Should RP members who conceal their personal information in shell accounts be allowed to see other members’ personal information?

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 May 2015 15:09:42 -0400

What effect could hiding one's identity have upon open dialogue and the RP community?

I am not looking to raise a contentious issue but which to engage in a serious discussion that will help define the Rally Point Community. I am as a big privacy advocate as anyone else but I wonder if members should have accounts devoid of any identifying information. I have seen some where members do not even list their name. This is supposed to be a closed military forum. I can understand in some instances not listing their job/position but title and real name should be mandatory. It raises the concern and specter of whether these anonymous individuals are fully vetted and screened by Rally Point. Are these shell accounts used to gather information on military members like Isis did only a few months ago? Shouldn’t everyone be able to know who is speaking and see the name on their chest so to speak? Shouldn’t everyone be proud to be recognized?
Perhaps those who wish not to disclose or hide their names etc. can be allowed to be restricted members blocked by Rally Point from seeing anyone else’s private information. Shouldn’t I and everyone else have a right to know who has viewed their information particularly if they can see my information? Several Junior Enlisted members have spoken on RP about this appearing like a form of silent intimidation. My opinion is that it should be mandatory to disclose, title, rank and full name or anonymous members should be barred from viewing the names, photos, titles and other information on members who are being open. Could an administrator respond to this query as well? Could there be two levels of membership for those who did not desire to disclose their information and in fairness not request or attempt to view others information? Could people with shell accounts be required to complete certain mandatory fields prior to viewing others information or should it be if I view someone’s profile they can see all of my information automatically? What does everyone think? How Rally Points responds could set a precedent for more members to either follow suit and hide their information in empty shell accounts or create a more open military forum where full disclosure is the norm.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 2 at 2015 3:12 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 May 2015 15:12:42 -0400

Interesting question since you did not reveal your last name. :-)

I agree with your premise that we should use our names in this forum.

Response by 1LT Nick Kidwell made May 2 at 2015 3:12 PM

1LT Nick Kidwell — Sat, 02 May 2015 15:12:49 -0400

I would imagine there should be either full vetted disclosure and oversight, or total anonymity. None of these half-measures and goofy, unconfirmed accounts.

The latter kinda defeats the purpose of this site.

Response by 1LT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made May 2 at 2015 3:20 PM

1LT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 May 2015 15:20:19 -0400

Clearly, there is contention for a flawed system. We all are quite aware that the only information needed to verify that someone is in fact in the military is their full name and nothing else. Utilizing that information you can cross check the global outlook which is only acquired with the issuance of a common access card.

Respectfully,
Jason T. Blanco

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made May 2 at 2015 3:21 PM

LTC Yinon Weiss — Sat, 02 May 2015 15:21:40 -0400

- Unverified members do not see your information (as has been discussed many times).

- If a verified military member does not want to share their identity with everybody in RP, then they have that choice in their privacy settings (similar to the options you have selected). Verified members are verified, whether you see their names and positions or not...

It's an interesting suggestion that if you hide your own information, then the information of others will be hidden as well. That is something we will definitely consider doing.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 2 at 2015 3:29 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 May 2015 15:29:54 -0400

I tend to think that people who use false names on a site like this are probably fakers. I am wary of anyone with rank and a false name

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made May 2 at 2015 6:07 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Sat, 02 May 2015 18:07:09 -0400

While I trust and respect the judgment of the RP staff on this issue, for me it puts a damper on the point of having this community when I see an anonymous account or see people that I know who have "gone stealth" and removed their pictures or last names from their profile. That is a member's choice to do that and I would not question that choice, I just feel it makes a less personable community.

Response by 1SG David Niles made May 2 at 2015 6:17 PM

1SG David Niles — Sat, 02 May 2015 18:17:55 -0400

I don't think anyone should be allowed to go anonymous on this site unless everyone can.y two cents

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made May 2 at 2015 8:21 PM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Sat, 02 May 2015 20:21:12 -0400

If ISIS or ISIS messenger boys from to the home, I am not going to call the police. I will take care of business.

Response by TSgt Joshua Copeland made May 2 at 2015 8:22 PM

TSgt Joshua Copeland — Sat, 02 May 2015 20:22:40 -0400

I think RP has a good balance in policy. I would like to see more restrictive posting privileges for unverified account.

Response by SSG Kenneth Lanning made May 2 at 2015 9:41 PM

SSG Kenneth Lanning — Sat, 02 May 2015 21:41:57 -0400

I came to this site under the impression it was an open forum, nobody trying to hide behind a roll of BS like so many politicians, with everyone being honest and up-front like Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, and Sailors should be...I can understand if you have qualms about certain things-but if you're here to read others' thoughts and such, at least have the personal transparency to let us see who we're all talking around.

I'm not asking for a face, but if the person is hiding behind a falsified or shrouded identity to the rest of us, get rid of them...we have enough issues with people in the shadows outside of Rallypoint.