First of all, user profiles display the user's birth date by default. I had to go in and hide it after I had registered, and a lot of people haven't done this. That's a pretty big piece of information.
That's a good point about profiles containing other contact information, because that hadn't even crossed my mind. All the easier for minors to potentially get in contact with someone and meet up with them without ever registering for the site. It's true that you can remain anonymous if you want - although you have to be proactive about the birth date thing - but there's just so much potential for some major legal issues with the way things are now. I would personally feel better about posting in general if guests couldn't see profiles or most of the boards, but I know I don't speak for everyone. I really think it should be looked into though.
That's a good point about profiles containing other contact information, because that hadn't even crossed my mind. All the easier for minors to potentially get in contact with someone and meet up with them without ever registering for the site. It's true that you can remain anonymous if you want - although you have to be proactive about the birth date thing - but there's just so much potential for some major legal issues with the way things are now. I would personally feel better about posting in general if guests couldn't see profiles or most of the boards, but I know I don't speak for everyone. I really think it should be looked into though.