privacy settings failure

[harriettekd]

this isn't really intermittent, i'm getting several a day!

also i'm not on windows - but regardless, i've checked and double checked all my security settings and nothing's made any difference.

i think it's pretty ridiculous of skype to offer security/privacy settings at all when they clearly mean nothing

[TheUberOverLord]

Please do this: Right click the Skype Icon in the system tray and change your online status to "Offline" for 5 seconds and then back to "Online. Then go to your privacy settings and click the "Save" button.

Note: You will only need to do this once.

[soldiersgirl]

I have had THIS VERY ISSUE, ever since I first signed up with Skype, two or three YEARS ago!  *frustrated*.  I have checked and double checked my privacy settings every time I log in, which because of this, isn't very often.  I mainly use this service to skype with my husband while he's overseas.  BUT, I can't ever KNOW for sure that my children, 11 and 6 years old, won't also see a lewed pop up request from some creep.  I have done all the version updates, as they come in.  I log in and log out when I'm done using the service, and double check my settings as soon as I log in.  I did  your one suggestion of loging out for 5 seconds, then loging back in and resetting my settings, even though they didn't change and never do... but, there IS NOT a 'SAVE' button to click on even if I had changed the settings.  Any other suggestions?  And I agree with the other user (sorry I don't remember the name) who said why does Skype even bother to have "security settings" if they're NOT WORKING!  I wouldn't care about the random suggestive requests, it's not a big deal to just block and ignore them, though it gets very old, very quickly.  But for the sake of my kids, why can't Skype help those of us who don't want to be exposed to such things?  Not all parents raise their kids with out care of what their innocent eyes see.  

[Jeromeister]

It worked for me - thanks!

[milind_ghana]

This apparently worked. Let's hope it stays that way.

[harriettekd]

theuberoverlord has now suggested this "fix" to me multiple times and it never works.  mr overlord, you might want to think about not making futile suggestions so often. this is the online equivalent of banging your head on a brick wall. 

needless to say the privacy thing still isn't fixed. skype, i am extremely pissed off about this. PLEASE sort it out.

[heinzgasser]

I wonder why all these message exchanges were in August only. What did I miss. With reference to this problem, the only question that has not come up is how people get our e-mail address. Because this is the only way thay can contact us on Skype, no?

[harriettekd]

i believe skype has settings that can show you as online to people other than those on your contact list, without necessarily giving them your email address.

in theory by setting your privacy to "contacts only", people who you haven't already legitimately added to your contact list should not be able to see you, or contact you. BUT THEY CAN! STILL!

this has been going on months and skype seem completely oblivious. there is a link in the privacy settings box that says they value our privacy - well that's clearly a lie. if they did they would act as such and not allow spammers to override our security settings. they would implement security security settings that ACTUALLY WORK.

i really really want to get rid of skype altogether because of this, but too many people i know use it and it's too convenient. i've got to find a better way of protesting about it than posting here too, it's pointless - no one of any use within skype reads it, so it's useless.

[VooDooDoll]

---

harriettekd wrote:
i believe skype has settings that can show you as online to people other than those on your contact list, without necessarily giving them your email address.

---

I believe there's none. unless you activate the option to show your online status on the web (related to the Skype buttons feature), which is disabled by default.

---

harriettekd wrote:
...in theory by setting your privacy to "contacts only", people who you haven't already legitimately added to your contact list should not be able to see you, or contact you. BUT THEY CAN! STILL!

---

regardless of your privacy settings, non-contacts will not be able to see your online status.  the gray icon with a question mark will appear to them regardless of the status you selected (online, away, dnd, offline, invisible).  

Yet, if you indeed choose contacts only in your privacy settings, non-contacts will not be able or should not be able to call you and send you instant messages.  but there are indeed some possible issue with the privacy settings affecting a number of users (but not all).

the procedure mentioned by Theuberoverload (forgive me that is how I like to call him) has fixed this privacy settings issue in numerous cases.  but there are indeed feedback that it doen't resolve the issue in some isolated cases.  perhaps you can try other variations of that procedures as what other users did - you can use the Search function of this forum to find more specific instructions or other suggestions that may help fix this issue.

[harriettekd]

the first time i came here about this problem i found a few other fix suggestions and tried every single one of them with no success. then theuberoverlord decided to offer me his "fix" multiple times despite it not working.

i have everything set to "contacts only" and yet i am still receiving a ton of IMs from people i've never met before who all use the same stupid line about how i look interesting. i even tweeted skype about it and, surprise surprise, they never bothered to respond.

it still really bothers me that skype claim to care about security and privacy and yet can't get something like this sorted out. i think i might just give up and stop using skype, there has to be a better way.