Livejournal does creepy shit; news at 11.

[poor_choices]

If you haven't looked at this post, check it out! LJ is now adding IP-based city and country information if you have IP logging enabled. Which basically means that if you have IP logging on, instead of just seeing ([IP address]) after someone's user name, you see ([Country], [City] / [IP address]). It's super duper creepy! Also, if you turn it off

Comments

[elizardbits]

wtf that is creepy and weird

[poor_choices]

I cannot figure out how this is supposed to HELP ANYONE. Like--if you're being harassed by a specific IP address, you can access that information. If you're not--why would you possibly need it. Like. What.

[pendrecarc]

Oh, ew. I hope there's a way to turn it off--I don't want to stop IP-logging anon comments, but I also don't want to be a creepy stalker.

[poor_choices]

I left it on just for anon comments, but turned it off for everyone else. I figure if you're posting anon, you can live with it. But it's not really a perfect solution.

[pendrecarc]

Although...there are things like anonymemes, and depending on the context, it could actually be quite obvious who's commented.

Posting this to my own journal, because people should be aware. (Though I imagine everyone will know by this time tomorrow.)

[poor_choices]

Yeah, I haven't hosted anything with lots of anonymous commenting on my journal, so it's not a big deal for me in that sense, but--wow, LJ. So creepy. And I feel super weird about my fic journal, because I always had IP logging on there (never having bothered turning it off), and now I have all this location information about totally random people and I can't get rid of it :/ Not a fan.

[ningen_demonai]

Yeah. I, uh, found out this afternoon. Not happy.

[socchan]

I. Wow. I am seriously creeped out by that. I mean, I am sure this is a popular or even useful idea with the growing Russian userbase (who are apparently using LJ for activism and such, and more power to them there) but there has to be a better way to have done this.

[anie_chan]

I don't understand. If you can see someone's IP you automatically know where that someone is, no?
And this new update just made it even more obvious, that's it.

Ah, all anonymous communities with IP logging off still can display old comments with IP (+Country+Town). That's it? That's the only problem I can see here.

[poor_choices]

Well, if you can read IP addresses or are bothered to look people up, you can find out where they are. But I had IP logging on at longsufferingly and have never bothered to do anything with it. My assumption is--yes, people who turn on IP logging could look up where I am, and I'm okay with that. But I'm not really okay with taking out that extra step. After all, if I comment on some stranger's journal, I can reasonably assume they're not going to bother to go through the trouble of putting my IP through google to track where I am. Why would they? I think it makes no sense to me in part because it so easy to get information like that; anyone who's having problems with a particular IP can look it up without any trouble. I don't want it to be a casual part of my Livejournal experience.

[anie_chan]

Oh, I see.
Now I understand. Thank you.