Oh my god, my housemate was lurking on ILX and spying on me

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Right, so I was borrowing my housemate Matt's computer as his USB ports work and I don't. And I copied some photos off a digital camera into his My Documents folder.

And there was a word document file with a REALLY long name. And I recognised the long name as being a phrase I once typed on an ILM post. I opened the file up and found a log of lots of old posts of mine.

Should I be worried? Should I tell him I'm onto him? I'm moving out in 6 days, I suppose. If you're reading this, Matt, you owe me a beer.

Anyone else being spied on?

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I often wonder if there is a particular sysadmin person at my work who might read ilx!

― Pinkleby (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Hell yeah! SO many stupid bitches out there. TYou really got to get a handle on some shit, man!
Yuo gotta be looking out for yourself. You don't want so,me stupid bitch getting one or two over on you, motherfucker.
I ain't met a bitch yet5 who didn't turn out to be some stupid ass opain in the ass fuckhat!

― black anus, Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:12 (twenty-one years ago)

See!^^^ What did I say? I knew he was reading!

― PinXorchiXoR (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:15 (twenty-one years ago)

OK, the date the file was last modified was August 10 and since I never post anything incriminating, it's not bad. It's just mildly embarassing.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:36 (twenty-one years ago)

That's quite an odd thing to do. Maybe your hosuemate just admires your work, though. I mean, it is a public forum and I personally have no doubt that people all over the world are saving and savouring MY posts...

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I live in fear of this.

― Anna (Anna), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm sort of more concerned that since it's a shared broadband that my OTHER housemate may have tipped him off that I'm on here a lot and they may know where else I visit on the web.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:43 (twenty-one years ago)

myabe he's in love with you.

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:44 (twenty-one years ago)

No, that wouldn't be the most awkward thing though. Obviously I wouldn't LIKE it, but saving posts of the mongrels/sheepfuxxor threads as well as my enthusing about Lene Nystrom is a funny way of showing that, eh?

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:45 (twenty-one years ago)

My housemate doesn't even know what the internet is. And he works for BT!

― The Grain of Sand in Lambeth That Satan Cannot Find (kate), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I have no fear of this. My flatmate knows more embarassing shit about me than I would EVER share on ILX.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Fuck yeah, bitch!

― black anus, Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Motherucker!

― black anus, Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Shitfaced in Brooklyn!

― black anus, Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Can I buy you a fucking beer?

― black anus, Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:48 (twenty-one years ago)

This ain't Miami, bitch!

― black anus, Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:49 (twenty-one years ago)

no offence, but i really hoped this was a Gear! thread...

― stevie (stevie), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Gear! is welcome to hijack it.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 11:50 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe he is an international pop spy collating data for THEM.

― bulbs (bulbs), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 21:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Right, so I was borrowing my housemate Matt's computer as his USB ports work and I don't.

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 21:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I opened the file up and found a log of lots of old posts of mine.

I would have deleted the file. That's just creepy.

Then again, there'd be nothing stopping him from searching the archives and saving the information again if he obsessed enough.

― Leon the Fratboy (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 21:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I think this sounds very weird. Had you discussed ILX with him before?

― Wooden (Wooden), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 21:23 (twenty-one years ago)

my housemate goes to a mutual friend's house to sneakily read my livejournal. she could have asked! i'd have said no n'all, but still.

― Slump Man (Slump Man), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

It is a bit odd that he saved it all to a file! WTF?

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 23:30 (twenty-one years ago)

That thing about the USB ports working but me not is such a great Freudian slip.

I'm creeped out really more than anything. But if I delete it, it shows that I was going through his folders. Which I wasn't really.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 23:52 (twenty-one years ago)

make some comments from the sheepfuxors thread about what hapened to the last person to snoop on you miraculously appear in his docs. make it nasty.

this sounds nuts edward. sounds like you're better off out of there.

― bulbs (bulbs), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 00:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Thing is though, he's the most easy-going, no-problems housemate imaginable. I've been here since Jan, and not once has there been any dispute of ANY KIND WHATSOEVER.

I know next year I'll be spied on, but since I already know that I can start thinking about it in advance.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 00:14 (twenty-one years ago)

pardon?

― bulbs (bulbs), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 00:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Next year, I am boarding at the house of my Masters supervisor. She will nose into my private life something fierce, but since I already know that I can prepare.

This was just unexpected.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 00:26 (twenty-one years ago)

While this is doubtless snoopy and invasive, I wouldn't blow it out of proportion. Your roommate probably stumbled across ILX in the computer history, took a look and saw your posts. Once he knew, he probably got curious about the new things you were saying and... so on. The file thing is a little weird, but I wouldn't assume he's gotten obsessive about it all.

― Laura H. (laurah), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 01:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Is your flatmate your girlfriend?

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 01:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Though I'm sure there are girls called Matt out there somewhere. (Would that change things? I'd totally tell a girlfriend about ILX!)

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 01:14 (twenty-one years ago)

You are a bigger man than my ex!

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 01:16 (twenty-one years ago)

As I post on ILE I always keep in mind two words: plausible deniability.

― Aimless (Aimless), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

i think this is pretty fucking weird myself, personally

― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Edward: any chance of casually saying "hey matt I went to copy some pics on yr PC and saw this file that seemed to be of stuff I post... what the hell?"

I mean sure, its no biggie he reads what you post but yeah the file. Is he actually saving whole threads, or cutting your posts from them and pasting just those into a doc? Cos the latter is even more creepy and puzzling. Unless he's using it as some example for an assignment... on what, I have no idea.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

confront him, seriously. do you really want this hanging over your head for the rest of your life??

― John (jdahlem), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I found out a while back my mum was reading my livejournal. She still does, it kind of creeps me out when she asks me how something I did was, that I never told her about.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:19 (twenty-one years ago)

You want creepy? Try having your S.O. have the person he is having an "internet romance" with answering your chats, via him having two chat windows open.

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe you put it there yourself the last time you weren't working.

― asdf troll, Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Nah, I've never used the computer before. It's just posts cut out of threads, but... BIZARRELY, there is a bit in a different font that is not mine at all, and in fact doesn't appear to be from ILX. I didn't open it on his computer as I didn't want it showing up as a last-used document in word, so I gmailed it to myself. Weird. But hey, I'm outta here on Sunday, and I don't care if it's over my head. I just think it's fruity.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:27 (twenty-one years ago)

God, I'd be dying of curiosity if it was me!

Heh I also find myself wondering if I know this person... but yeesh Canberra isn't *that* small.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:30 (twenty-one years ago)

You want creepy? Try having your S.O. have the person he is having an "internet romance" with answering your chats, via him having two chat windows open.

I'm not sure I understand this.

― Laura H. (laurah), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:32 (twenty-one years ago)

You know a few of the local stalkers Trayce?

― gazst, Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Typing to the other person, who then supplied him with how to answer.
xpost

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Alas Ive been away from Canberra too long, the psychos of olde are probably all in Sydney ;P

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm dying of curiosity and this has nothing to do with me. Moving out without getting to the bottom of this would be like watching Scooby Doo and switching off before the unmasking!

― Patrick Allan (adr), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Posts included in log file:

November 7, 2003: Me describing the amusing lyrical content of the Lene Nystrom album on ILM.

August 15, 2004: About gifted/talented programs and IQ tests

August 16, 2004: Something from the "Is it ever good to be hit on" thread.

Then, in a different font, some person's, er, musings on their sexual fluidity. I didn't write this.

Some others posts, some from one of the Grand Slam tennis threads, a few from Swygart's UK Top 40 rundown and a few from some mongrels/sheepfuxors threads. Also, my post to the Squirrel Names thread. Eh. Maybe I will delete it.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:40 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah i'm intrigued too, so there's no real theme to the saved posts? are they hilariously funny?

maybe he's planning you your own little "This is your life edward o" going away party...

― gem (trisk), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe it's his own secret excelsior thread.

― I'm serious ... Ti-i-i-i-im (deangulberry), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:42 (twenty-one years ago)

i haven't been invited!

― gazr, Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Whoa, that's a long time. Do you think he lurked all that time, or just got them out of the archives?

xxpost

― Patrick Allan (adr), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:43 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah do you reckon he checks every day, or just once a month or so sits down with a six pack of beer and some snacks and goes through the archive?

― gem (trisk), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Got 'em out of the archives, I'd say. They're not particularly funny posts, but few of mine are, y'know. Anyone who wants to look at the file, let me know and I'll email it.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:46 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't want to look in the file, but i would love to be a fly on teh wall if you casually asked him what it was about. all innocent-like in the ad break of neighbours or something.

― gem (trisk), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Spot on gem, this is like the X-Files only even better! I'm actually intrigued enough to say I'd like a look at the file, but I think that's a little creepy in itself.

― Patrick Allan (adr), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:50 (twenty-one years ago)

It's only creepy if you enjoy it.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 02:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I have figured it out. He's writing a book and he's using all your ideas as starter points.

― asdf troll, Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:14 (twenty-one years ago)

One time this dude who was friends with this dude I was dating searched all of ILX and sent everything I posted over like two years to my boyfriend, that was really bizarro but possibly less bizarre than actually saving the posts to a file? OTOH why were you in his personal files, so I wouldn't bring it up to the dude.

― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:16 (twenty-one years ago)

'Cause the digital camera doohickey defaults to the My Documents folder and the filename was staring at me plain as day - I recognise my own words when they're in front of me.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Was it horrible, like hearing your own voice in feedback?

― Patrick Allan (adr), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Fair enough but it is still too much to actually explain to the dude, I think, it makes him think you were spying regardless of the explanation.

― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Not really, because I'd asked him permission to borrow his computer before I actually did it.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:20 (twenty-one years ago)

But you didn't ask permission to go into his documents.

etc
etc
etc

I don't think it is worth it to ask. I understand fully what you are saying here and am not accusing you of spying! I just think that you're going to basically be accusing someone of something, so I think that they might very well turn aroudn and try to turn it on you.

OTOH, if you don't care, you probably should ask.

― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:22 (twenty-one years ago)

i totally thought this was a jeremy post

― Does John Coltrane Dream of a Merry-go-round? (ex machina), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:23 (twenty-one years ago)

If you can't help but see something, then all bets are off. This is exactly how I discovered that my live-in "boyfriend" was telling girls I was his "roommate". When you see something like that, all bets are off. Accidently discovering dishonesty isn't something to apologize for.

― Orbit (Orbit), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Was it horrible, like hearing your own voice in feedback?

No, nothing is as awful as that.
And I don't think I want to know why he's doing it. I do wonder, but I think it'd just be awkward and not worth knowing. I would, I think, die of embarrassment if I found out he was reading my blogs or something.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, maybe you're confronting him about it right now without knowing it!

― Pangolino (ricki spaghetti), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I was just about to say, this many posts in and nobody has commented on the insanity of me using ILX to mention my being spied upon on ILX?

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, you did address it in your question so you took the wind out of that sail a bit.

― I'm serious ... Ti-i-i-i-im (deangulberry), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:29 (twenty-one years ago)

"Hey, maybe you're confronting him about it right now without knowing it!"

I was thinking the same thing.

Edward, you're right, it's probably better not to know. Still...!

― Patrick Allan (adr), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I should get someone to act as a proxy. Email him after I'm gone, get the answer and only tell me if it's non-threatening and unlikely to cause me to worry. I'm totally chicken-shit because NONE OF THIS STUFF IS INCRIMINATING OR EMBARRASSING.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Either that, or send him an email in the future when you'll have long forgotten about it!

― Patrick Allan (adr), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Orbit, I don't necessarily agree with you. I do agree that in your situation it is unfortunate and I wholly trust that you saw what you did accidentally but there is a thin line between what might be considered accidental and what might be considered spying. I'm saying this from pretty negative personal experience of people just "happening upon things" (or thinking such) so my view is totally skewed on this, I admit, but still, in this case, it's not someone he seems to care that much about so if he cares about not having an argument, he should just not bring it up, it doesn't seem like anything important, just something creepy. But like I said, if he doesn't give a shit about the confrontational aspect, he should totally bring it up, I'm actually curious why someone would keep a log of osmeone else's internet activity anyway.

In your personal case, Orbit, I think you had every right to bring up what you saw, OTOH (and even if it was a situation in which you seeing it wasn't accidental, this sort of thing going on in a relationship of that type versus just a roommate relationship is a wholly different story anyway)

― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Orbit, I'm curious as to how you came to know about your SO relaying conversation to his internet buddy.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 04:10 (twenty-one years ago)

ILX is a public* messageboard, either censor yourself or don't, but deal with the fucking consequences like an adult and don't be a wussface about lurkers turning out to be only a couple of degrees from you. Welcome to life.

* often indexed by google et al.

― TOMBOT, Wednesday, 17 November 2004 04:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah there's kind of a difference, by like a huge humongous scary elephantine shot, between someone lurking and seeing what you say versus someone lurking and SAVING what you say or someone actively searching out what you say.

An adult also wouldn't do the sort of behaviors being described within this thread, so I'm not really sure why this behavior should be dealt with in an "adult-like fashion".

― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 04:23 (twenty-one years ago)

So anyway, I get home tonight and Matt abuses the crap out of me for "ruining [my] going away present". He'd been collecting some of my "witty quotes" and there are apparently way more than was in that single log file. He's been doing this since I said I was moving out.

I think that as going away presents go it's a bloody weird one, but he says he did a lot of research for it. Of course, this could be a spurious lie just to wriggle out of being a nosy wankshaft, but he's standing behind me watching me type this so it seems like I got paranoid for nothing.

PS. He's now turned the hidden web cams off.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 11:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, and he wants to know who Black Anus is: "He sounds like he has a micropenis and is completely stumped as to how to compensate for it."

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 11:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh dear, Edward. That's an odd and unpleasant outcome. Well, I guess you have to accept his explanation and apologise...

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 11:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Done and done.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 11:59 (twenty-one years ago)

See, this is why you should not assume the worst of people who've not given you a reason to in the past. Still, at least I now know SOMEONE is reading my posts. Haha!

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:03 (twenty-one years ago)

What the fuck, *I* never get anthologies of my wittiest quips given to me as a present of any sort! Hey friends/relatives/classmates that lurk on ILX, feel free!

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I was thinking that the number of quips I make, it wouldn't be an anthology, more a one-page fact sheet. In 72 point font.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:06 (twenty-one years ago)

ha! it seems a strange idea to me but, well... whatever.

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:12 (twenty-one years ago)

It is bloody strange, but this is consistent with his pattern. There are no locks on any doors but there've never been any privacy invasions or anything.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:13 (twenty-one years ago)

At least you now aren't faced with the embarrassment of being suddenly confronted by the the world's most bizarre going away present ever.

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, I've already HAD the embarrasssment.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Still, it's good to know he wasn't a) checking my network logs or b) going through my personal files, he just found this stuff by Googling my name, which, sadly for me, is pretty unique.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes but it'd have been much worse if he'd presented this document to you at a going away party...

...oh god how was he planning to present it? In a booklet? A pretty font? Oh god.

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:23 (twenty-one years ago)

carved into stone, maybe?

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not having a going away party, thankfully. I'm unceremoniously getting in a car and being driven to lovely, sunny Wollongong three hours away.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Euw, that is so weird! Run as fast as you can!

― PinXorchiXoR (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Wollongong!

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Eh, I can't lecture on weird.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 12:33 (twenty-one years ago)

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