Rail employees discussing stuff on here

[RichardN]

Plenty of people have done that and still been traced. If someone really wants or needs to track you down, unless you're extremely careful and clever it's the work of a couple of minutes to work out who you are.

Provided you (a) don't post from work and (b) don't otherwise give any identifying information, at a minimum they'd have to get two of these https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwich_Pharmacal_order if they wanted to trace you by a legal route. One for the forum and one for your ISP.

 

[Lucan]

The information you fill out when you join a forum isn’t necessarily true and correct. Quite easy to put false details in.

Any forum, or rather its hosting company, has a record of your IP address. Even if it is dynamic (one allocated on the fly), you are likely to have the same one for long-ish periods of time which will link to other activity like your logging onto internet banking where you likely to use your real name. If justified, the police can ask the host company for that IP address which will lead them to your internet provider who will have your true details, because you pay them. Of course you can obfuscate some of this trail, but that's hard and not necessarily proof against a serious forensic investigation.

Other than the police, It is more likely that someone could identify you by seeing you pop up on different web forums with the same or similar user name. For example your employer, thinking they recognise you on a forum and perhaps also knowing your hobbies and other interests, could look in such hobby websites for the similar user name, profile and style and so confirm (at least to their own satisfaction) that it is indeed you.

As for Facebook - forget about any privacy. Employers (or potential ones, or anyone else in the world) can look there as a matter of routine. FB is unusual for a web forum in that it is the custom to give real names, and would be the starting point of any investigation into you.

 

[BluePenguin]

Yes it seems that some members do like to discuss and make comments about passengers and reveal a lot of inside knowledge. A lot of gossip does tend to float around further than it should. However, it is good to have a source of information available to find out what goes on behind closed doors. We all value all and any leaked information which makes its way onto this forum so we shouldn't penalise the courageous souls who risk posting it too much, as without them there is a lot we would never know

 

[GB]

. Of course you can obfuscate some of this trail, but that's hard and not necessarily proof against a serious forensic investigation.

I thought we were talking about employers finding out about you...not Interpol.

...and yes, there maybe some give aways as to your identity to employers depending how careful you are, but its one thing to suspect and entirely another to prove and bring disciplinary proceedings.

 

[cle]

It’s one thing to drop in a bit of knowledge or rumours (we’re hardly talking insider trading here) and another to egregiously break the law. A bit of railway gossip isn’t much of a drama in the grand scheme of things.

The OP is welcome to conduct themselves how they choose in relation to their employer, and equally to mind their business as to the conduct of others. It’s an anonymous-ish forum - if somebody truly did something awful, they could be traced. Some commercial gossip... well, it’s the internet so let’s get real here.

 

[Mintona]

I try to post on the basis that anyone can work out who I am if they want to (it’s not difficult) and ask myself whether my current employer (who I’ll never directly identify but it probably also isn’t hard to work out) would be upset with whatever I’m about to post! I don’t see a problem with deep and meaningful discussion about operating practices and principles following the contents of the Rule Book or Sectional Appendix (it’s all there for anyone to see), even straying into TOC-specific stuff if it’s for the purposes of explanation rather than something more controversial or confidential. There’s definitely a line behind that, and some maybe have been quite brave and strayed rather close to (or beyond) it. It’s an individual’s choice to make though - everyone knows what policies they’ve signed for...

^ what he said. I’m fairly easily recognisable by my username, by virtue of the fact that I picked it when I was 16 and most definitely not a member of railstaff.

Gosh, almost 13 years registered on this place. Not sure if I’m impressed or disgusted with myself

 

[Harbornite]

What really amazes me is when you see people criticising their employer as well as having a dig at their customers, to give an example I have noticed several Northern staff in particular do this recently.

Breaching an employers social media policy is not necessarily a breach of forum rules but it is not something I would ever recommend.

Absolutely. Even though I'm generally anonymous on my social media profiles (including this one), I still post jack diddly squat about my employer, mainly because I have no reason to.

 

[Bedpan]

How on earth would a terrorist find a dispatch policy useful?

I think that the sarcasm in mmh's comment on post #14 indicates that the point he was conveying was the opposite of what was actually written.

 

[scrapy]

Other than the police, It is more likely that someone could identify you by seeing you pop up on different web forums with the same or similar user name. For example your employer, thinking they recognise you on a forum and perhaps also knowing your hobbies and other interests, could look in such hobby websites for the similar user name, profile and style and so confirm (at least to their own satisfaction) that it is indeed you.

I do know of someone who was dismissed then reinstated to their job (not on the railway) because two usernames the same or similar being traced back to them. The employer couldn't be sure however whether the second profile which had offending remarks about the company was set up by the person with the first profile, or whether it had been set up by somebody else with the intention of making that person look guilty. Although it should be noted that that the amount of proof required to bring about disciplinary proceedings in employment law is much less than required in criminal court and an employer can dismiss someone based on reasonable probability rather than being beyond reasonable doubt.

 

[GrimShady]

Simple.... don't use social media, it's a curse on society anyway, use a VPN...lastly, use your head.

 

[DanDaDriver]

I recall reading somewhere that under article 17 of GDPR/ “The Right to Be Forgotten,” you have a right to have your posts (user generated content) you have made on a forum at the very least stripped of identifying information if not deleted.

What is the Railforums policy on this?

 

[krus_aragon]

I recall reading somewhere that under article 17 of GDPR/ “The Right to Be Forgotten,” you have a right to have your posts (user generated content) you have made on a forum at the very least stripped of identifying information if not deleted.

What is the Railforums policy on this?

See here.

 

[Jimini]

Just saw on Facebook a case of a guard who has (allegedly) been sacked from his TOC, because someone in the same group was screenshotting his posts about encouraging users to put in complaints about service performance, then sending them to 'management'.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

I wouldn't go along with the 'my company right or wrong' with regard to posting. If an issue is important enough then it should be raised. There are issues that need to be exposed sometimes and having that blinkered vision or having the company put the frighteners on you leads to excesses going unchecked and allows abuses, like Saville at the BBC for instance, to go unpunished.

 

[A Challenge]

Mybe consider that if you have serious allegations here isn't the correct place to post them, talk to management or the police in serious cases.

 

[talldave]

I was raised to "never bite the hand that feeds you"! As for Facebook, I once created an account, but never found my way through the swathes of inane drivel posted by people to find anything interesting.

 

[Bantamzen]

Simple.... don't use social media, it's a curse on society anyway, use a VPN...lastly, use your head.

I don't agree, social media sites (and this is one) are just lines of code. It is the people that use social media to spread their anger, angst and annoyance far and wide that make social media more and more unpalatable. Social media, and the net itself came about as a means to spread knowledge and information. Sadly this is not often the case any more.

And back on topic it is not wise for any employee to use social media to air their grievances in public. It is surprisingly easy to follow some people's digital trails, and as already been said employers are more than capable of following these trails.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

And back on topic it is not wise for any employee to use social media to air their grievances in public. It is surprisingly easy to follow some people's digital trails, and as already been said employers are more than capable of following these trails.

Sounds like we are in an Orwellian utopia - Big Brother indeed.

Mybe consider that if you have serious allegations here isn't the correct place to post them, talk to management or the police in serious cases.

..and when management and the police ARE the problem ?

 

[krus_aragon]

I don't agree, social media sites (and this is one) are just lines of code. It is the people that use social media to spread their anger, angst and annoyance far and wide that make social media more and more unpalatable. Social media, and the net itself came about as a means to spread knowledge and information. Sadly this is not often the case any more.

I'd draw a distinction between media where an algorithm chooses what to show you (based on what it thinks will keep you clicking for longer) such as Facebook, and an uncurated newsgroup or forum such as this one where everything is available for you to choose to read. The former is far more prone to turning into an echo chamber and your own personal bubble (though it can also be done with the latter).

 

[Intermodal]

Sounds like we are in an Orwellian utopia - Big Brother indeed.

In lots of ways sure but this isn't one of them. If you were down the pub 20 years ago slagging off your boss something chronic and he overheard you, then you would expect some comeback from it. It's no different than social media nowadays - you are posting things in a public place. If they started recording my private conversations I'd call that Orwellian.

 

[ooo]

Simple.... don't use social media, it's a curse on society anyway, use a VPN...lastly, use your head.

This is social media

 

[Mutant Lemming]

if you knew your employer was covering up a scandal and knew the powers that be were covering up (pretty much like the BBC/Police with Saville) would you let your conscience/heart rule over your head and publish details online ?

 

[Meerkat]

The principle is fine but silly to post it under your usual user name.......

 

[Bletchleyite]

Simple.... don't use social media, it's a curse on society anyway, use a VPN...lastly, use your head.

You appear to be using social media

 

[Bletchleyite]

..and when management and the police ARE the problem ?

If your relationship with management has broken down, you basically have two realistic options;
1 - go to a union if you are a member of one
2 - find a new job.

With regard to the Police, staying on the right side of the law is quite a good way of avoiding any trouble with them.

 

[whhistle]

Other than the police, It is more likely that someone could identify you by seeing you pop up on different web forums with the same or similar user name. For example your employer, thinking they recognise you on a forum and perhaps also knowing your hobbies and other interests, could look in such hobby websites for the similar user name, profile and style and so confirm (at least to their own satisfaction) that it is indeed you.

There is nothing stopping me as a user doing the same thing though - IE, take on someone elses personality. But I agree - many people use the same username on many forums.

As for Facebook - forget about any privacy. Employers (or potential ones, or anyone else in the world) can look there as a matter of routine. FB is unusual for a web forum in that it is the custom to give real names, and would be the starting point of any investigation into you.

Although you can lock it down a fair way.
It's just many people don't bother.

When I worked for an employer, I didn't feel the need to link my facebook profile to them under the "Employer" section. But then many people could guess where I worked if they looked at my friends and found the common theme between them I suppose.
A bit stalkerish though, and I doubt TOCs employ people to delve too deep into that sort of thing.

Just saw on Facebook a case of a guard who has (allegedly) been sacked from his TOC, because someone in the same group was screenshotting his posts about encouraging users to put in complaints about service performance, then sending them to 'management'.

This is where the digital age cannot be trusted though.
I can easily take a screenshot of any post on this forum and make it look like the user said anything I want. Yes, the "original" will still be here, but it could be suggested you edited the post after the screenshot was taken. You'd just need to take a screenshot of an already edited post.

It's where things are becomming difficult to provide, such as bills for ID/mortgage purposes with so much going online.

Even a downloaded PDF can be changed with minimal effort.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

With regard to the Police, staying on the right side of the law is quite a good way of avoiding any trouble with them.

….don't you mean the right side of the police as opposed to the right side of the law - they aren't always the same thing.

 

[GrimShady]

You appear to be using social media

I do not regard forums as social media

 

[GrimShady]

I don't agree, social media sites (and this is one) are just lines of code. It is the people that use social media to spread their anger, angst and annoyance far and wide that make social media more and more unpalatable. Social media, and the net itself came about as a means to spread knowledge and information. Sadly this is not often the case any more.

And back on topic it is not wise for any employee to use social media to air their grievances in public. It is surprisingly easy to follow some people's digital trails, and as already been said employers are more than capable of following these trails.

Its used as a spying tool by all, also people generally aren't smart enough to use it without compromising themselves

 

[Bantamzen]

Sounds like we are in an Orwellian utopia - Big Brother indeed.

Don't ever allow any internet connected device with voice recognition ever pick up on your conversations then. You'd be surprised on what, for example, some smart phones can pick on conversations and use detected keywords in application algorithms.

I'd draw a distinction between media where an algorithm chooses what to show you (based on what it thinks will keep you clicking for longer) such as Facebook, and an uncurated newsgroup or forum such as this one where everything is available for you to choose to read. The former is far more prone to turning into an echo chamber and your own personal bubble (though it can also be done with the latter).

I do not regard forums as social media

Whilst a simpler version of the technology, the interactions between members on this site are still effectively what I would consider social media.

Its used as a spying tool by all, also people generally aren't smart enough to use it without compromising themselves

It is surprising how much information people inadvertently give away even here, let alone on the more complex social media sites. Saying that, the number of people I've encountered giving away personal information over the phone in public as well as via computers / tablets / smartphones is shocking. I've witnessed people reading credit card details, dates of birth, addresses, passwords out on trains, as well as legal firm employees reading what appeared to be confidential documents in view of dozens of people, and in one case a social worker discussing a child protection case over the phone!

And people wonder why hackers are getting everywhere, they don't need to be like someone out of the film Swordfish, they just need to commute on trains!