Public vs. Private Information

Greetings,
Would anyone know how much control someone has over what information is made visible to the public and to registered users once one registers as a Ham on this website? Would email and postal address be made visible or will the user get to choose what is private and what is not?

Thank you for your help. I have tried contacting QRZ support about this with no response.

 

For US hams the name/address information comes from the FCC and can't be modified. Other things like email address are submitted by the ham.

 

Thank you for your response.

I am aware that the information is on the FCC but wanted to know the option of visibility of email and address on QRZ.com and if this can be changed. I see some hams have more information up than others and was wondering if this can be controlled on the site.

Is there an admin I can message directly about this? I have submitted a ticket in the help desk but have not heard a response using this method.

 

You are in charge of placing the email address. Delete it if you prefer.
I don't think QRZ will delete address only although you can ask them not to show you as a user. QRZ does not place the address. Its automatically downloaded from the FCC.
Also be aware that scammers steal identities from those with no posted email address since there is no way to confirm validity.

 

I have seen hams use PO boxes for addresses, so that might give you a layer of privacy. There are third party mailboxes that will copy your ID when you rent them, but many of them are more interested in your business than in closely examining your ID. There are also mail forwarding services that give you an actual business or residential street address and hold and forward your mail. Some of them are legitimate and cater to small businesses or to people who travel extensively, and others have more sketchy clientele.

Privacy has always meant a great deal to me personally, I avoid social media, mod my cellphone, use I2P and the like, and do what I reasonably can to fly under the radar. When I got my ham ticket, I had to make some hard choices about whether I was going to try to keep my data private or not, and I decided that I have no reason to hide, I just disapprove of being pidgin holed by marketers and the like, so the info on my license (and QRZ page) will put you at my front door.

TL;DR: There is a lot to be said for privacy, but if you aren't a criminal already, there is no reason to become one. This is more than you asked, but there it is.

 

Would you be able to elaborate on this? How do scammers steal data from QRZ that is already available at the FCC? How can an email prevent this? Sorry for my ignorance but this is new to me.

 

Thank you for the response. I am concerned with the information that I add to QRZ (logbook, email, etc.) Would this information be made available to other members of the website or can it be made private? I would like feedback from registered hams as to what information they can control on the website as the support team on QRZ will not get back to me about this issue (even though it states you can on their website if your have privacy concerns you can reach out).

 

You can decide about an email address and your logbook can be made private. You can even choose to not participate in the logbook, and exclusively use (or not use) LOTW or something else.

 

This is a screenshot of the settings you are asking about. Immediately above this is the email field, and it specifically says that your address is not shown in public.

 

This is what I was looking for. Thanks for this. There was no way to know this information unless you are a member. This is good to know.

 

Just a question: What is the concern about "privacy"? Once you become a ham operator and start using the privileges afforded to you, anyone with an interest can look up your info here or on the FCC website.

I've been a ham for about 3.5 decades, talked to many people over the air; even have ham radio plates on my truck. Never once has anyone done anything to me or about me that related to the fact that I was an Amateur radio operator.

 

Thank you for commenting on my thread.

My concern was the information that was not on FCC but QRZ only (email, logbook, etc.) The screenshot that was provided was very helpful. Thanks again for your consideration.

 

I can't answer for the OP, but there are lots of people, myself included, who are just averse to giving away more private information than necessary. I think that these days, everyone posts intimate photographic details of their entire lives, and the feeling that that data is being harvested and used to fine tune marketing algorithms is a little bit offensive. But yeah, there are times when we have to put on our big boy pants and put ourselves out there. It is just that so many people, especially younger folks, seem to live in the reflection of their online presence, instead of in their real bodies and minds, and I feel like we are losing something that we cannot get back. Even if that something has no tangible value.

For some reason, I am thinking of "Drink Entire: Against the Madness of Crowds" even though the story itself doesn't really apply.

OP will have to answer for themself, I only replied because I saw an opportunity to hop onto a soap box and rant a little about privacy for a sec. (cool, now I see they did)

 

If you arent logged into the zed, nothing pertinent shows up when you search someones call sign..

Just log out, go to the site and search someones call and see what happens..

 

Its not about stealing data. They find a callsign with little activity and no email address and 'become' that person for posting fake for sale ads. There is no way to verify he is who he says he is. Saying he is W1XYZ and there is no email address on the real W1XYZ page is usually a red flag that the scammer has copped someone's identity.