Missing Person - Boulder man - Emotionally unwell

Of course, and that's what we all want.

I know everyone thinks I'm overreacting.

But if he's the man that was arrested tonight in our city in the middle of a mental health crisis, these posts can be used against him in that case.

I fully understand the intention and concern behind these posts. I do. But I also understand that there are rules against posting identifying, personal information on a site like this- especially with a description of "mentally unwell" in the title, and for very good reason.

Regardless of intention, posts like this can have far reaching, devastating consequences, and that's why they aren't allowed- even when it seems like they should be. I'm NOT saying that this is what OP was doing- but social media posts like this have been used to track down battered women, or otherwise find people that have legitimate reason to not be found.

I know a family who tragically had a toddler son that drowned. Because of some (incorrect!!!) information a well-meaning family member posted on social media in an attempt to let everyone know what was going on in the midst of it all, they spent years in court battling insurance companies to cover costs related to the incident. They walked away with a lot of debt related to the attempts to save, and ultimately bury their son, partially because of social media posts.

Am I upset about this? YES. Put yourself in his shoes. And consider the fact that none of this personal info shared was needed in finding him. "Please be on the lookout for a 30 year old white man who may be in the middle of a mental health crisis" would have achieved the same result without everything this could mean for his future, both immediate and long term.

There's a reason we should all care about doxing.

/r/boulder Thread Parent