Anyone elses private topics just disappear? Yes. The category is gone. AnandTech Moderator

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
I guess private does not mean private.

Threads should have been deleted on a case by case basis. As long as the content of the thread was not known by a moderator there would be no liability, but then again they are the owners and we are the users so they make the rules and we can either abide by it or post elsewhere.

Whether they know what's being posted or not, they're liable for it. It is their job to know and moderate the forums. If they don't, they are at fault because they are not doing their job. They are supposed to do their job, and that includes MODERATING, not ignoring.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt

Originally posted by: Nitemare
I guess private does not mean private.

Threads should have been deleted on a case by case basis. As long as the content of the thread was not known by a moderator there would be no liability, but then again they are the owners and we are the users so they make the rules and we can either abide by it or post elsewhere.

Whether they know what's being posted or not, they're liable for it. It is their job to know and moderate the forums. If they don't, they are at fault because they are not doing their job. They are supposed to do their job, and that includes MODERATING, not ignoring.

So, Microsoft would be liable if someone sent porn or warez links via hotmail?

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt

Originally posted by: Nitemare
I guess private does not mean private.

Threads should have been deleted on a case by case basis. As long as the content of the thread was not known by a moderator there would be no liability, but then again they are the owners and we are the users so they make the rules and we can either abide by it or post elsewhere.

Whether they know what's being posted or not, they're liable for it. It is their job to know and moderate the forums. If they don't, they are at fault because they are not doing their job. They are supposed to do their job, and that includes MODERATING, not ignoring.

Here is a legal lesson for you. If you moderate and control content you become a "publisher" of that content and are liable for it. If you do not, you are not liable for the content because you are providing a forum where people post their own content. This is a very fine line.

Anandtech has choosen to go the route of a "publisher" of all the content in these forums and is liable for the content because of that, but if they chose not to heavily moderate like they do now they would not be. Only by restricting and regulating content do the courts see you as a publisher, otherwise you are held under the same rules as ISP's and telephone companies who are not liable for the information that passes using their equipment.

It's Anand's choice but he made the wrong one, by regulating the content as heavily as he has he IS very liable for everything posted on here. He could be sued as a publisher if anyone did something like post a trade secret that he wasn't even aware of. Very very dangerous decision in our heavily lawyered country.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt

Originally posted by: Nitemare
I guess private does not mean private.

Threads should have been deleted on a case by case basis. As long as the content of the thread was not known by a moderator there would be no liability, but then again they are the owners and we are the users so they make the rules and we can either abide by it or post elsewhere.

Whether they know what's being posted or not, they're liable for it. It is their job to know and moderate the forums. If they don't, they are at fault because they are not doing their job. They are supposed to do their job, and that includes MODERATING, not ignoring.

Here is a legal lesson for you. If you moderate and control content you become a "publisher" of that content and are liable for it. If you do not, you are not liable for the content because you are providing a forum where people post their own content. This is a very fine line.

Anandtech has choosen to go the route of a "publisher" of all the content in these forums and is liable for the content because of that, but if they chose not to heavily moderate like they do now they would not be. Only by restricting and regulating content do the courts see you as a publisher, otherwise you are held under the same rules as ISP's and telephone companies who are not liable for the information that passes using their equipment.

It's Anand's choice but he made the wrong one, by regulating the content as heavily as he has he IS very liable for everything posted on here. He could be sued as a publisher if anyone did something like post a trade secret that he wasn't even aware of. Very very dangerous decision in our heavily lawyered country.

Ah, cool. Thanks for the info. But I still don't see why they dumped the private forums instead of moderating them. Why don't they just dump OT instead of moderating it?

 

[pulse8]

But I still don't see why they dumped the private forums instead of moderating them.

That completely defeats the purpose of having a private topic.

It'd be like if they read every private message that was sent on the board for content that's against the rules.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: pulse8

But I still don't see why they dumped the private forums instead of moderating them.

That completely defeats the purpose of having a private topic.

It'd be like if they read every private message that was sent on the board for content that's against the rules.

And there's something wrong with that?? The idea of Private topics is to let only those selected members into threads. The moderators have a higher status than members and have the right to look at whatever they please on the forums.

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt

Originally posted by: pulse8

But I still don't see why they dumped the private forums instead of moderating them.

That completely defeats the purpose of having a private topic.

It'd be like if they read every private message that was sent on the board for content that's against the rules.

And there's something wrong with that?? The idea of Private topics is to let only those selected members into threads. The moderators have a higher status than members and have the right to look at whatever they please on the forums.

The only thing wrong with it is that to have a forum of PRIVATE topics moderated just like the rest of the forums defeats the purpose of having PRIVATE topics. Even private messages aren't really private, but they are much more private than what you're proposing because they aren't moderated on a regular basis.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Originally posted by: pulse8

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt

Originally posted by: pulse8

But I still don't see why they dumped the private forums instead of moderating them.

That completely defeats the purpose of having a private topic.

It'd be like if they read every private message that was sent on the board for content that's against the rules.

And there's something wrong with that?? The idea of Private topics is to let only those selected members into threads. The moderators have a higher status than members and have the right to look at whatever they please on the forums.

The only thing wrong with it is that to have a forum of PRIVATE topics moderated just like the rest of the forums defeats the purpose of having PRIVATE topics. Even private messages aren't really private, but they are much more private than what you're proposing because they aren't moderated on a regular basis.

So do you think people should be allowed to use drugs and practice child abuse in the PRIVACY of their own houses, or do you think that the cops should intervene as they are still living in a country with rules?
All the messages reside on the AnandTech servers, so they can be sued for having warez links there. They can put the site full of disclaimers, but then this will just turn into a warez paradise, which will just get the Really Irritating Anal Attackers to target AT next.

 

[Webthug]

Originally posted by: shinerburke
France and Germany telling The USA what to do is like Potsie Weber and Ralph Malph telling Fonzie how to pick up chicks.

Population of counties won by Gore 127 million, won by Bush 143 million

Sq. miles of country won by Gore 580,000, won by Bush 2,427,000

States won by Gore 19, by Bush 29

Murder per 100,000 residents in counties won by Gore 13.2 by Bush 2.1

*Slightly off topic*
You know that most people in the US actually voted for Pamella Anderson because a bird in the hand is worth more than a Gore in the Bush.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: pulse8

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt

Originally posted by: pulse8

But I still don't see why they dumped the private forums instead of moderating them.

That completely defeats the purpose of having a private topic.

It'd be like if they read every private message that was sent on the board for content that's against the rules.

And there's something wrong with that?? The idea of Private topics is to let only those selected members into threads. The moderators have a higher status than members and have the right to look at whatever they please on the forums.

The only thing wrong with it is that to have a forum of PRIVATE topics moderated just like the rest of the forums defeats the purpose of having PRIVATE topics. Even private messages aren't really private, but they are much more private than what you're proposing because they aren't moderated on a regular basis.

Why call them private if mods read them? I think it is false and misleading, my definition of private excludes everyone except for the intended recipient. I could see it if one of the people in the interchange pointed it out to a mod, but not reading them without cause.

Personal message or personal forum is an acceptable label but by no means should they be labeled as private in this case

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: Skyclad1uhm1

Originally posted by: pulse8

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt

Originally posted by: pulse8

But I still don't see why they dumped the private forums instead of moderating them.

That completely defeats the purpose of having a private topic.

It'd be like if they read every private message that was sent on the board for content that's against the rules.

And there's something wrong with that?? The idea of Private topics is to let only those selected members into threads. The moderators have a higher status than members and have the right to look at whatever they please on the forums.

The only thing wrong with it is that to have a forum of PRIVATE topics moderated just like the rest of the forums defeats the purpose of having PRIVATE topics. Even private messages aren't really private, but they are much more private than what you're proposing because they aren't moderated on a regular basis.

So do you think people should be allowed to use drugs and practice child abuse in the PRIVACY of their own houses, or do you think that the cops should intervene as they are still living in a country with rules?
All the messages reside on the AnandTech servers, so they can be sued for having warez links there. They can put the site full of disclaimers, but then this will just turn into a warez paradise, which will just get the Really Irritating Anal Attackers to target AT next.

Are my post more complicated than they seem to me? All I'm saying is that if you have a forum that allows for private posts between members that have been granted access by the original poster and it's moderated just like every other forum, then it's no longer private. Why is this hard to understand?

I'm not saying that AT isn't liable, I'm not saying that illegal activity should continue if AT is held responsible and I'm certainly not comparing them to child abuse. I'm also not saying that private topics should've been allowed to just be a free-for-all and people can do whatever they want.

Even in this "country with rules" I'm allowed a certain of level of privacy that not even the government can touch unless I break their rules. AT doesn't want to run their community that way and it's their decision. I just think it's asinine to have a moderated private topics forum like others have asked for.