Crossing the line

I know there’s sometimes good reason to check out photos, or IP addresses, and scammers get exposed that way and it’s a GOOD thing.

Not quite so much fun when you aren’t a scammer, just someone on social media having a bit of fun, and some vicarious social life, and you find you’re being targeted.

I have been tracked down via my LinkedIn profile to my writing profile, and considering LI is for my very sober alternate life in Finance and Accounts and boring stuff like that, that was pretty unnerving.

I have been found via Google and outed in my writing name, on a social website where I use another name.

As a joke, but as it turns out not the best-timed one, I’ve been jokingly accused of hiding even on skype.

And in the last few days I have had a random black gent popping in and out of the photos on my profile – spotted by Lukeon, photographed there by him, and still, in at least one part of the world, sitting amongst my photos. Same dude apparently occasionally flickers into sight as my main photo.

Don’t know about the rest of you, but this whole electronic Big Brother shtick is getting uncomfortable.

You could argue I have too many personal and professional personas. It’s been said before. Three Facebook pages (two for my author names) is a case in point. Fair comment. I would just be really, really grateful if I could be allowed to keep all the busy little compartments of my life ticking quietly over without anyone jumping in and spoiling it all. I hurt no-one, I don’t trap or scam or defraud anyone (that includes Her Majesty’s Revenue Commission, taxes fully paid!), and I don’t pretend to be anyone I’m not.

I even changed my CS name recently for that very reason, because I was getting to know more people and becoming uncomfortable with what was beginning to feel like a deception.

Okay?