Questions
Beyond the threads in the Mod Discussion forum, what specific information was viewable to members? Infraction records? Names and email addresses? IP addresses?
I see a lot of blaming of members who took advantage of it (which is fine) but what about the forum leaders taking some responsibility for how this happened? If they have allowed members' private data to be viewed, where is an apology?
Forum Issues Generally & Considerations for Anand
Forum drama and distrust has been on the rise for a while now and it's reaching alarming levels now. Regardless of specific allegations regarding reading PMs, there are clearly respectable members (including former mods) who's complaints can't simply be brushed aside. It seems like these kind of tech forums are becoming less and less popular as computers are increasingly commoditized. Yet the "social" subforums are big draws and they require a certain amount of trust and respect for the mods to stay active. If one doesn't want to see a mass exodus, some of these concerns have to be addressed.
I'm pleasantly surprised that the mods are even allowing some of this discussion to happen, because generally there is no way for forum members to voice their concerns about moderation. This event aside, the Mod Discussions forum is basically a black-hole where members can be ignored or where mods can apply different standards to different people without even having to appear consistent.
I hope the forum leadership uses this thread to really listen to the members and ideally to make some changes...