say, "hey, I want all my friends to be able to know where I live!" In which case, privacy settings would not affect you in any way.

    2. Leaving gifts on door steps is notoriously fraught with theft. Mail is a more reliable option.

    3. Your friends should get to decide who sees their information, not you.

    4. I don't know for sure if blocking actually prevents people from seeing your information. If someone can confirm? Or would be willing to test, we can definitively answer that. Likewise, blocking is reactionary. If I have a problem with people viewing my information, the appropriate solution is not to block everyone I come across. That's not fair to them, and it's not fair to me.
    Posted 13 months ago by Xev Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree with Xev. To block everyone you see requires a lot of work and not sure it really has the desired effect. Being able to set parameters of who can see your profile and who cannot is easier and I don't think is all that hard to incorporate on TS's side. When it boils down to it, it gives us all a choice. If your one that doesn't care who can see your profile you can do that, same goes for those of us that don't want everyone to see our profile.

    I am a somewhat private person and I would love to see that I can have more privacy options.
    Posted 13 months ago by Casombra Amberrose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Xev: Yeah, I also read the post you mentioned. But I want to thank you again, because you've helped me to see that I misunderstood the nature of the request for more privacy. I assumed, because of the use of alarmist language such as "anti-stalker measures", that some persons were concerned that they were in danger of identity theft or loss of sensitive information or something that is really important in actual life. I guess that isn't the case.

    This is just my personal view, but I wouldn't characterize rude people making rude comments in a public forum as "stalking", which is a real, criminal, incredibly dangerous and extremely frightening thing. People saying objectionable and/or mean things online where they have absolutely no chance of doing anything criminal to someone's real life doesn't sink to the level of stalking or even harassment. Again, my own opinion only.

    For the record, I have in the past been verbally abused in a public forum. Yes I hated it and yes it was nasty and no I would never want to repeat the experience - but I would never call it stalking. That gives that behaviour more power than it deserves.

    So, in summation (finally! LOL) I apologise that I misunderstood.
    Posted 13 months ago by Flowerry Pott Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Flowerry Pott - agreed, and remember, I had the same perspective as you did coming in. Glitch is fantasy, there's no reason to put real-life identifying info anywhere on the site. The alarmist language is indeed alarming, and probably not necessary. 

    But, looking past all of that, I realized I really agree with the sentiments expressed here and am fully in favor of more privacy options for players. 

    Thank you so much for your post and for giving it another read, and taking my post in the spirit it was intended (to achieve clarification - though I'll be the first to admit I'm not always successful in this endeavor).
    Posted 13 months ago by Xev Subscriber! | Permalink
  • oh this thing is alive again. ...in hindsight i really shouldn't have used such a loaded word like stalking though in my (pitiful) defense the original post was meant a little more tongue-in-cheek than the responses suggest. also context-wise it was posted right after that glitch stalker, now renamed locator bookmarklet, came out. 

    i'd still like to see some privacy options however i rather they add some social activities or something that doesnt boil down to grinding tedium to even keep my interest at this point. maybe i should make a post titled "less grinding tedium please aka how to attract less stalkers".

    joking aside, bad choice of words, didn't mean to imply theres lots of glitch stalkers lurking in the shadows, just that privacy options would be a nice and welcome feature.
    Posted 13 months ago by Fur Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I know this topic is old, but as the game continues to grow and people continue to get more involved with other players, I would like to revive it.

    I would LOVE these features. In fact, I am getting to the point where without better privacy settings, I am reluctant to play the game. There needs to be a better middle ground between blocking and not blocking. I get IMs every time I sign on, but blocking is absolutely not an appropriate solution - most of the IMs I get are from friends! Sometimes, I just want to play the game and not be bothered. Blocking shouldn't be my only recourse. 

    Flexible privacy preferences would be FANTASTIC and solve this issue.
    Posted 12 months ago by Xev Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1
    Posted 12 months ago by Windy Night Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Okay, not to beat a dead horse, but please TS... please offer improved privacy settings? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

    I'm ready to become a hermit. This is getting intense.
    Posted 12 months ago by Xev Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It's hard to be Empress of Ur and not draw a little attention.
    +1 to Xev's point.
    Posted 12 months ago by CrashTestPilot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 to Xev's point as well.  Sometimes I just want to sneak online for 5 mins and feed my piggies!
    Posted 12 months ago by Scarlett Bearsdale Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh I don't know... I for one like that random fans of mine can check my profile, go to my house and leave me random presents randomly.  XD

    I guess it wouldn't hurt to allow Glitchens to choose who to share their online status and locations and such with, but for me, I think I'll keep it private.  I like making new friends & meeting new people too much.  =)
    Posted 12 months ago by ♪♥~ Auren ~♥♪ Subscriber! | Permalink
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