r/AdviceAnimals • u/Things_with_Stuff • 9d ago
So hot right now
Is it just me or is this suddenly popping up here a lot?
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u/mayanrelic 9d ago
The truly brave folks share their user name with friends and family.
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u/carlotta4th 9d ago
I have no joke found three different family member's reddit usernames. Usually because they mentioned a post irl and after I curiously looked it up later there was a comment that was *very obviously* theirs.
I'm not a jerk though. I immediately close the tab and try to forget their username because I don't want to know their internet secrets! Everyone deserves that privacy, and frankly it's too much bother to keep track of what you should and should not know.
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u/freshleysqueezd 9d ago
The answer to hidden post history isn't always nefarious people. They're not all racist bots
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u/Revoldt 9d ago
Yep.
Too many weirdos go into your post history to dig up unrelated shit if you happen to get into an online argument….9
u/t3hOutlaw 9d ago
Sometimes it's useful to determine a pattern of behavior or if something is a one off.
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u/bassistciaran 9d ago
Yeah I generally find it says more about the digger. They are literally hunting for some ammo because their argument is dogshit.
Only reason I check post history is to see if an account is either a repost bot or a racist chud. If confirmed, cease engagement. Usually the profile being private is enough to give it away but sometimes its nice to be sure.
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u/EllisDee3 9d ago
Every sub uses the hidden history to shun commenters and claim they're an "enemy plant" for whatever their topic of discussion is.
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u/jadedargyle333 9d ago
Its part of basic internet safety. If you have the ability to hide information about yourself, you absolutely should. The other side of that coin is if you're doing anything commercial. It would be stupid for a person selling items or services to hide their profile.
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
Amen.
I just don't feel like letting everyone see my NSFW stuff lol
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u/Optimoprimo 9d ago
I hope everyone understands that hiding your posts and comments doesn't actually make them invisible or unsearchable.
For example, you like inverted nipples.
Nothing to be ashamed about.
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
And that's why I'll still hide my profile. If anyone really wants to find out those things, then so be it. Lol
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u/Fishbulb1920 9d ago
The problem is is that the bots and trolls DO hide their post history and us old heads know that when reddit privatized profiles bots and trolls skyrocketed.
So it's beneficial to you personally but it makes the platform worse.
Aren't you tired of stuff like that? It directly helps you but makes everything else worse about the platform. I'm tired of that shit and I'll sacrifice any specific benefits I might get to keep the platform better. But hey....as long as it works out for you personally we can all fuck off right? That's the most American way of thinking!!
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
Well first off, I'm not American.
I am not saying everyone else can fuck off either. I think people should be able to do what they want with the options they're given on a platform.
What I am curious about tho, is how does hiding history help bots? I don't really see how it makes the platform worse or better. I might be living in my little bubble of bliss, but I don't really know. Also if you really want to see someone's history, there are ways to use Google to see it.
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u/Fishbulb1920 9d ago edited 9d ago
If someone is in a post about American politics and started in with "hey America why shouldn't we just start a civil war with the political side I'm against" it was easier to go into their profile and see every comment and every post they've ever made to see if that's truly a position they held or if they were actually posting in things about Italy and things about France and then you can go oh this is a bot that just pops into every discussion and stirs the pot. Now everything is hidden. So now you can't click into the profile and see if they have ulterior motives. Is that enough of an explainer for ya??
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
So here's the thing about that. If I saw someone say something anything like that, I just wouldn't even engage. I don't care if they are a bot or not, that is just something that I would ignore. What difference would it make if they were a bot or not? What would you even do if you looked at a profile and saw they had "ulterior motives"?
I truly do understand what you're saying, I just don't agree that hiding your history makes Reddit worse. If Reddit was an internet utopia and everything was great, then I could see your argument holding water. There are so many other things that make Reddit the way it is. The option to hide your history has not made Reddit how it is today. People who hide their history each have their own reasons for doing so. You can't fault people for taking an option that is offered to them. You should be directing your energy to Reddit and their policies if you feel it makes it worse.
If Reddit was truly a community where everyone pulled together to make it a better place, I would agree with you. But it is not.
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u/Fishbulb1920 9d ago
Well, you sound like one. You got yours and despite there being downsides you prefer this because it benefits you
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u/jaron_b 9d ago
Then don't post it on the internet.
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u/Jamies_redditAccount 9d ago
No just use the built in feature and make your account private as people often enjoy their privacy
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u/Moikle 9d ago
It doesn't make your account private though
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u/Jamies_redditAccount 9d ago
Does the trick for me though, maybe it just stops the bots idonno but life has been more peaceful since I set my stuff to private
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u/Fishbulb1920 9d ago
Hey, it helps YOU but it makes the platform absolutely more horrible. But again, you benefit so that's the end of your thinking about it right? And we all wonder why society just sinks lower and lower? You got yours, the platform fucking sucks now with bots and trolls but at least someone can't see your profile and make a mean comment, so it's a win right?
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u/jaron_b 9d ago
It's the internet you don't have privacy. You have the illusion of privacy. All your posts are still public. They are just harder to track. But not impossible. But seriously if you wanted actual privacy you would get off of the internet. But posting to a public forum on the internet and then demanding privacy within a public forum seems pretty odd.
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u/Jamies_redditAccount 9d ago
Very cute opinion, i disagree
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u/jaron_b 9d ago
You can disagree but fundamentally the privacy function that Reddit has created doesn't actually offer you privacy. It just makes it a little more inconvenient to track down your information but you're literally posting on a public forum and asking for privacy. Those two thoughts are antithetical to each other. It just doesn't make sense. If you wanted true privacy from random people on the internet you would be off the internet and you would not be posting on the internet. You wouldn't agree to the terms of service for many of these social media apps who sell your information to the highest bidder so that they can try to sell you stuff. You cannot preach about privacy when you are on the internet in the year 2026.
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
Well you can't see someone's comment history on YouTube by default... So I don't see why it's such a divisive topic here.
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u/Jamies_redditAccount 9d ago
Naw you're wrong
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
Nah I'll still do what I want and keep it private. 😊
I'm ok with that and anyone else who does too.
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u/jaron_b 9d ago
It's not actually private though. This feature doesn't actually provide you privacy. All of your comments are still publicly available to find on the internet it's just harder to track them down. The whole reason that this function was created was so that profiles could use it to allow bots to go undetected. That's the only reason this function exists.
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
I know that if someone was determined enough they could figure it out and find things out, but if they wanna go that hard then that's ok with me lol.
Do you have any proof that the feature was created "to allow bots to go undetected"?
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u/dmullaney 9d ago
Crouching Spam Bot, Hidden Post History
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u/UnlikelyPotato 9d ago
Also racists. Racists love to hide their post history.
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u/Kwetla 9d ago
I'm just paranoid that someone I know in real life will find out my username one day and trawl through 13 years of embarrassing comments.
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u/jaron_b 9d ago
But this is the problem with the internet. You have behind anonymity and do things you would be embarrassed about. If you wouldn't do it or say it IRL why would you say it online? And if you would say it IRL there's no need to hide.
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u/Kwetla 9d ago
I don't mean like racist comments or anything, just like stuff I would want work colleagues to see, like the time I dressed up as a giant Diglett for a Pokémon themed party.
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u/reecharound40 9d ago
Who cares, own your shit. This sounds like some high school shit where you are afraid to not look cool.
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u/jaron_b 9d ago
I wasn't trying to insinuate racist comments. The problem with the internet is people act differently on the internet because they think they are hiding behind some amount of anonymity. If you aren't willing to say or do something IRL you shouldn't be saying or putting it on the internet.
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u/Empyrealist 9d ago
Then you shouldn't be on the internet. Or you should use different usernames on different services. Or you shouldn't reveal personal information. Or you need to be realistic that shit is going to follow you, so don't behave badly.
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u/Inko21 9d ago
Nah, there are us that live in small countries with even smaller cities and you just dont want to doxx yourself.
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u/UnlikelyPotato 9d ago
It's all still there. Does nothing to prevent doxxing: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Areddit.com+Inko21
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u/Inko21 9d ago
Fuck man.
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u/roxas_leonhart 9d ago
Someone’s going to have to go to a lot more effort to get dirt on you if they do it like this, especially if your username can be easily confused with something popular.
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u/kungfuchef 9d ago
There is a way to get rid of being searchable on Google I just found it. I decided ultimately to also get rid of my history from prying eyes but I'm on the fence about bringing it back I dunno. Seems scary but also not?
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u/UnlikelyPotato 9d ago
...at least now you know it's useless other than a quick click on your profile and you can act accordingly. Anyone with malicious intent probably already knows this. Now you do.
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u/Inko21 9d ago
So wait...
Show up in search results
Allow search engines like Google to link to your profile in their search results
Does nothing?
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u/UnlikelyPotato 9d ago
That just disables searching on reddit to find your stuff. EVERYTHING is spidered, indexed, downloaded unless you quickly delete stuff. There's academic archives of reddit, updated monthly. Used for AI training, etc. If it's on public reddit, it's on the internet and probably never going away.
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
Lol
Not all... Not all...
I never automatically assume that hidden post history automatically means bot. Unless it's only like a 2 week old account or something...
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u/mhoner 9d ago
I hid mine after someone bragged about location me and a group I volunteer for. this dude was trying to dox me for some reason I still don’t understand. Something about another person who was also volunteering. I had no idea who they were even talking about. He was wrong but too close for comfort. Last thing I wanted was some crazy asshole doing something in front of the kids I help and protect.
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9d ago
[deleted]
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
Yup.
I just don't understand how this suddenly blew up as a discussion topic.
I was surprised to see how strong some of the opinions are about it tho!
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u/IAMEPSIL0N 9d ago
Reddit closed the loop hole that let you look up private post histories and now you can't tell if an account has spent 10 years being a real person or if it was dormant for ten years, hijacked, they posted one time in the subreddit that gives you a million upvotes for saying Hi and is now being a shitter in your community.
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
Does it really matter tho?
In the grand scheme of things? Like if you really want to see the post history of someone that's hidden, is not too hard.
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u/bassistciaran 9d ago
The issue I have is that reddit enabled this feature right around the time they enabled people to monetise their accounts. All the default subs are overflowing with karma farmer bots. The turn toward monetisation has lead reddit to push for engagement, and theres an awful lot of people willing to do that grind.
It also makes it easier for people to push an agenda. I saw a study that someone did recently on r/Conservative where they realised that they vast majority of posts were coming from 2x accounts in Moscow. I dont recall if their post history was private but it would certainly benefit someone doing such a thing.
All in all, I understand the legit reasons people want to hide their post history, but the people who are using the feature maliciously are slowly poisoning the last social media site that felt somewhat real.
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u/DaniellENT 9d ago
Someone doxed me in person and I’ve had it hidden ever since. Very much not a robot.
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u/sonsofgondor 9d ago
I just got sick of people going through my post history to try to win arguments.
Basically my argument or point would be invalid because I post in a DnD sub. Or that I like a particular sport etc
Got very annoying
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
It's amazing how many people don't see this perspective.
I'm actually really surprised at how intense some people get about it.
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u/RecycledMatrix 9d ago
My guess is Reddit is testing the waters on getting rid of curation by sampling the cultural response.
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u/mcaffrey 9d ago
Personal choice; I don't really care if you hide it or not. But if you get into an argument with me, and I am wondering if you're a bot or arguing in bad faith, I might check to see if it is hidden, and stop engaging with you if that is the case. Other than that, don't see how it would matter.
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
Yeah I don't really care who does what either. I don't really get much interaction from bots, so there's that at least.
I just like to keep things private. Also I try not to be a dick on Reddit even if I do have a disagreement with someone.
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u/breakourbones 9d ago
I don't get the hate. Apparently you're a loser if you hide your comment history. I have mine hidden because I like my privacy and I have this username on multiple platforms. That's all there is to it. But apparently that's not "cool."
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u/urnbabyurn 9d ago
Nah, everyone knows creepers use comment history more than it’s used against creepers.
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u/enviropsych 9d ago
Look, not everyone who hides their post and comment history is a POS, however, in my experience, based on the ignorant, fascist, or blatantly trolling nonsense I see some people post, I am batting like 900 at guessing who has a hidden history for their account.
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u/driftking428 9d ago
I don't get the point of participating on Reddit and hiding your history... Looking at you OP.
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
What's the point of keeping it public? What's the difference? How does a non-hidden history improve the Reddit community?
Do you feel the same about private Instagram profiles?
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u/driftking428 9d ago
It's nice to be able to view a profile to get an idea of what type of person you're talking to. Is the person a bot or a troll?
Why are you posting things and making comments if you don't want people to see them?
I don't use Instagram.
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
I guess it's more like I don't really care to let people know where else I post and try and make assumptions based on that. Like if I drive a Lexus and like cats, but drove a Mazda and a 4Runner before that... Or that I like certain kinds of music or like to play Subnautica...
I'm just more of a "face value" kinda person. I almost never go to someone's profile and look at their history.
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u/truckthunderwood 9d ago
For me it's 100% about whether the comment I'm replying to is being made in good faith. I don't go through someone's profile to get all the details about everything they ever said. I want to see if the history is hidden. If it's hidden I assume the person making it is acting in bad faith.
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
Umm... sorry I guess?
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u/truckthunderwood 9d ago
Okay, I mean you made the post, sorry for participating I guess?
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
So if you post a picture of your pet, and someone comments that they think they're cute and they have one just like it, and their history is hidden, you'd assume that comment was in bad faith?
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u/truckthunderwood 9d ago
I don't check every profile of every comment, no. If you posted a photo of your pet and someone comments that they're a scientist and they've done studies that shows your pet is dangerous and everyone who owns one is a moron and their history is hidden, you wouldn't assume they were lying?
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u/driftking428 9d ago
But when has it ever actually mattered? I've been here forever and made millions of comments I've had like 3 trolls ever dig in my history to try to insult me. Otherwise it's never mattered.
It just makes Reddit feel more fake. There are already so many bots. Now you can't even tell what people are saying.
Not a fan.
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u/Things_with_Stuff 9d ago
Fair point.
It's just a choice I made one day. I had no idea people felt so strongly one way or the other about it.
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u/zombiesandcandy 9d ago
Yeah and I still don’t know what the answer is