# Deleting personal information from FreeBSD mailing list.



## bbrock (Jan 14, 2014)

I have an unusual problem - as a teenager I wrote some embarassing posts asking for help with kernel compilation on the FreeBSD mailing list. I was stupid enough to sign it with my real name and now people make jokes about it in my work.  :r  I really have enough of it. I succesfully removed the posts from mailing list mirrors on the web, but they periodicaly copy everything from the main list hosted by FreeBSD. So the only way is to delete it from here. I tried to contact kuriyama@FreeBSD.org asking for help with no response. 

Do you have any ideas how to remove my personal info?


----------



## worldi (Jan 14, 2014)

Removing such data from the Internet is not possible. There are thousands of people who received copies of your posts and every single one of them might set up a new mailing list mirror at any time.

The real problem is not that you've posted something to a mailing list but that your coworkers are idiots.


----------



## bbrock (Jan 14, 2014)

I understand that it might be never possible to delete it from everyone. But I believe it is possible to 1) remove the source info 2) ask people to remove the copies. I succeeded with 2), there are currently only a couple of mirrors on the google left. The problem is 1) . And it is not very likely that someone will suddenly dig up the old hdd and put some messages from 2000 on the web. So I am willing to take a risk.

And yes, I know that my coworkers are idiots, but I generally like my job and don*'*t want to change it.

Anyone know how to effectively reach FreeBSD mailing list admins?


----------



## ShelLuser (Jan 14, 2014)

Sorry if I'm side-tracking the thread a bit (not my sole intention) but I don't understand the problem. I mean; hasn't the damage already been done? Your co-workers already know about those posts, they're already teasing you, so I don't understand how removing that information is going to change things.

In fact; I think you should reconsider. Think about it: if those guys are really the "teenager-minded" people you claim them to be, then going over all this trouble to make this work is most likely only going to fuel their efforts even more. I can picture it now:



			
				ShelLuser's imagination said:
			
		

> Ah, so you removed your stuff from the Innernets eh? Welcome to the age of backups! Guys, you got to read this! You know what? I'll mail this copy to the whole department; they'll have a blast!


_That_ is a serious risk here in my opinion, because by going through all this trouble you're basically admitting to them that you're affected by their childish behaviour. And that is usually just the signal some of those immature people need.

Just my 2 cents.


----------



## SirDice (Jan 15, 2014)

Whenever I've made a stupid post (and believe me after being on the internet for more than a decade I've had quite a few) I try to "bury" it with lots of other good posts. If the good posts outnumber the stupid ones it'll be much harder to find and it won't be so likely it'll come on top of a Google search.


----------



## zspider (Jan 24, 2014)

Better just to leave it alone, you'll just make it harder on yourself if they figure out it bothers you. Reminds me of what my friend said when stupid kids were flinging carrots at us in the high school common and one landed in between us.


----------



## nanotek (Jan 24, 2014)

You may have some legal grounds to demand removal of your posts under IP laws.


----------

