Are Private Messages Really Private??? - Page 2

Heli · 28 Feb 2004, 17:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyK

I presume the "need" would be based on a specific complaint of abuse or harassment, but agin only R has the real answer and I wouldn't dream of putting words right into his mouth

Yes you would Andy

heat · 28 Feb 2004, 17:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heat

Also, if you DO read a private PM, do you tell the person that you have seen it? And waht happens if you see something you don't like? Do you act on it?

Yes and yes.

But wouldn't you have had to read the PM before deciding you don't like it? Otherwise, you would'nt know about it, right?

And surely, by reading someones private PM you are leaving yourself wide open to finding something you don't really wanna read - surely that's the whole point of PM's - to say something to someone in private that you don't wish to say on the public forums - and if that's the case, how can you act on it if you weren't really meant to see it in the first place? Wouldn't that be just like evesdropping on a private conversation, then being pissed off because you heard something that you didn't like? How can you then justify acting upon it?

original sin · 28 Feb 2004, 17:43

As this appears to be a question and answer session I'm here with my figures crossed that asking a question on the forum in this instance is not in breach of the global rules recently set

And the recent posts have raised a question in my mind.

Quote:

If fanclub management tells me so.

To me there seems to be a missing link here. Haveing been the victim of abusive PM's here I can see a need to have safety net. Howver surely this action would result from a complain being made by a member receiving a PM that has given them cause for concern or has felt that a line has been crossed in what is being written to them.

I can quite understand that if someone recieved a PM that caused such concern they should bring it to the site management and an agreement be made to take whatever steps necessary to confirm what has happened.
Anything other than this would just be a conversation between two people, neither having issue with that discussion. right?

R. · 28 Feb 2004, 18:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by heat

But wouldn't you have had to read the PM before deciding you don't like it? Otherwise, you would'nt know about it, right?

Depends, I'd say. At least my PMs have a subject line that sums up the contents.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heat

And surely, by reading someones private PM you are leaving yourself wide open to finding something you don't really wanna read - surely that's the whole point of PM's - to say something to someone in private that you don't wish to say on the public forums - and if that's the case, how can you act on it if you weren't really meant to see it in the first place? Wouldn't that be just like evesdropping on a private conversation, then being pissed off because you heard something that you didn't like? How can you then justify acting upon it?

I don't see why I would need any justification.
Why don't you simply ask the question you really want to ask?

heat · 28 Feb 2004, 18:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.

Why don't you simply ask the question you really want to ask?

Fair enough. Have you or your admin bods ever read my Private Messages?

R. · 28 Feb 2004, 19:02

Honestly - I have never read any of your private messages, except those you have sent to me.

heat · 28 Feb 2004, 19:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.

Honestly - I have never read any of your private messages, except those you have sent to me.

Guess i'll just hafta take your word for that, won't i?

I'd like to think that you would respect my privacy, and the privacy of other forum users, but i'm left feeling sightly uneasy at the thought that you could pick and choose what PM's you read. Should i use PM's in the future,i think i'll definately have to exercise a little thought and control over what i say in them...just in case....

R. · 28 Feb 2004, 19:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by heat

Guess i'll just hafta take your word for that, won't i?

Yes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heat

I'd like to think that you would respect my privacy, and the privacy of other forum users, but i'm left feeling sightly uneasy at the thought that you could pick and choose what PM's you read. Should i use PM's in the future,i think i'll definately have to exercise a little thought and control over what i say in them...just in case....

As I have said before, everything stored somewhere remotely could possibly be seen by someone who has access to that storage unit.
Our site isn't an exeption here. Posting PMs and deleting them after delivery sounds like a good policy to me.

mariella · 28 Feb 2004, 19:30

I am 'learning all the time'...interesting...Thank You!

xxx

Mariella

ROSIE · 28 Feb 2004, 19:32

Off to do some deleting

R

sie

mariella · 28 Feb 2004, 19:35

...me too

dottie · 28 Feb 2004, 20:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROSIE

s..t I hope so

R

sie

Nor me!

dottie · 28 Feb 2004, 20:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROSIE

Yes dear they did but inthe interests of public order they were never posted

R

sie

I took some

didn't I Rosie, and you of me

the terrible twins, I digress sorry

ROSIE · 28 Feb 2004, 20:58

Destroy them now

Do you take bribes

of course you do how much

R

sie

jcmoorehead · 28 Feb 2004, 22:17

He can view PMs if he wanted too but depending on how he uses the database i.e if its SQL and the appropriate softwares on the server then its fairly simple to view them, if not then its a complicated process. Either way its time consuming and not worth the effort unless it is serious.

Dave · 29 Feb 2004, 19:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.

The forum software however, has no admin interface for private messages. You can check this at phpbb.com or just ask some forum members who are running a phpbb themselves.

I will back R on this. I am now running PHPBBS on my site, and it took damned near three days to get a shoutbox running. I know I have much better things to do with my time than to flip back and forth between the admin panel and my domain cpanel to "spy" on what the users of my forums are doing. It would take quite a bit of working to accomplish this task.

original sin · 29 Feb 2004, 20:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by David M. Driskell

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.

The forum software however, has no admin interface for private messages. You can check this at phpbb.com or just ask some forum members who are running a phpbb themselves.

I will back R on this. I am now running PHPBBS on my site, and it took damned near three days to get a shoutbox running. I know I have much better things to do with my time than to flip back and forth between the admin panel and my domain cpanel to "spy" on what the users of my forums are doing. It would take quite a bit of working to accomplish this task.

didn't doubt the content for a moment - and would expect it to be used, as I said earlier, only if there was a specific complaint from someone who had received questionable PM's.

heat · 29 Feb 2004, 20:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by David M. Driskell

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.

The forum software however, has no admin interface for private messages. You can check this at phpbb.com or just ask some forum members who are running a phpbb themselves.

I will back R on this. I am now running PHPBBS on my site, and it took damned near three days to get a shoutbox running. I know I have much better things to do with my time than to flip back and forth between the admin panel and my domain cpanel to "spy" on what the users of my forums are doing. It would take quite a bit of working to accomplish this task.

You used the word 'SPY'. Not me.

And it seems that there are people willing to put in the time and legwork to read what people are writing in thier private messages. So much for privacy...

Deb · 29 Feb 2004, 20:07

Like who? i'm confused yet again lol

Dave · 29 Feb 2004, 20:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by heat

You used the word 'SPY'. Not me.

I was the one who was not inhibited to use the word, this is correct.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heat

And it seems that there are people willing to put in the time and legwork to read what people are writing in thier private messages. So much for privacy...

My job is about 45% privacy security - there is NOTHING private on the Internet. Anyone can find out anything about anyone. If someone wants to know something, they can find it out.

It goes back to the old saying, "if you are afraid of some one seeing something, maybe you should not put it on paper."

heat · 29 Feb 2004, 20:32

David - I understand that in this day and age anyone can find out anythign about anyone, should they go looking, but in my opinion, if something is advertised as private, as Private Messages are, and does not involve any complaint by either author or recipient, then there is absolutely no need to be watching what you're writing.

Unless of course you wish to live in '1984'.

I know i'm not the only one that isn't keen on the idea that my Private Messages could well be read - no one, don't care who you are, likes the idea that their privacy has been invaded. I think at the end of the day it all boils down to trust.

*AndyK* · 29 Feb 2004, 20:38

Trust is the key word here heat,

you trust the post office when you post a letter to not open it

you trust your bank to look after your money (or in my case overdraft)

you trust the staff your ISP not to rewad your personal emails before you download them

I think R made it pretty clear that he won't read PMs unless he has a valid reason to.

Is there a specific reason behind this continuous questioning on this issue?

Dave · 29 Feb 2004, 20:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyK

Is there a specific reason behind this continuous questioning on this issue?

I would say it would be a case of paranoia, or a case of control issues. Either way, I think maybe Meat Loaf has a good philosophy with regard to this, if you don't like it, go away. I fully trust R with safty and security issues more than just about anyone on the Internet - I would not want anyone else in charge. Don't let them Tear You Down R! We know you are only doing what is good, right, and in the best interest of everyone inolved.

As for the 1984 statement, sorry but we do live in 1984, like it or not. Did you know there was a short lived UN regulation that required all cell phone calls placed anywhere in the world to be recorded and stored? There was such an outcry about this that this policy only had about a nine day life. Big Brother is watching you - accept and move on.

original sin · 29 Feb 2004, 21:03

Quote:

As for the 1984 statement, sorry but we do live in 1984, like it or not. Did you know there was a short lived UN regulation that required all cell phone calls placed anywhere in the world to be recorded and stored? There was such an outcry about this that this policy only had about a nine day life. Big Brother is watching you - accept and move on.

As they say every point coin has two sides and funny now that the UN are jumping up and down at the possiblitity that they have been bugged.

But this is slightly off track - Heat asked a question - R has replied - others have passed comment. That Heat or anyone else should then pass comment on what others are saying is that so unreasonable?

I said earlier I can see there might be a need for such action in the case of abusive, threatening or anything that feels one party feeling uncomfortable, I would hope that every assistance would be offered in such circumstances. [/quote]

*AndyK* · 29 Feb 2004, 21:08

No Sin, it's not unreasonable, it may just be me and the day I've had at work that's causing me to read more into the messages than are really there...... (trust me the people I deal with at work regarding security breaches are people you really don't want to get on the wrong side of

)

ANdy

28 Feb 2004, 19:02	#31
R. You dig. Join Date: 02.04.2002 Location: On the fothermucker Posts: 7,179	Honestly - I have never read any of your private messages, except those you have sent to me.

28 Feb 2004, 19:30	#34
mariella Mega Loafer Join Date: 04.02.2003 Location: Holland Posts: 4,063	I am 'learning all the time'...interesting...Thank You! xxx Mariella

28 Feb 2004, 19:32	#35
ROSIE Invisible again! Join Date: 30.06.2003 Location: Suffolk Posts: 1,240	Off to do some deleting R sie

28 Feb 2004, 19:35	#36
mariella Mega Loafer Join Date: 04.02.2003 Location: Holland Posts: 4,063	...me too

28 Feb 2004, 20:58	#39
ROSIE Invisible again! Join Date: 30.06.2003 Location: Suffolk Posts: 1,240	Destroy them now Do you take bribes of course you do how much R sie

28 Feb 2004, 22:17	#40
jcmoorehead Super Loafer Join Date: 09.04.2003 Location: Edinburgh, formerly Teesside Posts: 672	He can view PMs if he wanted too but depending on how he uses the database i.e if its SQL and the appropriate softwares on the server then its fairly simple to view them, if not then its a complicated process. Either way its time consuming and not worth the effort unless it is serious.

29 Feb 2004, 20:07	#44
Deb Mega Loafer Join Date: 26.04.2003 Location: Did I say that?... Posts: 4,162	Like who? i'm confused yet again lol

29 Feb 2004, 20:32	#46
heat Rampant Loafer... Join Date: 29.07.2002 Location: welshy wales Posts: 5,706	David - I understand that in this day and age anyone can find out anythign about anyone, should they go looking, but in my opinion, if something is advertised as private, as Private Messages are, and does not involve any complaint by either author or recipient, then there is absolutely no need to be watching what you're writing. Unless of course you wish to live in '1984'. I know i'm not the only one that isn't keen on the idea that my Private Messages could well be read - no one, don't care who you are, likes the idea that their privacy has been invaded. I think at the end of the day it all boils down to trust.

29 Feb 2004, 20:38	#47
AndyK Relentless Join Date: 21.11.2003 Location: Over the top..... seeing what's on the other side Posts: 18,694	Trust is the key word here heat, you trust the post office when you post a letter to not open it you trust your bank to look after your money (or in my case overdraft) you trust the staff your ISP not to rewad your personal emails before you download them I think R made it pretty clear that he won't read PMs unless he has a valid reason to. Is there a specific reason behind this continuous questioning on this issue?

29 Feb 2004, 21:08	#50
AndyK Relentless Join Date: 21.11.2003 Location: Over the top..... seeing what's on the other side Posts: 18,694	No Sin, it's not unreasonable, it may just be me and the day I've had at work that's causing me to read more into the messages than are really there...... (trust me the people I deal with at work regarding security breaches are people you really don't want to get on the wrong side of ) ANdy