Just a passing thought really. I understand that there is regular chat reviews. Similarly, no PM, blog or anything is really private. Other people have access to it.
Given that, there is no information that members can share , emails, phone numbers, etc which really just is shared between the two intended people. Isn’t that wrong on some very basic level?
GS is a great community, I’ve made some great friends on here. It allows for us to get to know people on a more personal level, but it is slightly horrifying to note that information isnt private.
*PMs are vieweable by site admin......
*
private blogs can be accessed by CM's and admins......
No they are not. As per my understanding Azkar will have to waste hundreds of man hours to do that, noone has that time.
As for your second point a CM or an Admin can't go in a private blog unless its reported. In which case it would be need to be reported by a friend in your blog in which case choose your friends carefully.
Azkar and Muzna would be most familiar with all of the legal policies relating to privacy rights including those for PMs, but my understanding is that while the PMs are intended to remain private, the owners/administrators have the right/ability to access PMs in unusual circumstances. ALL content posted or sent through this site becomes the property of the GS.
So while the admins wholly respect the right to privancy of all members, if let's say there was a lawsuit that involved GS and the admins were required to produce the PMs, they could look into them. It can be reviewed by Admins (not mods or even CMs), but senior admins, but that's a rare occurrence.
^ This is the policy of most boards or social networking sites and isn't exclusive to GS. Rule of thumb, once information is in the public domain, it's no longer the sole property of the poster.
^ Nomi, what I posted above is my assumption, again Azkar or Muzna know best. So don't quote me on it.
The only reason I even posted it is that people forget, while GS is a social community, it does not belong to them. There are owners and adminsitrators who set the rules and they need to have tools available to properly administer this site, for the good of the whole.
Just a passing thought really. I understand that there is regular chat reviews. Similarly, no PM, blog or anything is really private. Other people have access to it.
Given that, there is no information that members can share , emails, phone numbers, etc which really just is shared between the two intended people. Isn't that wrong on some very basic level?
GS is a great community, I've made some great friends on here. It allows for us to get to know people on a more personal level, but it is slightly horrifying to note that information isnt private.
Demmy, there aren't any chat logs. Usually we rely on screenshots for moderation purposes.
Regarding PMs, it would take a very very bored site admin to access someone's PMs and I can tell you that all admins on this site are very busy professionals who have a life.
Blogs, you can have privacy settings. Mods cannot even see private blogs they aren't a part of. Channel managers and admins can see them on the main page but don't spy if they know they aren't a contact of that person. It's an honor system we take very seriously.
Similarly, no PM, blog or anything is really private. Other people have access to it.
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Yes I can see and read each and every PM of yours and do read it, so please behave and stop sending such emails to sharmeelay larkays of GS. Sharam karo.
Ok seriously, yours PMs are as secure as your emails when you use Gmail. Is that a good analogy?
Demmy, there aren't any chat logs. Usually we rely on screenshots for moderation purposes.
Regarding PMs, it would take a very very bored site admin to access someone's PMs and I can tell you that all admins on this site are very busy professionals who have a life.
Azkar as a webmaster is the only person having ability to access PMs. No one else has. So unless Azkar has so much time in hand to get into every active account every day and read all your PMs, I like to believe that they your privacy is pretty secure.
I only pointed out that while Admins/owners wouldn’t look at PMs - they have the technical ability to do so and they are within their legal rights to produce PMs during the course of litigation, if need be. I don’t like when people answer in absolutes and say something is never done, when it could technically be done under specific circumstances.
BTW, I was looking for GS’ Privacy Policy and I couldn’t locate it - do you have a copy of it posted on the website? I notice that there’s a dead link to the Paklinks Privacy on Guplog
On a more serious note Sherysh, trust is a choice. You think that us posting a policy would help members to beleive that their privacy is not invaded. I mean dont we see such feedback threads every 3 months or so. Granted that its almiost always a new person asking this so posting a plociy would help, but the fact that in such threads, senior members openly come and conforms the doubt of the poster tells me that on GS, there always be 2 kinds of people. Ones who believe that there is no privacy on GS, and the others who dont care.
Trust is great in theory, but who within our own offline lives do we trust absolutely? I would say most of us can count those people on one or two hands. I know you guys had quite the back and forth with CM and one of his suggestions that I fully endorse is publishing all rules and policies for all members to see. It's partly about trust and partly about creating an even playing field AND managing expectations of everyone - posters and administrators alike. I know GS is not an absolute democracy where everyone is equal - that's not possible when people are administering it - we all are fallible, and I'll name myself to the head of the group of imperfect people. But publication of rules and policies creates a transparency that encourages trust. I dunno, maybe because of what I do for a living, I'm big on rules and policies, but I just see that as a way of making GS stronger.
Oh, and you guys know I hold you guys in high regard. I know the amount of personal time each one of you (mods, CMs, admins) puts into this place and that for the most part it's a thankless job with little appreciation. I appreciate all you guys do to create this community for the rest of us - I just want it to thrive and be the best possible online space possible. I hope you see the feedback as constructive input rather than a personal attack, because criticizing for the sake of criticizing isn't my aim. I don't present my comments as criticism, but just little ways to make a great place even better.
