User name confusion..

[BertrandRussell]

There is now a poster using the name @BertrandRusselI- which is a bit confusing. Is that OK? I think I had the name first (aware that sounds a bit playgroundy) and I might be confusing.

If they'd wanted to differentiate, they'd have gone with BertrandRussel1 or Russell1 at the very least. WTF uses Roman numerals? Other than monarchs? (In which case, you've got them, Bertrand - you are the first, indupitably. They should be BertrandRussellII.)

Thank you, Tom. Duly noted!

I would quite like to hear what MNHQ has to say about this sort of thing.

As someone who writes code, ambiguous fonts are a bugbear ... there are alternatives, either serif or, as I described, with tails on the l, diagonal through 0 to make it easier to tell from O etc. A different choice in the apps would aid readability in general and confound this sort of thing in particular.

Tom? Sorry-Torn.

I doubt it is innocent. I think it’s done deliberately for nefarious reasons (I just wanted to use the word nefarious TBH)

It’s been done before on MN - there was a spate of it a while back.

It's impersonation, likely fishing for info by tempting friends to unwittingly pm the wrong person.

Mumsnet can easily stop it with a name check at registration time, checking for all variants of a name with i.

As a short term fix if MN are reading, they can modify the CSS for usernames to use a serif font to make this abuse easier to see

I don't know how to flag a message for MN attention, but could someone point them to my post to help them implement a quick fix?

Well, how very dare you, soupdragon!

Yes... they really should be able to do something like that.

Just report your own post, Torn. I've already reported one on the thread suggesting font change so hopefully they'll point Tech over here anyway.

Yeah, but S0upDragon is so bloody obvious :o you’ll never make to to “nefarious” merely “mischief making”.

I haven’t a clue how to change my username? Could someone please tell me how? I have the most boring name ever, I’m really called Alison. I will try my best not too copy. I know at one point I saw an anyfucker1 posting, I know there’s an anyfucker who’s been around for quite a while

If you’re in a browser, go here

There was strandedpolarbear (up to no good) who people confused with stealthpolarbear (lovely).
When challenged the stranded one refused to change. Not good.

Alice - In the app, go to the menu (3 horizontal lines in top rh corner and click My Mumsnet.

That's outrageous! And quite obviously deliberate because if it wasn't (a) they wouldn't have picked a deliberately ambiguous letter, and (b) you'd have had an apologetic PM by now.

They did suggest a pink headband to distinguish a female baby. That's more what I would have gone with had I been going to borrow your name as a joke. And this is nice as a suggestion for a handmade gift: "Bottle of Prosecco covered in Ferraro Rocher, so it looks like a pineapple."

@Gruach has been chatting to her about clothes and I'm pretty sure thinks she is you.

Response from MNHQ:

• Thanks so much for reporting to us.

We don't think changing font would stop people from using very similar usernames - this isn't something that happens often, though we know it's unnerving when it does! We just email the Mumsnetter to ask them to change their name - or if we believe them to be a troll, we will ban them. It's a huge site, with a large volume of users, so this is bound to happen from time to time and it's usually very quickly spotted and sorted out when it does.
*

A few months ago, I'd have said 'fair enough', but unfortunately there are people who want to shut MN down. A malicious imposter might not be spotted before a screenshot of their work was posted elsewhere.

They are wrong.
It's not similar, it's impersonation.
Changing the font isn't to prevent it, it's to help illustrate it to unsuspecting readers. It's a temporary measure until a better registration filter is created.
This stuff is so old hat, it's solved on many forums.

Alice is name checked against aiice, allce and ailce (all combinations) and denied if there is a matching username already in existence. It's so incredibly common to do this check.

Yes, exactly. And changing the font - just in the username - would reveal if there are any existing impersonators.

This may seem paranoid but we know there really are people out to get MN.

Similar names are a different issue and can be addressed on as case by case basis. Most folks do not want to be easily mistaken and would chose TheOtherBertrandRussell if they were so enamoured with the name.

Report your posts, Torn, maybe they'll take it more seriously from you.

One type of impersonator will bad mouth in order to ruin the reputation behind a name.
The other type will mimic them and hope someone messages them in order to gleam some information accidentally revealed in a pm

Reported it.
There is one thing you can do to protect yourselves... register the alternative combinations yourselves which is not good for MN but an inevitable consequence if they don't guard against it.

There is one thing you can do to protect yourselves... register the alternative combinations yourselves

I assume you’ve registered yours?