Comment by JoshTriplett
2 days ago
Or maybe just stop telling people what cases are "legitimate" reasons to protect themselves and what cases aren't.
I know multiple people who have gotten death threats because of technical comments they made online, or just for having the temerity to exist as a member of a minority group. Not the vague "I'm going to kill you" kind, the "here's a picture of your front door on Google Street View, and an unsolicited pizza, I could SWAT you at any arbitrary 3am, have fun being afraid" type.
I don't feel like the solution to this is having victims set up LLCs.
It isn't, but that's the best solution that is currently available to people.
A better solution would be to stop putting people's addresses in public records, and eliminating data brokers that expose name/address correlations.
You're advocating taking away, a method people have to protect themselves, with a simple "oh, I'm not so sure".
How about you make an iron clad promise people will be safe? How about if someone dies because of your minor concerns, you go to jail for life?
Would you be so "oh well" then?
If not, you're probably not taking people's very lives seriously.
Do you find this style of argument to be productive?
I mean I get where they are coming from. It doesn’t strike you as a little odd that people have to protect themselves from dangerous individuals stalking them by setting up businesses? That’s not a little circuitous/indirect? Is that really in line with the purpose of setting up a business in the first place?
It’s not like that’s the only way to hide your identity, it’s just one currently available. Plus it’s a very trivial to look up who owns an LLC at least in my state. Not the best solution IMO
Either way I think you’re being a little uncharitable towards them. I don’t think they’re trivializing it, I think they’re asking a very legitimate question.