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Your privacy: How much should I post about myself? Will my screen name be recognized?


Altostrata

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  • Administrator

ADMIN NOTE Since this site was started in 2011, we have held to the highest standards to protect the privacy of our members. The staff goes to great lengths to assure that the identities of our members are protected by a pseudonymous screen name.

 

When the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was issued in April, 2016, the postings on SurvivingAntidepressants.org were already in compliance due to their being pseudonymous.  

 

All of your activities on SurvivingAntidepressants.org are pseudonymous.

 

Other than the postings on the Web site, we retain very little of what the GDPR calls "identification data". The only Personal Identifiable Information (PII) we retain is:

 

  • screen name
  • e-mail
  • join date
  • IP address
  • time zone
  • last visit
  • browser

 

Your IP address is recorded by the software, but is also pseudonymous and cannot be traced to you personally. We do not record real name, address, or age. Divulgence of gender and location is voluntary. The pseudonymous background health information we ask upon registration is held in a secure database. No one but the administrators and occasionally, technical support personnel, have access to the database of information.

 

Your opt-in to receive e-mail messages from SurvivingAntidepressants.org is permitted by GDPR Article 6. We do not use your e-mail for any purpose other that to apprise you of site news. 

 

The GDPR allows that pseudonymous material may be retained for a good reason, which we set out in our site mission: peer support, documentation, and education of withdrawal symptoms and withdrawal syndrome caused by psychiatric drugs. The site registration process clearly states that member narratives are collected for research purposes.

 

The European Data Protection Supervisor explains GDPR exemption of pseudonymous data here.

 

Quote

 

The GDPR refers to pseudonymisation as an example of an appropriate data protection safeguard in many circumstances, such as:

  • when assessing the lawfulness of processing based on compatible purposes;
  • when embedding data protection by design in an IT tool’s infrastructure and development;
  • a  measure to secure personal data;
  • a safeguard in a code of conduct,
  • a safeguard for processing activities that occur for archiving purposes in the public interest, or for scientific, statistical or historical research purposes.

 

 

SurvivingAntidepressants collect personal data that is pseudonymous as both "a  measure to secure personal data" and "a safeguard for processing activities that occur for archiving purposes in the public interest, or for scientific, statistical or historical research purposes".

 


 

This site's mission is to support people suffering from withdrawal and withdrawal syndrome, to document cases, and to educate the medical establishment.

Each and every person's testimony about medication history, symptoms, and recovery is extremely valuable to accomplish this mission. It is important that these case histories stay intact, particularly in the Introductions and Success Stories forums.

 

Much of this information is viewable from the Internet and can be found via Google and other search engines. People who are suffering from withdrawal or withdrawal syndrome are reassured when they see others have traveled the same road, and learn from them. Without the information you post about your experiences, they would not be able to find this site.

These stories are documentation of a problem that probably injures thousands if not millions of people all over the world, yet is mainly ignored or denied by the psychiatric industry.

If we band together, we can bring this to the attention of the international medical establishment, and stop the suffering of more adults and even children. Several papers have been published based on the narratives on this site.

Many posts on this site contain deeply personal information. You may feel uncomfortable about telling too much about yourself.

These are the ways your confidences are protected:

- Your identity on this site is protected by your pseudonym. If you have chosen a good screen name, no one can figure out who you are unless you post identifying information.

 

(If you have accidentally chosen a screen name that is recognizable to those who know you in real life, send an administrator a personal message with a different screen name for substitution. Unless they are unique, first names will not be recognizable.)


- You decide how much about yourself to disclose. Those who read this site cannot put the pieces of your identity together unless you post fairly specific information.

Moderators will edit a post at the request of the poster if he or she has inadvertently posted identifying information. We will not edit posts to change grammar or choice of words.

 

Please do not make unnecessary work for staff members by requesting minor changes to your posts. It's okay if your posts are imperfect.


- Unregistered Internet guests, including search engines, cannot read the member list or member profiles. Your profile is visible only to site members. Even the geographical location you put in your profile cannot be seen by Google, or by an unregistered guest visiting the site.

- Only those who are invited or who have the same troubles as you find their way here. While it may seem that this site is highly visible, it is only a tiny, tiny planet, maybe even an asteroid, in the immensity of the Internet cosmos. No one will find your posts here unless he or she is also looking for information about psychiatric drug withdrawal.  Unregistered guests reach this site by searching on terms such as "antidepressant withdrawal." They have the same problems you do.

 

We are reluctant to delete accounts or all a member's posts, as this leaves gaps in threads where the member has participated and is destructive to the community. See If you wish to close or delete your account.


Many of us feel ashamed we asked for medication and took medical advice that turned out to be wrong. There is no reason to blame yourself. Except for the few who were forcibly medicated, every person on this site trusted their doctors and made choices based on what they thought was good advice. Forgive yourself and join us in supporting, documenting, and educating.

Given all the above, disclose as much as you feel comfortable disclosing on this site. It's up to you as to how much you want to reveal.

Edited by Altostrata
updated

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 4 years later...
  • Administrator

Some titles of topics with links to them from the in the Media and Success Stories forums are automatically posted to Facebook, so people who use those sites to find information can find SurvivingAntidepressants.org. Unless screen names are within the post, they are not visible on Facebook.

 

Please see Surviving Antidepressants on Facebook, Twitter

Edited by Altostrata
updated

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • Administrator

How can I change my screen name?

 

Please respect my time and that of the other administrators: Do not request a screen name change unless you have a good privacy-based reason for the request.

 

You must explain your reason for changing your screen name: Why do you think people who know you in real life will be able to find you and recognize you by your screen name on SurvivingAntidepressants?

 

(Unless they are unique, first names will not be recognizable. Before requesting a name change, Google your screen name. If there are many thousands of results, it's unlikely that anyone who looks for your screen name would find it on SurvivingAntidepressants. And if they did find it, how would they know it was you? And why would they look for your screen name, anyway?)

 

If you request a name change, you should have a new screen name ready. Check the Members list FIRST to make sure the screen name is not already being used.

 

Screen name changes will be made only once.

 

We will not make screen name changes simply because someone decides he or she wants a new name.

Edited by Altostrata
updated

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 5 months later...

How is it that if I google my username, my posts on this forum come up? Isn't a forum like this where people share very personal information private? Is there a way for me to remove my posts? I'm really surprised by this.

Was taking Wellbutrin, Zoloft (for anxiety) and Trazodone (for insomnia)

 

Tapered off Trazodone (150 mg/day)  from June-August 2013

Tapered off Zoloft (200 mg/day) from August-October 2013

Still taking Wellbutrin, 300 mg/day

 

In the past, I have taken Paxil and Effexor, dosages unknown at this point.

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  • Administrator

Yes, if you Google your username, which is an unusual one, you will find your posts. Most of the posts on this site are public. That is how people find the site, by Googling keywords such as "Zoloft withdrawal." If the posts were private, only those who are invited would be able to find the site.

 

How many people in the world will Google "mythlady", and how many would be interested in your posts if they saw them? Does anyone in real life know you as mythlady?

 

That screen names will be visible via search engines is explained in the registration process -- where you chose your screen name.

 

See

 

Surviving Antidepressants on Facebook, Twitter

 

If you wish to close your account

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 4 months later...
  • Administrator

Please Google your screen name before requesting a change of screen name, to see how likely it would be that anyone Googling your screen name would find you here. (And if they did, how would that person know the screen name was yours?)

 

Do not Google

 

[your screen name] survivingantidepressants.org

 

-- you will always find yourself.

 

Unless they are unique, first names will not be recognizable. Ordinary first names return millions of search resultsPlease do not request a screen name change unless you have good reason to believe your real identity may be discovered through your screen name via Web search.

Edited by Altostrata
updated

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 5 months later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

Member Email Address in Profile Information

 

I have noticed that some members are putting their email address in the How to Contact Me section of their Profile.  This can be seen by logged in members of SA.  This is not a required field.  The email address that you provide when you become a member is only visible to staff.

 

Some email addresses contain a member's real name.  If this is the case then I suggest that you delete this information so that you can remain anonymous.

 

Instructions:

 

Click on your name at the top right of the screen.

 

Click on Profile.

 

Just above where it states About Me and See My Activity, on the right side of the screen you will see Edit Profile.

 

Remember to click Save.

 

Edited by ChessieCat

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • Altostrata changed the title to Your privacy: How much should I post about myself? Will my screen name be recognized?
  • Administrator

Updated post #1

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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