โso this week my town made the news forโโ nope
โthereโs a restaurant two miles from my house calledโโ nope
โtoday I learned [celeb] went to my high schoolโโ nope nope nope nope nope
these are all real posts Iโve seen on the internet that allowed me to identify a userโs hometown instantly. if itโs a small town, thatโs 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 Iโve ever seen it, you HAVE to think twice about what youโre posting online.
i once saw a 13-year old post an image they noted as being โa few miles from their house.โ 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 followingโฆwho all knew this was a 13-year-old child.
so yeah. not to sound like a 90s internet safety PSAโฆbut Iโm gonna be that PSA for a minute.
if youโre posting an image, there is NO need to say that you live there. you could just be traveling. โsaw this in Montanaโ is better than โsaw this by my house!โ
before you post about a venue, especially a restaurant or small store, check and see if itโs localโCRUCIALLY if it has only one or two locations. people might travel to arenas or convention centers, but theyโre far less likely to be traveling to Bartlebyโs Fish and Chips. if itโs an anecdote and you still live nearby, you can honestly just leave the name out entirely.
if youโre sharing a news story, it can just be a story you found and wanted to share. you donโt have to clarify โit happened in my town,โ because even if you donโt mention your town name, an easily-googled news article will.
if youโre seeing a concert or meeting a celebrity on a tour thatโs stopped locally, wait until theyโve 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 youโre marketing yourself, thereโs 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 thereโs STILL no reason to tie yourself to your school, your workplace, or your street. you can call it paranoid, but as someone whoโs 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
