Feeling slightly more paranoid on the forum

[Mixo]

This is by no means a complaint towards the hardworking mods and staff who are doing their absolute best to maintain and defend this site. This is totally my issue and my intent is not to spread fear. I'm just curious if others are feeling the same and how they're dealing with it.

I'm just feeling more and more paranoid on the site and generally more suspicious after the NYT article. Before, I used to just scroll through posts and read the content. Now I wonder with every profile I click whether that person is genuinely interested in the RTD for themselves or if they're just another undercover cop or journalist posing as a regular member. Is anyone else struggling with this? I feel more reluctant to comment, engage, or DM people, even when I actually kind of need to. I'm also hearing stories of people being approached by other supposed members trying to dissuade them from ctb altogether.

Is that changing your experience at all navigating this forum? If so, how? How has it changed the way you interact in this space and with the people in it?

 

[Crazy4u]

I was thinking about this today because I got a notification from LinkedIn: Someone in the Law Enforcement industry viewed your profile. I'm pretty sure it is a coincidence though.

There are many new members (good thing if they are legit), but some members seem prolifers and trolls. I proceed with caution if the member is so new but I respond if I feel comfortable

 

[Mixo]

I was thinking about this today because I got a notification from LinkedIn: Someone in the Law Enforcement industry viewed your profile. I'm pretty sure it is a coincidence though.

There are many new members (good thing if they are legit), but some members seem prolifers and trolls. I proceed with caution if the member is so new but I respond if I feel comfortable

Yeah, that's good advice. If they've joined in the last month, I'm pretty wary. But I don't know. I still get this niggling feeling like there are still a sizable portion of members who have been here >1 year and are "undercover," as it were. Presumably it took the Times a lot of months to gather all the data they did on members here, goodbye posts, etc.

 

[OrcWitch]

Hmm. I don't think undercover cops are trying to catch people and prevent suicides. Governments monitor certain spaces for potential terrorism, sometimes they will bust people for child pornography. They aren't worried about a bunch of suicidal randos. Someone has to call the police on you for them to intervene in your suicide, they don't go out of their way to find it.

I'm not really worried about journalists. It hasn't changed how I make my posts. I worry about this place getting shut down because of them, but I'm not worried about them observing me specifically.

 

[StevieNixs]

This is by no means a complaint towards the hardworking mods and staff who are doing their absolute best to maintain and defend this site. This is totally my issue and my intent is not to spread fear. I'm just curious if others are feeling the same and how they're dealing with it.

I'm just feeling more and more paranoid on the site and generally more suspicious after the NYT article. Before, I used to just scroll through posts and read the content. Now I wonder with every profile I click whether that person is genuinely interested in the RTD for themselves or if they're just another undercover cop or journalist posing as a regular member. Is anyone else struggling with this? I feel more reluctant to comment, engage, or DM people, even when I actually kind of need to. I'm also hearing stories of people being approached by other supposed members trying to dissuade them from ctb altogether.

Is that changing your experience at all navigating this forum? If so, how? How has it changed the way you interact in this space and with the people in it?

Well I have never commented on goodbye threads - I still do not.
I have had experience of new people tell me via PM not to use a tried, confirmed and advocated method saying it was unreliable and painful which is categorically untrue. I have had people say other things. So, yes, I am personally weary now. It's a shame the government is not focusing on extremist websites one extreme right wing site has seeded numerous terrorists, and has members from all around the world. That website is up, running and happily espousing hatred and extremist beliefs every minute of every hour of every day.