The "Not-So" Private Messaging System

This is something that I've seen quite often and, to be honest, I am not too fond of it.

Some administrators are now implementing plug-ins and/or using modifications in order to view the private messages sent and received by each and every member. Personally, I find this to be an invasion of privacy - administrators who allow themselves to "spy" on the private conversations of specific (or random) members are taking it a bit too far.

Your thoughts?

 

Despicable, deplorable, disgusting, and disingenuous thing to do.

That's my opinion.

 

I agree. Who are you to spy on what they have to say privately.

 

I agree. Some administrators have reasons to need to check Private Messages, and there are only some circumstances in which it would be acceptable - and that is when a user claims to be being harassed via PM. If the forum software didn't have a PM reporting feature (which vBulletin does) then I would somehow need to go in and read them.

Otherwise, it's totally unacceptable.

 

If people were being harassed via PMs couldn't they forward you the relevant PMs?


The only exception for me would be a court order if somehow the authorities were involved, extremely unlikely for my particular forums.

 

They could forward the PM, or they could totally forge it an make it look like it was forwarded. It's easy to abuse.

 

I believe that the Invision tables will store messages even if the user deletes them, you just need to delete each entry by yourself in phpMyAdmin.

I was actually testing it out last night on my site. On a test member of course! :lol:

 

I would never look at a private message unless it was reported for some reason. And I would never install a mod for that purpose, that has the potential for abuse also. On the rare occasions I have to read a PM, it's always through SQL query.

 

Excellent excellent excellent point. Did not consider that possibility. Thanks for the tip.

 

No problem.

 

It's called Private Messaging for a reason. An administrator who invades that kind of privacy should be hung! Kidding, but privacy is to be respected, in my opinion. I find it very low for a person to 'spy'.

 

I think under no circumstances you should read Private Messages that wasn't meant for you. If the user reports it then fine thats his decision to share it with you.

 

I'll only view private messages if a member claims to have been harassed or the like via PM, and even then, it'll be through the database and not any plugin interface. I have a clause in the "Your Privacy" section of the forum rules describing our policy:

 

None of the PM's on my forum are monitored (Unless reported)

But I do reserve the right to login to a users account and to read there PM's if I suspect foul play. But only I have the power to do that.

 

I've never understood why a site would need to have that modification installed. Most admins have access to the database and can easily go in and read the PMs there, if needed. I would think that if the modification to read PMs is sitting there so easily available in the admin cp, that it is open for abuse for the admins to just start reading anybodies PMs - not just looking for ones that are causing problems.

 

Prior to the report PM feature being implemented in 3.8(?), I'd look in the database if someone copy/pasted a PM to report it in order to confirm that the reporter didn't add/change anything.

Other than that I've only looked if I got notice that someone was spamming links to promote a competitor.

However since the report PM feature has been implemented I have had the need to look once.

I do think that the two areas outlined above are the only two reasons why an admin should ever be looking at private messages.

 

It sickens me knowing that there are some administrators out there that feel the need to browse through these messages in order to satisfy their curiosity - or in other words, for no valid reason.

 

I'd be furious if an admin ever read my private messages. Sure, it might be their site, but there's a reasonable expectation of privacy with those messages.

 

This is even illegal in some countrys. I think its illegal to read others Private Messages without they knowing it without reason here in sweden.

 

I've not tested the report PM feature in 3.8, does it send an exact copy of the PM somewhere and the reporting person cannot play games by editing the PM contents?