I just got a PM from Laura with useful advice. I am not sure why she shared it just with me. So, below is a copy:
Quote:on line safety
To: JanH
Hi Jan, This is just a friendly and hopefully valuable reminder. We all know it's never a good idea to antagonize strangers, especially in this day and age. But since you seem to do so frequently, I thought it might be helpful to get a reminder of how little anonymity we really have on-line. I hope you take this in the positive spirit intended. Laura
Jan **** H******
## ******* ****** *****
********, ** #####
(###) ###-####
http://*********.com/*******/ [Redacted from original.]
LOL!! Oh yes, and so much more is out there too! I can pretty much locate anyone I want to myself.
I send a PM either when I don't want other people to read, or if I don't think other people other than the one intended to receive the message will find the information useful.
Laura went to the trouble to do some research, but did not go deep enough. There are also risks for "antagonized strangers" who rely on shallow internet searches.
Her research did not seem to discover:
that terroristic threats over the internet are criminal acts in the jurisdiction from which they are sent and in the jurisdiction of the victim and are Federal crimes as well
that my wife and I are both attorneys with the expected list of contacts built up over the years
that my brother is a former big city criminal prosecutor and a current federal criminal prosecutor with good relationships with local, state and federal prosecutors around the country and with the FBI, US Marshals Service, Secret Service and ATF.
Some situations are like the dog who chases the truck. He may not want to really "catch" it.
That PM is concerning. Glad you posted it, Jan.
If Lucy Ricardo sent someone an "I know where you live" message, she would have "some 'splainin' to do."
(08-21-2010 05:32 PM)JanH Wrote: [ -> ]If Lucy Ricardo sent someone an "I know where you live" message, she would have "some 'splainin' to do."
So True.
Being an attorney and having contacts in the government might be helpful, but I'd be more inclined to trust Koa and my Glock if it came down to a threat to me. With Tommy being gone at school right now, Koa has gotten ridiculously protective and I'd feel sorry for someone who decides to come in without my permission. He scared the mailman half to death yesterday!