Should People Use Their Full Real Names on Social Media?

Quite true - I put one of my numerous email addresses online - within minutes some "ne'er do well" was trying to access it, via a proxy server via Austria using PST {Pacific Standard time - which is 8hrs behind GMT) - the person I'm 99.99% it was is more stupid than I thought he/she was if he/she thought he/she could hack into an email account that has a password longer than 16 characters comprising of upper and lower case letters numerals and special characters. He/she was even more stupid than the 99.99% I thought he was if he thought it would go undetected. He/she would have been very disappointed if they had accessed the account there is absolutely nothing of importance there. (The trouble with stupid people is they think everyone else is)

davidstockport oh dear, it's warming how quick they try to jump on it these days. Just as well you are tech savvy! I always worry about my parents, as they are not safe online at all...so I only allow them to use the bare minimum for them to access emails for leisure, and never set them up for banking or anything that they might fret over

hspexy I don't mind giving out email addresses online - people who do should ensure that any email address given is not the one they conduct important business with (banking etc) that their email password is VERY secure and that the sent, received and received folders do not contain anything that could compromise the main email account if it was hacked.

The worst that can generally happen is that you get some spam email - easily dealt with - and easily, even when a proxy server is used, traceable back to the source.

A word of advice to anyone reading this - short passwords should be avoided. (it isn't JUST an email account) it usually contains a lot of information that can be utilised by anyone hacking it.

davidstockport if you use a dodgy free VPN it won't do much good.

I bought Windscribe's premium service and use it daily, fantastic. The free version is really good too and the code "EXPAND20" gives 10GB extra monthly bandwidth, this is what I've used to make accounts for family members.

Rockman I have never used a VPN (I've no need to - nothing to hide - and I do nothing illegal) Those who use VPNs who think they're safe to do what they want and it never be traced back to their hidden ISP are very much mistaken. Whilst using a VPN is not itself illegal in most countries using a VPN to hack into another person's account or to harass them (or to attempt to) is a criminal offence. This from some far more knowledgeable than me* makes interesting reading:https://www.quora.com/Can-one-track-my-real-IP-address-when-I-use-VPNs

*I got help from a source I'm not willing to reveal (although quite above board) to get the information in the earlier screenshot. I must say I was surprised to find they could even tell the browser he/she was using.

have to try even harder these days!

I don't see any harm in people trying to protect themselves by not disclosing too much personal information, I do however find it somewhat abhorant when people use pictures of other PEOPLE especially when they pretend to be the opposite gender to what they actually are.

Incidentally my real name is David and Stockport is the place I lived when the Facebook account (associated with this account) was registered. That, in current profile picture, is not me - nor is it another person.

that's a really good point! I used to work for local gov and yes managers do go through social media accounts to see what you've been up. I've witnessed it first hand and even got a call at home one night as a manager didn't like a comment I'd made at facebook (I no longer have a facebook page that I post on about myself. I have one purely so I can post product reviews for product trials. Same for twitter)