Why is it STILL possible for people to find us on the interactive map???

Other uses for the interactive map ...

Add a new filter to the Member Map called "Past Opponents" so that you can see your chess.com career writ large on a world map. (DeepGreene)

trying-to-play-someone-from-every-country

When I apply for a restraining order against my stalker I'm hiring you Artfizz.

Stalkers are solitary; if you are known to have one, other stalkers will generally keep away. It's the same principle as placing a plastic heron next to your goldfish pond.

Hhmmm, perhaps a "scarecrow" in the form of a peeping-tom would make an effective deterrent.

"Scarecreep"?

Thanks for the link.  I've been half-heartedly undertaking a similar quest, although I haven't even yet scored every continent, let alone made much progress toward every country.  A past opponents link would be handy, but I'd still keep my own Google Earth file I've got going.  My blog map is fairly up to date (I need to add a marker in Germany and another location in Australia-- in fact, I'll get to that today).

A curious thing happened to me recently. I'd changed my country designation to investigate the way my marker moves on the interactive map, and I received a challenge from a member seeking to play someone from each country.

I think there may be quite a few of us out there.  That's how I choose which team matches to sign up for-- the likelihood of getting an opponent from a new country.  I've gotten burned a couple times, where I signed up to play a national team and then got paired up against someone who played for that team because they had some connection to that country, but they now actually lived somewhere else that I had already played against.

Of course, lots of people put in locations that are completely fabricated-- there's no way to know.  I just record what they have in their profile, or if I've sent a message (with an explanation) asking their location, I record whatever they tell me.

You should do one of two things:

• request their IP address
• consult the interactive map

That's not accurate either.  As I mentioned a few posts back, my location is shown several hundred miles from where I am, and not even in the correct state.  So far most people have been glad to contribute to my hobby when I ask-- I've only been completely ignored once, and that fellow had already listed a state on his profile, so I had a narrowed down location.

...how do you know so much about stalkers?

ivandh... i know a lot about you.I know about your rotine. I know a lot of things. Mmmm. I just dont know about openings and tha chess stuff. 

ouach!

I don't understand Art's obsession with defending something that can easily be changed in order to make this place more comfortable for most of us.  Just because Chess.com CAN do such things doesn't mean they should if the members are uncomfortable with it. 

Personally I'm quite fed up with the insistence on this map and I'm tired of expressing it.  Back to square one.

+1

1. 'easily be changed' - You're an expert on web coding, all of a sudden?

2. 'most of us' - I count 7 (maybe 8?) posters against the interactive map; 3 for it; and 24 who didn't commit themselves. That's either a 20% mandate or a 7/2,000,000 mandate.

3 people for deciding that my location should be disclosed to them?  hmm. 

I guess the point here is that those of us who disagree should just stop using this site. 

And yes, I know enough about web coding to know that map can be easily removed. 

That's one way of interpreting it. Another way is: 3 people who are not concerned about anyone knowing where anyone's ISP is located.

Stopping using the site is one option. There are several alternatives: use an IP anonymiser; keep the rest of your personal data concealed on this and every other site you visit; continue discussing your concerns in a constructive and open-minded way.

You're proposing throwing the whole map away since 7 people don't like it? I bet more people than that don't like chess on this site.