how did they know all my names i wonder

[hihihihi]

so i joined a random FC then out of no where they told me all my past names on my character. at first i was like oo a past friend i forgot well i asked them if i knew them. they were like no i do research on all my new members. i was like how u pull all my past names on my character. there reply was " load-stone tracks everything and makes if available to all the community fan sites".. so i got in contact with a GM and there reassured me that they can't do it.... but its really freaky to have some one you don't know tell you all your character's name.. i wish i knew how they did it fully

[Lunafreya]

Lodestone ID tracks literally everything. If you have the ID... you can track every single name change.

[LittleSparrow]

The fact that they "research" (I wouldn't call it research. It's looking up a Lodestone and that's about it.) new members is hilarious. Might I ask what the point is in naming your previous names? Seems pretty damn retarded to me.

[hihihihi]

really how dose one do this can you explain it to me ?

[Myrhn]

With all the FC chest thief around i wouldnt blame them for doing the reserach

[hihihihi]

thats why you dont give new recruits access to the fc chest

[LunaFaye]

really how dose one do this can you explain it to me ?

It's very simple. Let's take a look at your lodestone profile, that if I don't know you, could get with just googling your current character name, since it stands on the forums (if that's the character you're using of course). Splendid, now I found your lodestone profile either via google or the character search on the lodestone itself.

Here it is, now if we open that profile, on top of your browser, in the actual url bar you will find, if you take a look a number behind the character. "3507009" in your case, that's your character ID. Every player has a different ID, but that ID does not change with name change or server transfer's etc.

Now here's multiple ways how you could find out the person's prior names and history for example.

a) somebody googled your new name, and found a cached version of your lodestone profile, that because the ID is identical will display your old/new name(s)
b) if somebody has you on their friend/black list in the game, then every time you change your name, this will be updated automatically as well.
c) somebody is a absolute creep and watched your profile for a long time, without you even knowing. Yes paranoia comes in to play here, but we do have players like that on the game or the internet in general.

d) there's a way to track it via 3rd party as well, I won't explain it or post the url, because I am pretty sure it's against ToS and re portable if that's the way they gained the information and keeping track of it, without your knowledge or you even applying there etc. And while I don't accuse somebody of that and not everybody has that kind of knowledge to begin with, but still want to stay informed about people they surround themselves with, I would assume it's either method a/b or c they used.

Hope it explains it a bit better for you. If you now have that question on how to change that, well there's only 2 answers. Either get a new account that you do not link to anything but the mog station, or make an alt aka new character and don't mention your prior one, to anyone if you want to stay anonymous.

Edit: and while we are in the age of no privacy anymore, and everybody thinks that posting any kind of information on the internet, is nothing to be worried about, I would not join that FC because doing that kind of research, no matter what reason they might have, sounds to me more then creepy and unnecessary. If it turns out that you get severe consequences because of that, let's say you can't join their static/fc because of previously names etc, you might consider even reporting them. We don't need that kind of bs, and while it's possible and not illegal to use SE's own tools to do so (aka webpage), still why would somebody even consider it. I and most people I do know, don't walk these extra miles to gain information about new members (as I still were in an active FC that is) or friends lol.