pinkunicornsarefluffy How do you know that your friends don't read MN? My RL friends wouldn't know that I do, and I wouldn't know if they do either. What they post on Facebook isn't an indication of what they read otherwise.
And as I said previously, a thread appearing in the DM will only appear there for one day until it is replaced by something else, so you are dependent on someone being A, a regular DM reader, and B, reading on the day it is published and seeing that particular story. I'm a regular BBC news reader, and still I don't see all articles that appear on any given day.
However, if an OP posts a particularly sensitive post looking for help/advice, then it's entirely likely that it will receive hundreds and hundreds of replies, with regular updates from the OP, possibly with follow-up threads linking back to the originals, and could be trending on active for weeks or even months. It would be far more likely that you would come across it even through googling, and not only be able to find the thread in question, but also the back story and be able to continue to follow its progression while the OP is happily oblivious.
So no, I disagree. It is far more likely that someone would be identified from a thread on here than from a one-off posting on a tabloid website.
People have been being recognised here for ever. There are in fact threads asking what people should do if they've recognised someone from RL on MN, and that's before you get to threads which are tracked down and followed by partners, family members, friends that OP's have written about.
This notion that MN Or the DM are putting people's lives at risk is hysterical rubbish. If you're at risk already then find a more secure way to get help. Like women's aid. MN is a good place for advice but it is not a safe haven.