Option to privatize or opt-out of lodestone displaying character. Show your support!

[Senn]

Like this post if you want the option to privatize or opt-out from having your character information (including name and character appearance) publically displayed on lodestone.

Before reading, this post is specifically about having options to privatize or opt-out of lodestone. This topic is NOT about what happened in omega ultimate. I am just using this as one example.

There have been some illicit activities in the omega protocol (ultimate) which has caused a lot of backlash with the community. The players involved in these illicit activities are now being followed and harassed by other people in game. The environment has become hostile, and I doubt this behavior will stop. I am not defending people involved in these illicit activities, but I believe that the GMs should ultimately be responsible for enforcing the ToS.

I read that one of the participants in the raid is going to delete their account, probably in part because even if they get a name change or transfer servers, they can always be tracked through their lodestone page.
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Allowing players to privatize or opt-out of lodestone can help prevent stalking and harassment in situations such as these:

• A situation where two players have a conflict with each other, and one ends up stalking and harassing the other.
• A situation where one player breaks up with their significant other who also plays the game. The other party chooses to stalk and harass them after the break up.
• A situation where a person will create multiple new accounts or trial account to stalk and harass a player.

There are many other situations where stalking and harassment can occur, but this can be prevented if players have the option to privatize their information.

I'm happy to know that removing someone from your friendlist will also remove you from their list as well in a later update. However, there can be more improvements to protect people from stalking and harassment.

• Ability to make lodestone completely private or choose to have the page removed.
• Option to hide your character from being displayed in an FC roster on the lodestone.
• Divorced players cannot teleport to each other anymore.

Please make sure to share this thread with other people and remind them to leave a "like" on this post. Try to encourage your friends who don't really use the forums often, or who have not registered, to please do so and leave a like. Leaving the devs feedback is also really important. Share this thread on your twitter/facebook/whatever.

[Stormpeaks]

The fact you can literally stalk a person even after multiple renames due to the lodestone link being the exact same is already a huge issue by itself, either make it optional private, or make it change when people transfer and/or rename

[Havenchild]

IDC how it sounds. If you gain unfair advantages in the game and you are publicly shamed for it, I don't believe you should be able to escape that. Maybe it will encourage people to do mechanics more genuinely.

Its also like if there was an infamous harasser / exploiter, why should we lose track of them?

[Senn]

IDC how it sounds. If you gain unfair advantages in the game and you are publicly shamed for it, I don't believe you should be able to escape that. Maybe it will encourage people to do mechanics more genuinely.

Its also like if there was an infamous harasser / exploiter, why should we lose track of them?

Let the GMs handle it.

The focus of this thread is to request an option to privatize or opt-out of lodestone. To anyone who would like this feature, please remember to like the original post. The number of likes on the post matters!

[Masekase_Hurricane]

Not sure whether to like or dislike. I like it for your points, but dislike because it makes it easy for someone to be a c*** and then hide.

[Seraphor]

IDC how it sounds. If you gain unfair advantages in the game and you are publicly shamed for it, I don't believe you should be able to escape that. Maybe it will encourage people to do mechanics more genuinely.

Its also like if there was an infamous harasser / exploiter, why should we lose track of them?

This case is a red herring that is distracting from the very real issue of stalking and harassment that can and does happen in this game, forcing people who have done nothing wrong to quit the game or create an entirely new account.

Even so, if anyone does something that goes against the ToS, whatever that may be, it should be on SE to enforce that, and ban them. Not on players to take up vigilante justice. If SE themselves decide that banning isn't justified for whatever they did wrong, then other players shouldn't be able to force that player to essentially ban themselves.

[Corrupted]

Let the GMs handle it.

Can say the same about the request to be honest...
On one hand, I'm on board for privacy - on the other, what Havenchild said. Most issues that stem from this (mainly in your 3 first scenarios) would be resolved if they reworked the blacklist system.
Can't be arsed to bother with the whole ultimate fiasco
Overall, not sure. 50/50 on this

[Ivtrix]

This case is a red herring that is distracting from the very real issue of stalking and harassment that can and does happen in this game, forcing people who have done nothing wrong to quit the game or create an entirely new account.

Even so, if anyone does something that goes against the ToS, whatever that may be, it should be on SE to enforce that, and ban them. Not on players to take up vigilante justice.

The number of people who froth at the mouth for vigilante justice in this forum is kind of sad

[Senn]

Not sure whether to like or dislike. I like it for your points, but dislike because it makes it easy for someone to be a c*** and then hide.

You would still be able to report them! I'm guessing all our accounts have a hidden ID or something... Even if the harasser changes their username and privatizes their lodestone, a GM would be able to find them.
Besides, it would be much better for innocent people not to be forced into spending on a name change or creating a whole new character. In this scenario, the harasser would be the one spending money on a name change AND they would still have GM action enforced on their account.

[Stormpeaks]

You would still be able to report them! I'm guessing all our accounts have a hidden ID or something... Even if the harasser changes their username and privatizes their lodestone, a GM would be able to find them.
Besides, it would be much better for innocent people not to be forced into spending on a name change or creating a whole new character. Instead, have the stalker spend money on a name change AND still have GM action enforced on their account.

Even with a name change you can still be found, the lodestone links stays the same, they'd have to create a new character entirely