Unfortunately posters don't seem to realise how easy it would be for a lurker to join up the dots (as another poster put it).
Over time a bit of info or a photo on one of the friendly threads, added at a later date to a scraps of info spotted on another regular threads, followed by a quick Google.
Posters often mention that they are away on holiday or visiting relatives.
I have posted before, when my father passed away, I was amazed how easy it was to find people that l wished to inform of my father's death and the date of the funeral service etc.
I used Google, company house and local authority sites e.g. planning dept (as I recalled a chance remark about a home extension).
A couple of hours and I had located (inc.addresses) and made contact with all three people that I had been looking for!