Last Name's on Badges
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Posted by bigfathairyguy
#1

I would like to suggest that moving forward that you discontinue printing last names on the badges. Especially for children under the age of 18. It was super creepy to have people know my kid's full names. I tried to alter my last name in the system and it caused problems picking up at Will Call. I guess if I come next year I will have to bring tape or something to cover it up. But overall for privacy purposes it would be better to remove them from the badges.

Posted by rayken
#2

What are your concerns about names? What do you think someone knowing a name will end up doing? 

Posted by bigfathairyguy
#3

Just from an overall privacy perspective why does everyone who you might encounter need to know your full name? If you like to go to a convention and for example haven't come out to many people you know say as transgender why should you have to walk around with a badge stating your full name? As far as my kids, I don't want any strangers knowing any more about them than their first name. This was something I talked to multiple parents at the convention about it that felt the same way.

Posted by squirecam bigfathairyguy
#4

bigfathairyguy wrote:
Just from an overall privacy perspective why does everyone who you might encounter need to know your full name? If you like to go to a convention and for example haven't come out to many people you know say as transgender why should you have to walk around with a badge stating your full name? As far as my kids, I don't want any strangers knowing any more about them than their first name. This was something I talked to multiple parents at the convention about it that felt the same way.
The badge name needs to match your ticket. If it just says “Greg” on the badge, how does the GM know you are the Greg on the ticket. You likely are. But not 100% sure unless it can be checked.

Posted by braewe
#5

The name on the badge does NOT need to match the ticket, actually.

You can pick up one ticket for yourself and another for a friend--so clearly the friend's name will not match, and YOU can cancel your ticket, leaving them to attend on their own.

Additionally, some events let you buy more than just one extra.

Posted by fethbone
#6

The only time someone checked my badge name to who I was was for the auction payout. I also noticed some people had first names on their badges that were obviously (or at least I was 99.99% sure they were) nicknames. 

I have taken a couple supplementary activities (Pedal and Drink, Brew Tour, etc) and the people from those external companies said they don’t even have access to attendee information until we actually show up. 

Posted by buttcabbge
#7

I certainly think that, at the very minimum, parents should have the option to leave a minor child's full name off a badge. 

Posted by cmegus
#8

Get a cool pin (one that pins vertically) and pin it over the last name.

Easy.

i had so many pins and buttons on my badge you could not see any of my name. And no one cared as long as they could see “4 day” at the top of the badge.

G
 

Posted by yog-sothoth in jersey
#9

As a parent, I totally get this concern.

Posted by buffythecatslayer
#10

The badge name needs to match your ticket. If it just says “Greg” on the badge, how does the GM know you are the Greg on the ticket. You likely are. But not 100% sure unless it can be checked.

I have never had a GM check that the name on the badge matched my ticket.  There is no requirement for it to do so.  People are free to exchange paper tickets as they wish, so I could easily be using one of my friends' tickets, or that of a complete stranger.

Posted by ack
#11

So, I believe that your barcode needs to match the ticket - unless someone bought the ticket for you as stated above. For things like Auction Payout - there's probably a reasonable requirement to have a correlation between ID number and real person. But just having a name on a badge isn't a solid system. 

Having last names redacted to just an Initial is perfectly reasonable. Or at least an Opt-In/Out choice to have it printed differently from your account credentials. Especially if your account / payment information is with your dead name. That's going to lead to complete anarchy... 

You know - I think I'm going to make that request (for no full last name on any badge) officially. Anyone know how? 

Posted by austicke ack
#12

ack wrote:I believe that your barcode needs to match the ticket - unless someone bought the ticket for you as stated above. 

Event tickets are transferable, so there is no need for them to match the badge name.

​​​​​​​_____________________________________
Alec Usticke, Fans of Gen Con Facebook Group

Posted by squirecam
#13

I realize this is an unlikely scenario. But a game is sold out. “Greg” finds tickets to that game and uses them. Another player, also named “Greg” comes by and says those were his tickets. How do you know which Greg it was without checking badge names? 

Posted by austicke squirecam
#14

squirecam wrote:I realize this is an unlikely scenario. But a game is sold out. “Greg” finds tickets to that game and uses them. Another player, also named “Greg” comes by and says those were his tickets. How do you know which Greg it was without checking badge names? 

It's kind of a far fetched scenario, but you could also check the badge number printed on the tickets.

​​​​​​​_____________________________________
Alec Usticke, Fans of Gen Con Facebook Group

Posted by brotherbock
#15

People used to be able to put anything they wanted on their badges years ago in the Milwaukee era. I remember one guy who went by 'The Shard' on his badge. (Never did figure out what he was a shard of...) Anime cons frequently do the same, IME.

But I doubt GC would do this. They want tracking and accountability and even security. If your full name is on your badge, you're maybe less likely to cause trouble than if the people you mess with just say "I don't know officer, his badge said 'The Shard'".

Full name isn't really that big of a deal. Set your kids' social media to private--or don't do social media--and there's not much the average person can do with their name after that.

Posted by algreenberg brotherbock
#16

brotherbock wrote:
People used to be able to put anything they wanted on their badges years ago in the Milwaukee era. I remember one guy who went by 'The Shard' on his badge. (Never did figure out what he was a shard of...) Anime cons frequently do the same, IME.
But I doubt GC would do this. They want tracking and accountability and even security. If your full name is on your badge, you're maybe less likely to cause trouble than if the people you mess with just say "I don't know officer, his badge said 'The Shard'".
Full name isn't really that big of a deal. Set your kids' social media to private--or don't do social media--and there's not much the average person can do with their name after that.
My wife is in child abuse prevention, and I assure you that your last statement is not true. Child safety experts recommend that no part of the child's name be on their clothing.  It provides child predators an easy way to create familiarity and credibility with a potential target. Now, I'm not implying that the con is full of predators. Nor am I ignoring the fact that children are supposed to always be accompanied by their parents. But the concept of a stranger, starting up a conversation with my child, knowing his/her full name, does concern me more than a little.

Posted by brotherbock algreenberg
#17

algreenberg wrote:
brotherbock wrote:
People used to be able to put anything they wanted on their badges years ago in the Milwaukee era. I remember one guy who went by 'The Shard' on his badge. (Never did figure out what he was a shard of...) Anime cons frequently do the same, IME.
But I doubt GC would do this. They want tracking and accountability and even security. If your full name is on your badge, you're maybe less likely to cause trouble than if the people you mess with just say "I don't know officer, his badge said 'The Shard'".
Full name isn't really that big of a deal. Set your kids' social media to private--or don't do social media--and there's not much the average person can do with their name after that.
My wife is in child abuse prevention, and I assure you that your last statement is not true. Child safety experts recommend that no part of the child's name be on their clothing.  It provides child predators an easy way to create familiarity and credibility with a potential target. Now, I'm not implying that the con is full of predators. Nor am I ignoring the fact that children are supposed to always be accompanied by their parents. But the concept of a stranger, starting up a conversation with my child, knowing his/her full name, does concern me more than a little.

Fair point. For an unmonitored child, there is that risk. So let me add that there's nothing the average person can 'or will' do with the name--the predator not being the average person. That said, tere is some debate about the overall effect of something like a name badge. For example, ID bracelets for kids are still considered by many people to be a net benefit--helping authorities get lost kids back to families. That's harder to make happen if the bracelet doesn't have a name on it. So yeah, there's a risk, and moreso if the child does go unmonitored. But it's not obvious that the risk outweighs the benefits. A GC badge has the benefit of being able to be used by authorities the same way an ID bracelet can be. Take an example of an uncommunicative child--unable to talk to people for any of a variety of reasons. Now that child becomes lost at Gen Con. Would we want people who find that child to be able to know their name, or not? There are people concerned with child safety who will say no. But that doesn't mean there isn't a debate, as some will disagree.

Posted by hawkeye
#18

I think this is more for fulfilment. They print out all the stickers for the badges and someone needs to be able to match that name with a packet to make sure the badge and tickets all get into the correct packet to either be mailed our or put in will call. If a badge sticker just says "Greg" how would the person in fulfilment know which "Greg" that badge belongs to?

Posted by brotherbock
#19

I'm neither here nor there on the badge name issue, I think there are reasonable points to be found on both sides.

But here's a workaround or two:

Option 1) put the first and last name on the back of the badge. It can still be checked by staffers, both for fulfillment and security, and could be used to put lost kids back with their parents. But it wouldn't be out there in big bold print for all to see (for the kiddos). It could be in smaller print on the back even.

Option 2) a badge that has a first name, or maybe first name and last initial, but also has a QR code that can be scanned to get the attendee's info. Could be a simple text QR code anyone could scan, which would be difficult for a child predator to do without consent.

Option 3) given that they want GMs to have apps on their phones for e-ticketing, why not give staffers a simple app that allows them to punch in a badge number and get that attendee's info? The badge number is there on the badge already.

Posted by nascragman
#20

Badges also have badge numbers and a bar code that the eTicketing app can read.  Anyone associated with the convention can easily look up a badge number.  The argument that officials need a last name to identify a lost child is not true.  And as for putting the name on the back?  My badge was backwards most of the time.  They flop around.

I've never brought my son to the convention, but if I did you can bet his last name would be obscured by a pin at very least. 

This is one of those situations where someone who does not have a child should not venture to offer an opinion.  Until you're in the position of the parent you don't understand.

I strongly agree with the suggestion that children's badges be limited to first name and last initial at the MOST.

Great thread!

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