Hiding Email Adresses

Am I the only one who feels uncomfortable with the fact that anyone can know my email by typing in my username to the "add authors" bar? I mean, I could just switch it to my spam email, but I want the emails that I get from mibba. I think we should have the option if hiding our emails.

I completely get that.

I think it would make sense to not have the email displayed until the author has confirmed their addition to the story. The emails are there to get in touch with them outside of Mibba should the need arise, but if you confirm that, I would think you'd be okay with a coauthor having your email?

@ druscilla ever after
Well, if the co author wanted your email, it could all happen through private messages and whatnot. So in that case, yeah, they'd have permission. I just don't like that anyone can see it, because I got an email recently from a complete stranger who said very scary things :x

It's actually done so users can search for their would-be coauthors via e-mail. Sometimes if users have common names within their usernames, it becomes difficult to find/narrow it down when trying to add your co-author. Because of this, there's the option to search via e-mail address.

So if you tried to find your friend to add them as a co-author and their name wasn't coming up, you'd ask them for their e-mail and then you could search for them that way.

@ Audrey T
Well can't it be made so that your username comes up when someone searches your email, but not the other way around? So not everyone's email just shows up under their name. Or at least a setting where you can hide it, because I think it should be the user's choice of privacy whether or not to let it be shown.

I agree. It would make more sense to search by the email.

clark kent:

Well can't it be made so that your username comes up when someone searches your email, but not the other way around?

That sounds like the most reasonable solution to me. Strangers knowing your email address usually isn't a huge security risk, but I can see how it would make people uncomfortable if they didn't realize it was going to be displayed. Also would probably be a good idea with how many people we have under 18 on the site.

It can be a security risk if they use it around the Internet and stuff. The same way a creep emailed me, someone else could take it and subscribe me to some weird creep website.

@ clark kent
Yes; I just mean no one's going to find out your SSN and credit card numbers just 'cause they have your email address.

@ battalions
Yeah, that's true. My bad

I totally understand not wanting people to have your email address. I rarely give mine out and there was a time period when I had to hide it from everyone due to some very complicated matters in my life.

Not to mention, receiving threatening emails is never fun.

I don't know how many people know this, but it's a simple matter of downloading a simple program to get passwords to things like emails, so if someone with a bit of computer knowledge decided they wanted in your email it wouldn't be hard to do at all.

clark kent:

Well can't it be made so that your username comes up when someone searches your email, but not the other way around? So not everyone's email just shows up under their name. Or at least a setting where you can hide it, because I think it should be the user's choice of privacy whether or not to let it be shown.

I think this is the better idea for it.

@ gotham's finest.
That's actually really scary, I didn't even realise that my email would show up I would really like it if I could hide mine, does it only show up in the add authors bar then? Or does it show up at other places on Mibba too?

@ Carpe diem;

So far I can see everyone's email when I add authors.