Skype annoyance

[Lexy]

Ever since we set up our Skype system I get about a dozen messages a month from unknown guys who want to be added to my contacts. They're often military men of high rank with lots of medals on their chests. I delete them and block them, but new ones pop up. It's annoying. Anyway to not have this happen or is it just one of those things with Skype that has to be endured?

Lexy

[blondiegal]

open skype = tools = options = privacy = only allow people in my contact list to contact me = save = sign out/shut down skype = start it back up. should be good to go !

[natbug]

On mine privacy is under-Skype, the first tab. My husband was having the same problem because his Skype was linked to Facebook.

[Jeanneboo]

I agree it is a pain. I sometimes get ten in a day. It is amazing how all these generals and admirals have such lousy grammar. I have to wonder how they get to such exalted heights in the military. We tried to complain to Skype but got no response or relief. Some are amusing though. Such as the pictures of young men who want a life long relationship. They would make me a cougar and my husband might object. I report them as spam but it does no good as I see some recycling. One of them had a picture of George Clooney. He must have thought I was blind or stupid.

[Tony_In_Mexico]

Here's an idea. Don't advertise your Skype name. I've been on Skype for 2 years and never once been contacted by anyone but family.

[ComputerGuy]

That is unfortunately not an easy option. Skype defaults to showing your name publicly in their database... you have to manually go in and turn that off, following blondiegal's steps, above.

[hensley]

I must have mine set up right I have never had this happen.

[ComputerGuy]

Because of the new "social order", many things are connected in the online world: Facebook, Skype, MSN/HotMail/Outlook.com, Twitter, Vines, and so on. Google+ is another huge example. Each of these at some point, and more than once, asks you to connect or share your Contacts in or with each of the others. The theory is that you are better connected; the truth is it has created huge rings of advertising opportunities for the companies, who amass tons of data.

Since Microsoft bought Skype, and Google went "+", the pressure these companies exert on everyone else, not just users, to share their data has gone sky high. So it is quite likely that a single contact email name gets relayed to dozens of other companies every day, and somewhere along the line that name is "captured" and sold. So not just your Yahoo or HotMail gets spammed; so does your Skype.

This situation explains why some get bombarded and others do not.

[Tony_In_Mexico]

Yeah, not a fan of this trend. The only thing I use is FB, and I don't use my real name for that. In fact, I really don't use my real name for hardly anything online, and I'm careful never to allow any of those things to connect to other things. Very suspicious of Google, so I don't use any of their products, including Chrome. I do use youtube, which they acquired, but even there, if I feel compelled to make the rare comment, I choose the option to allow it to be seen only on youtube, and not Google+. The less they know the better is my philosophy.

[johanson]

Gosh: I have used my name plus my picture for more years than I can remember. Yes I use strong passwords, and often change them, and haven't had any major problems; knock on wood.. Sure on Facebook I don't share too much, but I had to enter and choose the more private options.

Dad died in 1981 and mom in year 2000. I kid you not, they both have Facebook accounts too. Trouble is, they won't answer my "Friend" requests.

Of course they don't have Skype accounts.