I'm mad

[Steve]

I just found out via another forum I post on that the owners of these forums have the ability to view/read member's PMs. That kind of wrecks the meaning of private IMO.

I talk on quite a few forums and on a few of them, I've had some very personal conversations with people that were for intended ears only.

Now I found out that chances are good that they were read by someone else.

Wow that really irks me.

 

[maleficent]

I left another forum because of that very issue... I am an admin on another forum, and I do have access to read PM's - I never have...

I am a busybody by nature and paranoid too - but if someone is talking about me behind my back (and of course, everyone sends PM's to trash me of course I really don't want to know about it.

I figure it's like corporate email - you've got no expectation or guarentee of privacy on a corporate email server -- the powers that be can read your email whenever they so choose, so a message board isn't really much different.

Do I think the admins here are reading our PM's - NO.. I don't think the admin has that kind of time on his hands... but - just don't write anything you wouldn't want somoene else to read.

 

[Steve]

Yea, I really wasn't to concerned here.

The admin here really isn't involved much. This was another board where the admin is very involved.

It blows my mind.

 

[Maestro1]

Since all forums have a database behind them, an admin would be able to access PMs no matter what forum software they are using (unless PMs are encrypted and stored. Maybe some forum software is built that way, not sure.). Some forum software has a built in interface to view them, others don't but could easily be acessed from the "back end". It's probably worth noting that one should never feel secure that PMs are not viewable on any public web forum.

 

[Steve]

Wish I had known that prior.

 

[Trevor M.]

Wish I had known that prior.

Hmm, I always suspected the admin could. Never knew for sure though, Well, being a person that enjoys my privacy. I do not like the idea one bit, And I think prior to any pm sent there should be some type of disclaimer letting us know this can happen. I remember reading the privacy policy to both this and T.F and it went on about how our POST are public and can be read. It stated NO where from what I recall about the ability of admins (hopefully not mods too) being able to read ones pm's(PRIVATE messages).

I am somewhat mad about this. I wouldn't have minded all that much had I known when I originally. but, without disclosing that information to us. I think is just wrong.

 

[Steve]

Wow T, you actually read the disclosure! Good on you man. I can't believe it didn't disclose this though, that makes me more mad.

 

[Trevor M.]

Wow T, you actually read the disclosure! Good on you man. I can't believe it didn't disclose this though, that makes me more mad.

I can't say for 100% sure it didn't. However, I'm fairly confidant I would have taken notice and thus remembered it stating so.

 

[maleficent]

hopefully not mods too

moderators cannot read private messages - why you trash talking me behind my back?

 

[Maestro1]

Taking this a step further, any web information pased via "http" is non-encrypted. What that means is the data is pure text sent across the world on various routers. If that info bounces across my router, I can read it all day long. It's just text packets being sent from your internet browser across the huge internet network to a web server. The server receives the message and responds back generating HTML to your internet browser. Every post you make on any site, every PM you ever send, every jot and tittle on any website can be read by someone, "somewhere". Unless you're on an encrypted site using "Https" (note the "s"). That's why it's important that you never enter account names, passwords, social security numbers, etc.. on any non-encrypted site. If you use a common username and password for your bank account and it's the same as a non-encrypted forum such as this, that info could be caught. A hacker could take that info and try various bank logins to see if they match.

I recommend you have one username and password for your bank data and other personal info and a seperate one for all your public forum logins. Because frankly, I don't care if someone were to hack my login on forums, but I definately care if they get into my bank and such.

Now keep in mind that there are uncountable amounts of data and text being passed across the internet constantly, so the chance of anybody snooping on your particular packet data is slim, but it can happen.

Hows that for making you paranoid

 

[Steve]

moderators cannot read private messages - why you trash talking me behind my back?

Certainly am.

 

[maleficent]

i figured you were... you're just like that not able to tell a person to their face what you think of them

I'm just gonna go cry now that my suspicions are confirmed

oh by the way, you might w ant to spell check your pm's - it's really annoying snooping on people and having to read the horrific spelling

 

[Steve]

Taking this a step further, any web information pased via "http" is non-encrypted. What that means is the data is pure text sent across the world on various routers. If that info bounces across my router, I can read it all day long. It's just text packets being sent from your internet browser across the huge internet network to a web server. The server receives the message and responds back generating HTML to your internet browser. Every post you make on any site, every PM you ever send, every jot and tittle on any website can be read by someone, "somewhere". Unless you're on an encrypted site using "Https" (note the "s"). That's why it's important that you never enter account names, passwords, social security numbers, etc.. on any non-encrypted site. If you use a common username and password for your bank account and it's the same as a non-encrypted forum such as this, that info could be caught. A hacker could take that info and try various bank logins to see if they match.

I recommend you have one username and password for your bank data and other personal info and a seperate one for all your public forum logins. Because frankly, I don't care if someone were to hack my login on forums, but I definately care if they get into my bank and such.

Now keep in mind that there are uncountable amounts of data and text being passed across the internet constantly, so the chance of anybody snooping on your particular packet data is slim, but it can happen.

Hows that for making you paranoid

Yea, I knew this to one extent...... but that takes a true hacker to get information.

I didn't realize that an administrator could just go right in and read our private discussions at will. That's a bit different IMO.

Oh well, should have known better.

 

[Steve]

i figured you were... you're just like that not able to tell a person to their face what you think of them

I'm just gonna go cry now that my suspicions are confirmed

oh by the way, you might w ant to spell check your pm's - it's really annoying snooping on people and having to read the horrific spelling

ahahahahaha.

Yes, I always beat around the bush.

And what I type is so stoopid that the spell checker doesn't even know how to fix it.

 

[maleficent]

I didn't realize that an administrator could just go right in and read our private discussions at will. That's a bit different IMO.

It's wrong and it ticked me off to no end when I found out the admin was doing it on another forum I was on... but your employer also has the right to go into your email and read anything they want to there... so I'm not sure it's really any different...

The employer rarely will make public that they screen email... but most of 'em do...

 

[Steve]

It's wrong and it ticked me off to no end when I found out the admin was doing it on another forum I was on... but your employer also has the right to go into your email and read anything they want to there... so I'm not sure it's really any different...

The employer rarely will make public that they screen email... but most of 'em do...

Yea, but they have a right. They're paying you to work, not email your friends.

I'm not so sure it's the same.... but regardless.... I'm glad I was alerted to it.

 

[sponge]

Nothing you do on the internet is completely private..., it's alarming actually how much can be found about you via the internet & you actions on the internet.

 

[Steve]

Can someone show me how to steal someone's identity via the web? Preferably a very *rich* somebody.
































Just kidding!

 

[Mike..]

 

[Feuer]

I've been on forums where admins could read PMs. I've got a screenshot of how the feature looks in vBulletin. It angered me when I discovered that an Admin did read my PM once. I even blocked all PMs and refused to use the feature anymore on that forum. There wasn't anything private in the PM that I wouldn't care if people knew... it was the very fact that it was a violation of my privacy. I am a very open person and if anyone wanted to know something, all they have to do is ask. I have never, nor would I ever read another individual's PMs. Not even if I thought they were talking behind my back. I think it shows poor character when an admin installs such a feature on a forum. In vBulletin, the read PM feature is not standard and an admin must install it.



Reading rep points is a standard feature. So, if anyone puts anything private and personal in rep, keep that in mind. ;-)

The read PM feature is quite sophisticated also. It gives you a list of all members who have PMs and how many they have. There is also a search feature where you can search all PMs for keywords.