Thanks for the detailed reply!!

There is a whole Universe of control over things we can't even imagine, depending on the whims of political strife at any given time according to the CPC.

I guess many of us who live in constitutional states have no idea how it is to be part of such a controlled system. That is also why we're less concerned about the mentioned changes in the ToS, but well after reading your comments I understand that you're in a completely different situation.

My concern is the lack of clarity in what they hold on to and what personal data they can provide. IP addresses, perhaps? I'm not sure.

Well I guess when the CIA or FBI knocks on your door there is few information you're able to hold back...:-) Of course any mark you leave on the internet can be traced back to its original source. Especially in blockchain based environments where literally every move you make is stored forever, we need to be careful with the information we provide.

Again I understand your concerns due to the situation you live in, but in the end you won't be able to call someone to account for your own doings. I think it's even naive to believe that in decentralized environments you can do whatever you want.

Decentralization is not the same as lawlessness, and ignorance is no excuse. So if you sign up to Steemit.com and start publishing sensitive content, then it'd be rather childish to say: "Nobody told me I couldn't do illegal things here."

I just use STINC cause it's easier to write/remember. I had no idea it was a derogatory term? (Though I did pick it up from #price in steem.chat...)

Haha, the price chat.... Okay, then I'm not surprised you used it...:-D
It's definitely derogatory, so if you were not aware you may try to avoid it in the future...:-))

I'll go catch some waves now (offline)...! :-)