Clearly, TOS is meaningless if it's acceptable for a poster to share my IP address and then label me as "suspicious" because my IP address is in New York City.The idea that I'm under suspicion because I have a friend in a different state is ludicrous, and you know that.
As for being "private," all I can say is that I posted about this on Reddit, and they are very strict about ensuring no one posts any information that could lead to doxing of any party involved. They were able to provide helpful guidance based upon the broad bulletpoints I gave, without publicly demanding sensitive information regarding the parties involved.
Naturally, I assumed that a dedicated law forum would follow similarly stringent standards. Instead, I have an asshole running a lookup of my IP address, posting my location, and treating it as a "gotcha" moment, as though it were impossible for me to have a friend located elsewhere in the country.
Certainly, the above behavior should be against TOS, if this site is to be taken seriously as a resource for legal information.
I've reported my own post to the mods twice now, because I'd like for it to be deleted, and only one poster has actually provided any meaningfully helpful information for me. So, if any mod is reading this: please delete this thread.
This isn't Reddit.
The person who posted your IP is a moderator/admin.
If you got so much help on Reddit why are you here?
Again - that "asshole" is an admin on the site so he has every right to look up your IP address.
When you go on PUBLIC forums, you get what you get. If you want legal advice, go talk to a lawyer or have your friend do it.