To read and write posts, a user has to register. FetLife will not let a user register unless he or she fills out a form asking for his or her birthday.
Although most users will just make up a false birthday, a lot of non-technical users who do not know how far a true birthday goes to uniquely identifying them will provide their true birthday.
Also correct me if I am wrong, but there is no significant benefit to the user, the other users or the web site to having everyone provide a birthday when they register.
If FetLife is so careless with the privacy of their users in this visible way, it makes me wonder which less visible ways (e.g., not patching security holes or not hiring sysadmins willing and able to do the hard work of keeping user data out of the hand of attackers) in which it is careless with privacy.
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[ 1.7 ms ] story [ 9.8 ms ] threadAlthough most users will just make up a false birthday, a lot of non-technical users who do not know how far a true birthday goes to uniquely identifying them will provide their true birthday.
Also correct me if I am wrong, but there is no significant benefit to the user, the other users or the web site to having everyone provide a birthday when they register.
If FetLife is so careless with the privacy of their users in this visible way, it makes me wonder which less visible ways (e.g., not patching security holes or not hiring sysadmins willing and able to do the hard work of keeping user data out of the hand of attackers) in which it is careless with privacy.