# Stay offline



## Adrienne (Jun 14, 2020)

Not sure which thread this should go in, but looking for guidance.

Had a discussion with “friends” on Facebook. A stranger decided to intervene and provoke, mind you this didn’t bother me and my emotions never got ahead of my words.

but as this discussion went on. It some how turned into calling me racists and insinuating that I think unarmed black men deserve to die. None of which was EVER stated by me. I, along with EVERYONE ELSE, agree that what happened to George Floyd was beyond terrible. Some people are just mad that I’m not a cop hater.

With all that being said, she’s decided to make my information public in a “expose all racistA thread” along with my parents address, where I don’t live and one of my state EMT licenses and advising people to report me.

I’m not so worried about it considering I didn’t say anything at all racist and I’ll gladly share the conversations since I took the screenshots just in case. But should I do anything to prepare for this, report it? Call Some  and ask questions... I don’t even know what to do.


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## CCCSD (Jun 14, 2020)

Report it. It won’t do much good, but FB isn’t supposed to allow the release of private information.

Stay OFF bookface. It’s a waste of time and is not friendly to anyone involved in Public Safety.


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## SoCalCanuck (Jun 14, 2020)

I recently closed my Twitter account which I had pretty much since the inception of Twitter. I decided to bail after the Twitter mob went after the Bethesda bike trail guy - incorrectly identifying three different (and all innocent) men, doxxing them, bombarding their employers, etc. A few people apologized, but for the most part people seamlessly shifted from accusing one guy then moving on to another without blinking an eye.

The French Revolution's mobs got nothing compared to the Twitter mob. Facebook isn't much better. Social media is cancer.


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## E tank (Jun 14, 2020)

Do people really use their real names on those platforms? Might as well post credit card info.....


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## SoCalCanuck (Jun 14, 2020)

E tank said:


> Do people really use their real names on those platforms? Might as well post credit card info.....



Facebook makes you use your actual name. On twitter people were identifying (incorrectly) suspects based on an uploaded video. I can't imagine those poor guys sitting at home watching TV oblivious to what was going on, then heading into work to find the management team at the door.


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## ffemt8978 (Jun 15, 2020)

SoCalCanuck said:


> Facebook makes you use your actual name. On twitter people were identifying (incorrectly) suspects based on an uploaded video. I can't imagine those poor guys sitting at home watching TV oblivious to what was going on, then heading into work to find the management team at the door.


Really? How do they verify you registered with your actual name?


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## hpclayto (Jun 15, 2020)

Don’t have social media. Especially don’t try and argue with people on social media.  Problem solved.


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## SoCalCanuck (Jun 15, 2020)

ffemt8978 said:


> Really? How do they verify you registered with your actual name?



It's definitely not strictly enforced (I have a few shill accounts there myself) but they do have a real name policy and they do ban accounts if they discover violations as part of their anti-spam/phishing efforts.

You can always use a fake name, but recovering the account will be nearly impossible if you get locked out. This happened to an ex when her account got hacked and they wanted a driver's license or ID with her fake account  name and bogus birth date and she couldn't provide it.


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## ffemt8978 (Jun 15, 2020)

SoCalCanuck said:


> It's definitely not strictly enforced (I have a few shill accounts there myself) but they do have a real name policy and they do ban accounts if they discover violations as part of their anti-spam/phishing efforts.
> 
> You can always use a fake name, but recovering the account will be nearly impossible if you get locked out. This happened to an ex when her account got hacked and they wanted a driver's license or ID with her fake account  name and bogus birth date and she couldn't provide it.


As a former ISP employee who used to be tasked with packet sniffing our network to troubleshoot issues, I'm well aware of the type of information social media companies collect on their users (and even non-users).  I'm also aware of their real name policies.  I was just questioning why anyone in this age if identity theft, would agree to give their real name to what is essentially a one stop shop for trolls, criminals, and over-reaching government surveillance.

And no, I do not have any social media presence outside of a few forums.


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## mgr22 (Jun 15, 2020)

I'd love to walk away from Facebook, but I have to be accessible and monitor some posts for business reasons. I think that's a common issue. At least I've managed to avoid Twitter.

This is the only social-media site I've tried that feels worthwhile.


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## DrParasite (Jun 15, 2020)

SoCalCanuck said:


> It's definitely not strictly enforced (I have a few shill accounts there myself) but they do have a real name policy and they do ban accounts if they discover violations as part of their anti-spam/phishing efforts.


Exactly.  I removed my personal FB account, and created a new one that omitted all personally identifiable information.

Social media is not a friend of anyone who works in public safety.  With people doxxing those who post opinions that are different than theirs, snowflakes taking offense to what you say and going to your boss to get your fired,  and heaven forbid you support the police or want the investigation to be completed before judgment is passed, then you are obviously racist, at least according to the social justice warriors....

best advice?  limit your posts to friends only.  don't put anything personally identifiable on FB.  no employer, no occupation, not where you live, if you might post something that a snowflake might twist and take offense to.  It's just not worth it, as you have experienced.


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## Adrienne (Jun 15, 2020)

DrParasite said:


> Exactly.  I removed my personal FB account, and created a new one that omitted all personally identifiable information.
> 
> Social media is not a friend of anyone who works in public safety.  With people doxxing those who post opinions that are different than theirs, snowflakes taking offense to what you say and going to your boss to get your fired,  and heaven forbid you support the police or want the investigation to be completed before judgment is passed, then you are obviously racist, at least according to the social justice warriors....
> 
> best advice?  limit your posts to friends only.  don't put anything personally identifiable on FB.  no employer, no occupation, not where you live, if you might post something that a snowflake might twist and take offense to.  It's just not worth it, as you have experienced.



I’ve always had it on private for friends only. I’ve recently had to be removing certain friends. Realized not all my friends from college should be my friends today.

regardless I’m not worried about it, I didn’t say anything that is even remotely report worthy. It’s just concerning that now my personal info (which is already public via OEMS) is plastered on Facebook for whatever reason. Apparently you can support BLM if you’re not a cop hater, thus making you racist.
But this girl is funny.... “social media and communications specialist” at 21 years old for a well known health insurance organization. I’m sure her executive director would love her “kill all cops” posts that she has on her social media. She was easier to google than I was.


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## DrParasite (Jun 15, 2020)

Adrienne said:


> But this girl is funny.... “social media and communications specialist” at 21 years old for a well known health insurance organization. I’m sure her executive director would love her “kill all cops” posts that she has on her social media. She was easier to google than I was.


I would never recommend taking screenshots of what she posts, and emailing them to her executive director, asking if his company supports the murder of hard working law enforcement officers.  That would be wrong, and there have been many people fired for posting inappropriate comments on social media.


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## Adrienne (Jun 15, 2020)

DrParasite said:


> I would never recommend taking screenshots of what she posts, and emailing them to her executive director, asking if his company supports the murder of hard working law enforcement officers.  That would be wrong, and there have been many people fired for posting inappropriate comments on social media.



I haven’t, yet. Waiting for the civil lawsuit if anything were to happen.


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## SoCalCanuck (Jun 17, 2020)

mgr22 said:


> I'd love to walk away from Facebook, but I have to be accessible and monitor some posts for business reasons. I think that's a common issue. At least I've managed to avoid Twitter.
> 
> This is the only social-media site I've tried that feels worthwhile.



Same. Twitter was easy to leave it unfortunately FB has a bunch of friends and forums that are only available there. I've started limiting myself to 20 min max on the site and promised myself not to get sucked into political flame wars, bug good lord it is hard some times lolol.


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## tasimed (Jul 13, 2020)

My work computer got a nasty trojan on it that captured keystrokes/passwords.  The company facebook account got limited but I was able to create a new account without using a real name. The first name is Sales


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## GMCmedic (Jul 13, 2020)

Ive started snoozing or unfollowing anyone that posts about Covid, BLM, or Politics. My facebook is much more enjoyable and limits interactions that could get me in trouble. 

Just recently my companies FB page has been bonbarded with screenshots of racists stuff an "employee" said. Sadly for them, she hasnt worked for the company for a few years, maybe for related reasons or not. People will go after your work and attempt to destroy your life, its best to stick to pictures of puppies and kittnens on social media.


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## SoCalCanuck (Jul 13, 2020)

GMCmedic said:


> Ive started snoozing or unfollowing anyone that posts about Covid, BLM, or Politics. My facebook is much more enjoyable and limits interactions that could get me in trouble.
> 
> Just recently my companies FB page has been bonbarded with screenshots of racists stuff an "employee" said. Sadly for them, she hasnt worked for the company for a few years, maybe for related reasons or not. People will go after your work and attempt to destroy your life, its best to stick to pictures of puppies and kittnens on social media.



I'm in a group that is literally focused on getting people fired. I joined it to observe the insanity once they targeted a friend of mine. Total ****show. More than once they have gone after the wrong person - and not a second of hesitation or introspection is gained. Nope. They go right after another person. Social media is cancer.


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## FiremanMike (Jul 29, 2020)

I log in to facebook occasionally to check marketplace for guitar stuff and we have a big family chat on messenger which I only access through the app on my phone.  I changed my first and last name to two nonsensical words, and I've not posted or browsed facebook in 2 months.

The first week was tough, out of habit.. but I honestly don't miss it.

It's just not worth it for anyone in public safety to be on facebook anymore.  I think it's termed "cancel culture"?  Where basically people go back however long they want and find stuff that might be construed as racist/sexist/(something)ist and then work to destroy your personal and professional life over it.

Its. Not. Worth. It.


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## Carlos Danger (Sep 5, 2020)

Social media in general, and FB in particular, is an absolute dumpster fire in terms of being any kind of useful medium for meaningful communication.

For several years I had a FB account under a name which was clearly not real. No one had a problem with it, until I strongly disagreed several times with a prominent FOAMED personality on an issue with which I have far more expertise, and coincidentally had my account disabled by FB for not using my actual name a day or two later. Clearly I was reported by this person as retribution for calling them out in front of their devotees.  

Much more recently, after having an account in my real name for a handful of years, my account was inexplicably disabled by FB with no explanation whatsoever. I was no longer commenting on EMS or FOAMED related posts, and my suspicion is that a group of individuals with which I was debating political issues reported me to FB as being "abusive" (and likely "racist"), even though in any sane and objective analysis, those accusations could not be further from the truth.

My relationship with FB was already a love//hate thing. I enjoyed using the medium to keep up with family members and past colleagues whom I would otherwise have difficulty communicating with, and I also liked the constant stream of news and commentary from perspectives both like-minded and otherwise, as well as the dialogue that went along. At the same time, it consumed far too much of my time and I hard a hard time modulating that.

The thing that really pisses me off is that for many years, that manboy Zucc made who knows how much money off selling my info and forcing me to watch countless ads, and the whole time I injected at least as much intellect and useful dialogue into the platform as the average user. Not to mention the fact that FB has worked hard to position itself as a primary means of communication. But then as soon of some basement-dwelling incel and his buddies get butthurt over being exposed to a viewpoint they dislike, I get banned.

Just be careful. Use social media to keep up with family and friends and nothing else.

Reddit and this forum (and some boating and dirt bike forums) are my only social media presence now. All as anonymous as reasonably possible, of course.


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## RocketMedic (Sep 9, 2020)

I got fired for expressing a legitimate concern with some clinical ideas that offended a friend of the director of the organization I worked for at the time.


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## Emily Starton (Oct 12, 2020)

Adrienne said:


> Not sure which thread this should go in, but looking for guidance.
> 
> Had a discussion with “friends” on Facebook. A stranger decided to intervene and provoke, mind you this didn’t bother me and my emotions never got ahead of my words.
> 
> ...



You should report it, Adrienne. It will be dangerous if you don't make a move soon.


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## HardKnocks (Dec 29, 2021)

DrParasite said:


> I would never recommend taking screenshots of what she posts, and emailing them to her executive director, asking if his company supports the murder of hard working law enforcement officers.  That would be wrong, and there have been many people fired for posting inappropriate comments on social media.





DrParasite said:


> I would never recommend taking screenshots of what she posts, and emailing them to her executive director, asking if his company supports the murder of hard working law enforcement officers.  That would be wrong, and there have been many people fired for posting inappropriate comments on social media.


I disagree;

Some States require any "Threats of Harm/Violence" to be reported to Law Enforcement and the Security Department of her Employer.  Be FACTUAL and brief in the reporting.  Screenshots are considered "Direct Evidence" and are weighted heavily in a he said vs he said.

Numerous Post Incident Investigations have shown that some violent offenders demonstrated verbal and written clues before following through with the physical act.


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## CCCSD (Dec 29, 2021)

HardKnocks said:


> I disagree;
> 
> Some States require any "Threats of Harm/Violence" to be reported to Law Enforcement and the Security Department of her Employer.  Be FACTUAL and brief in the reporting.  Screenshots are considered "Direct Evidence" and are weighted heavily in a he said vs he said.
> 
> Numerous Post Incident Investigations have shown that some violent offenders demonstrated verbal and written clues before following through with the physical act.


That’s not what Dr Parasite said. He counseled against accusing the company.

Reading is important.


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## HardKnocks (Dec 30, 2021)

Where did I mention accusing the Company?


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## DrParasite (Dec 30, 2021)

Carlos Danger said:


> Social media in general, and FB in particular, is an absolute dumpster fire in terms of being any kind of useful medium for meaningful communication.


Twitter is even worse, but the clearest example of a dumpster fire is Reddit.  Especially the political subreddits... forget facts, it's just a bunch of whiney morons who like to spout off in an echo chamber  about stuff they are factually incorrect about (and for the record, it's both sides of the aisle, not just one).


Carlos Danger said:


> For several years I had a FB account under a name which was clearly not real. No one had a problem with it, until I strongly disagreed several times with a prominent FOAMED personality on an issue with which I have far more expertise, and coincidentally had my account disabled by FB for not using my actual name a day or two later. Clearly I was reported by this person as retribution for calling them out in front of their devotees.


Been there, done that... my account was flagged because I called people out on their BS, and someone got butthurt.  At least its easy to create a new one.


Carlos Danger said:


> Much more recently, after having an account in my real name for a handful of years, my account was inexplicably disabled by FB with no explanation whatsoever. I was no longer commenting on EMS or FOAMED related posts, and my suspicion is that a group of individuals with which I was debating political issues reported me to FB as being "abusive" (and likely "racist"), even though in any sane and objective analysis, those accusations could not be further from the truth.


Someone took pictures of my account with my real name, and sent screenshots to my supervisor, of me complaining about him not doing his job.  When he went to his union rep to get me disciplined, his union rep advised him that if he did pursue this, he would have to explain to his boss why he wasn't doing his job.... suffice it to say, the complaint went away, and with my my name or identifying characteristics on my social media account,.


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