"Outing" is the term we use when someone posts information about a member that could lead to someone learning their "true" identity or other details about them that could cause problems for them in their "real life."
Here is the formal definition from the "Forum Guidelines" that are located here:
http://www.eccie.net/announcement.php?f=5
#5 - Outing or threats of outing are taken seriously. Membership here is anonymous and for the privacy of our members it will remain that way. That means any effort or attempt to connect a person's real world information to their username on this board will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. This includes real names, employment, medical info, addresses past or present, images, criminal or driving record, etc. We expect everyone who participates here to respect and go to great lengths to protect the anonymity and privacy of one another. Reckless disregard or accidental outing will also be taken very seriously.
It is the most severe offense that can be made on this board.
Blatant outing is dealt with harshly. Minimum punishment is a 7-day ban, and you can be banned permanently if the situation is serious enough. A second offense will lead to a much longer ban, often permanent.
Many argue that there should be ZERO tolerance for this. But there has to be some room for judgment. Often, the information is not leaked intentionally or the details are not that damaging. In that case, a Moderator may just remove the offending information and remind the member on why it should not have been posted.
Recently, we have instances where members have exposed someone with a "Guest" ID. I want to explain a bit about this and warn everyone that this will no longer be allowed.
First, a word about "Guest" ID's. They are different from "Disabled" accounts.
"Guest" ID's are rarely granted. If someone is having a problem with their account, we usually just "Disable" it rather than "Guest" it. No one can access it in any way. Their posts stay on the board under the old ID. The member can ask to have the account returned to normal status if they want to use it again in the future.
"Guest" ID's are granted only when there is substantial "real life" danger to the member. In this case, all of the member's posts will be anonymized, and will show an ID like "Guest1234." The number at the end is based on the date and time when the change in account status is processed. The old member ID disappears and posts under it cannot be searched.
As I said, "Guest" ID's are rarely allowed. It has to be ruled on first by local staff and then by Board Administration. An example of when it would be allowed is if someone is in a serious legal situation.
We receive a lot of requests for "guesting" or requests to "remove all of someone's posts or reviews." But we almost always process these as "Disable" rather than "Guest." The problem with granting too many "Guest" ID's is that it turns the forums into a mess if the member has a lot of posts and reviews. They become anonymous and no one knows who did them. So we avoid them except in clear instances where they are needed.
Back to the real point of this.....
Often, members who receive "Guest" status come back at some point under a different user name. At some point, someone finds out who they "really" are, and makes a post where they can be identified and linked to their old user name and posting history.
THIS WILL NO LONGER BE ALLOWED.
Posts of this type will be deleted and the poster will be warned. Repeat violations will lead to increased sanctions.
I know that this is a sore topic. It can be argued that it gives a member a "free ride" and/or allows them to misrepresent themselves and avoid complications from their past ID. But that is the way it has to be. The general membership will never know why a "Guest" ID was originally granted. It should be assumed that it was for a good reason and that this person deserves to be unlinked from the original ID forever.
There will, of course, be objective assessment of posts of this type. If the member abuses their "Guest" status flagrantly or if they admit publicly that they are that member, then the posts may be allowed. But the Mods aren't perfect and we don't have the time to search the whole board every time something like this happens. We may just give the "Guest" the benefit of the doubt and kill it.
When in doubt..... ASK a Mod first before you post!
Please try to understand and respect this policy. You never know when YOU may be in a situation like this and need the slim protections that this offers.