Privacy Policy

[poppy]

It has come to my attention that it is possible on vBulletin to have a plug-in which allows admins to read PM's.
Could we have the privacy policy of this forum stated please.

[Sedgewick]

It has come to my attention that it is possible on vBulletin to have a plug-in which allows admins to read PM\'s.
Could we have the privacy policy of this forum stated please.admins can read pms? how so??? shurely private means that! wheres vbulletin anyway as it sounds all wrong. why wood anyone want to read other peoples secret messages? i think you need to say your sources. [[[[yes, i have been drinking. whoops ]]]]

[Sedgewick]

admins can read pms? how so??? shurely private means that! wheres vbulletin anyway as it sounds all wrong. why wood anyone want to read other peoples secret messages? i think you need to say your sources. [[[[yes, i have been drinking. whoops ]]]] O God. Soz for spelling..

[pontalba]

I would be most interested to read that policy as well, the idea of private messages being so readily available is rather amazing to me.

[~V~]

Surely this can't be news to anyone?


The owners of a site have legal obligations and must be able to access everything if the need arises. For instance, a young female member says that an older member has been sending suggestive PMs to her. This is a legal matter and the proof should be available. What if the young girl is no longer around?

Who else but the admin of the site can produce said evidence?

Obviously I've used the most extreme example, but you all can see the drift

[Michelle]

I've always put off writing a 'privacy policy' as they look very legal, and very scary - to do it right, I wouldn't really know where to start!

However poppy, that's not your real concern, I know. As ~V~ has said, all admins can access PMs, and this is possible because they reside in the database, along with everything else written on the forum. There is a plug-in available, but this simply makes it simpler to find a particular piece of information, should that necessity arise.

Sedgewick, vBulletin is the name of the software that runs this forum.

[poppy]

Thank you for your honesty Michelle, a lot of people would have tried to skirt around it. I realise now that it is a feature of vBulletin and not something peculiar to the BCF.

[Michelle]

An admin can access the database within any type of forum software, and I'm sure that most have a plug in to make it simpler.

No matter what a privacy policy may say, in all honesty, you have no way of knowing what an admin is doing. My advice to anyone, on any forum, is that if you want to send something that is very personal, use email. Alternatively, delete the PM when sent/read.

I will try to get together a privacy policy.

[Sedgewick]

Apologies for my state last night. Rest assured the night itself was a good one. An admin can access the database within any type of forum software, and I\'m sure that most have a plug in to make it simpler. As an admin on a geeky code forum (I know, I know) we don\'t have any method of reading our members\' messages. Wouldn\'t want to, anyway. Their business, even on our server, is their own. I will try to get together a privacy policy. Probably for the best. I\'ve not sent any messages being new and not knowing people yet but I wouldn\'t like to think people were sitting in a high tower discussing stuff I might want to share with people I meet here that is not for others\' eyes. For example, taking it to emai is fair enough, but when messages are the only avenue for talking privately with others, that can\'t be done.

[Sedgewick]

And talking of being a geeky coder, it seems you have some problem as my post got loads of backslashes inserted into it.

[Michelle]

As yours is the only post with backslashes in, maybe the problem is not with the server.

If your forum has a database, then someone has access to the PMs within it.

[Sedgewick]

As yours is the only post with backslashes in, maybe the problem is not with the server.

If your forum has a database, then someone has access to the PMs within it.

Yes, someone does have access to the server. Me. But I would never dream of such spying. Although I know the idea of what goes on, people trying to contract other coders to do stuf for them.

[prospero]

What if I delete a PM I've sent, but the person who received it saves their version? Would it still be available to admin then?

Not that I'm bothered too much; I use email for the really private stuff, or phone calls.

[Michelle]

erm.. yes, I would imagine it would still be in the database.

[prospero]

I better keep my plans for a military coup of this forum secret then.

Oh, wait-

[~V~]

What if I delete a PM I've sent, but the person who received it saves their version? Would it still be available to admin then?

Not that I'm bothered too much; I use email for the really private stuff, or phone calls.

I doubt if it'd vanish if you both deleted it. The database would still hold it as there's been a transaction.

Or maybe not :lol:

[prospero]

Thee are be mostly scaring me!

[Michelle]

~V~ as far as I know, when something like that is deleted, it's gone. But then I could be wrong... (I often am!)

[Esiotrot]

I am a member on a couple of Forums and I have always assumed PM's could be accessed by Administrators if necessary.

I am pretty sure no one is interested in reading each and every PM - they probably arent accessed at all unless there is a problem reported. I cant think of anything I have PM'ed that would be of any interest to anyone else or that I would be embarrassed about. My contact details such as my address/ phone number are the only thing I wouldnt be to happy about being on the open forum.

If your PM contains something you wouldnt want to be read by anyone else - Email it - simple as that.
Kx

[O's]

All forums can do this, its nothing new.

I trust Michelle and her mods enough not to worry about someone reading my Pm's. Don't post anything sensitive on the internet via pm or email.


Really people, its not a big deal.

[prospero]

*ahem*

I bet Le Masked Cucumber can mind-read anyway, so there's no privacy when he's about!

[Purple Poppy]

It is a big deal if you end up on a forum as Kell and I did last year (my fault) where the admins were less than scruluplous. We had both begun to have our doubts, but one day I posted some feedback on a piece written by the owner of the site. It looks like the rating I gave her came up as a 1, which we think is because of my shaky fingers...but the feedback was ok. I had intended giving her a three. She went balistic, mailed me full of rage about how I dared to give her a 1 rating, called me a liar, etc etc. I sent a pm to kell explaining what was happening and saying I couldn't believe it...next thing I'm suspended because I'd incited another forum member to leave the forum (which I hadn't). So that meant that she had gone in and read my pm. I was livid. I let her stew for a bit then both Kell and I left. I think we both wrote about it on here somewhere at the time.
Also, reading a lot of computer stuff, they always tell you not to put anything sensitive on the internet, cos once it's on, it never goes...it can never be 100% deleted because of search engines. I know they shouldn't have access to PM,s but you just can't be sure! When I've surfed, I've come across loads to our threads...doubtless someone somewhere will be reading this via a route other than logging in here (or visiting here) within five mins of the search engines tracking it.
Happy surfing!:)
Pp

[O's]

Forums are not private, no matter what anyone says. The mods do not read our PM's as they have far more interesting things to do. There are some forums that are less than honest - this forum is not one of them.

[Purple Poppy]

I think we realise that O's, but unfortunately not all forums are run as well or as honestly as this one. People should be aware of the dangers and not become lax about security.
Pp

[Michelle]

Just so that everyone is clear about search engines etc.. anything on the forum that a 'guest' could read will end up picked up by a search engine. They cannot, however, access the sections for registered members only. Neither can access PMs, which are in a database, which will be password protected and secure.

[FishAndChips]

No one ever sends me any juicy PMs anyway :weeping: :lol:

[Purple Poppy]

What sort of juiciness would you like F&C?
Strawberries, oranges, peachy? Just say the word...;)

[muggle not]

What sort of juiciness would you like F&C?
Strawberries, oranges, peachy? Just say the word...;)
They all sound pretty good to me.

[Purple Poppy]

Sauce too eh Muggles?;)

I think we are going a bit off topic here!

[FishAndChips]

All sound scrummy PP :lol:

Ahem, sorry back to topic ...

[Laramie]

I don't think I can read the PMs on my forum. I don't know how to, at least.

I've no particular problem with people reading my PMs, as I'd never tell a stranger something I didn't mind the whole world knowing, and if I wanted to tell someone I knew who was also on here then I'd tell them by email or something. However, I do think you should be told if the mods can.

[lovesreading06]

As someone else mention it proplary if someone said something about a person and then there could look in to it.

Thanks Michelle for letting us know spammers can't read them. That the only people i not keen on them reading pm.

[Laramie]

surely, though, if someone was being abusive in any way you could just forward the PM?

[~V~]

surely, though, if someone was being abusive in any way you could just forward the PM?

Yes, but what if you were being groomed by another member thinking they were also a young girl? You meet up with them and vanish.

The police would need to see what Internet history you had. If you'd deleted the messages yourself from your account, the best way for them to access them would be from the Forum Administrator, along with the IP address of who sent them.

Now does it make sense for Forum Admins to act responsibly and know how to access PMs even if they don't actually do it?