Can Admins Read PM's ?

[Dreddz]

I forget where I heard about this, but can they, cause thats wrong if they could.

[Yamaneko]

Yes, we COULD read PMs, but we don't unless a complaint is raised regarding harassment via PM. In other words, we only check member's PMs if permission is given beforehand.

This could've been PMed (!) to a staff member.

[ShunNakamura]

I forget where I heard about this, but can they, cause thats wrong if they could.

I would think it obvious that they could. The data for the PM has to be stored somewhere on thier server(or another I guess you could use another server that they had access to(not sure though, never played with forums), but regardless the data is there. And if it is there it can be read. Just like e-mail.

Bear in mind that doesn't mean they do read it or would want to.

[Old Manus]

Some PMs get mysteriously lost during travel

Bit like the Royal Mail really

[Del Murder]

It's not wrong. This is a privately owned site, and therefore all posts and pms made here are the property of Eyes on Final Fantasy. Don't worry though, no one's reading your pms.

[Raistlin]

It's not wrong. This is a privately owned site, and therefore all posts and pms made here are the property of Eyes on Final Fantasy.
Beat me to it, SD. :p

I remember in vB2 there was a "check members' PMs" part of the admin CP. Although that seems to be gone in vB3 (pre-3.5, anyway, as I still haven't bought that renewal-membership thingy for upgrading for tGA), though there's still definitely a way to do it. But for anyone at tGA: you can be sure I'm not reading your PMs, because I don't give a damn to figure out how to do it. :p

[edczxcvbnm]

Because they can read PMs I leave them hate mail in my PMs...just in case :D

[Psychotic]

What about if the PM has been deleted? Can you still read it then? As that'd be lot of PMs you people are keeping stored somewhere in the bowels of EoFF.

[Yamaneko]

I'm pretty sure it gets deleted from the DB.

[crono_logical]

We can see anything stored in the database using SQL queries if we really wanted to :D But yes, being able to and wanting to are completely different things :p

[Dreddz]

Well, dosent PM stand for Private Message, kinda loses the purpose of being called a PM. As its not.

[Yamaneko]

There's nothing we can do about it. Anything stored on the server or database is avaliable to those with the proper permission. We cannot just magically hide your PMs and yet still keep them on the database. The point here is that the admins do not look at your PMs without prior consent. If you cannot accept that then I suggest you stop using the PM service.

[Dreddz]

Its a game of trust now is it, Hmmmmm

[Shoeberto]

Maybe as part of a fundraiser we could start selling tin-foil hats.

[crono_logical]

Same with any computer and network access :p Do you trust your ISP enough to chat with people and send unencrypted emails, probably logging in with plain-text passwords? :D

[Raistlin]

I demand that "private messages" be changed to "not-so-private messages," since the current name is obviously a blatant lie.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

I've seen some IM conversations I'd rather not. Do you people honestly think we WANT to read your PMs? Seriously.

[crono_logical]

They're private as in toilet - someone can still barge in on you :p

[MecaKane]

I would! <img src="/xxx.gif"><img src="/xxx.gif"><img src="/xxx.gif"><img src="/xxx.gif">, no more cable TV bills for me if I had access to all that!

[Flying Mullet]

They're private as in toilet - someone can still barge in on you :p
And that doesn't stop Yams.

[rubah]

Change them to queries like on IRC.

Someone can overhear you if you're whispering in a quiet room, but are they?

You should only believe that if you're paranoid.

(Besides, they're too busy reading their own PMs to read anyone else's. I mean, RSL is totally covered, yams is too lazy, and munty is a robot and doesn't care about human affairs. That just leaves the others.)

[Dr Unne]

The people who own LiveJournal can read all your entries including private ones. Some pervert at AOL could be sitting there listening to your AIM conversations. Someone at Yahoo could be printing your emails and passing them out to co-workers for amusement.

Only if you use those services though. No one forces you to use them. Someone at the Post Office could be reading your mail too, after all. Someone could be hiding outside your window right now.

[Yamaneko]

The TV is watching me.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

I read Amanda's Private Messages one time, but she was cool. Pretty good reading, too.

[rubah]

The post office stole my livesaver. I haven't been pleased with them since.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

The Post Office Stole My Lifesaver haven't put out a decent album in twenty years.

[RSL]

I don't even know how to do SQL queries (and I don't think I have access to that anyway). So I myself cannot read your PMs, even if I wanted to.

Please just trust that we aren't reading your PMs. We certainly have better things to do with our time.

[Cruise Control]

Only if they are literate.

[Samuraid]

It's pretty simple...

Number of admins: 8
Number of admins who can execute SQL queries in the forums: 5
Number of admins who have abused this privledge to wrongfully invade privacy: 0

[Psychotic]

Who are the three who aren't trusted enough?

Obviously Samur Aid isn't one, or he wouldn't be gloating about it.

[RSL]

Myself, Kishi, and I'm not really sure who the third would be. Roogle perhaps?

[Samuraid]

Actually, I don't have adminCP permissions to run any queries. :p

Trust is not the right word for it. It's really need. And those who need to run queries rarely even do so as it is.

[Shlup]

Dreddz is clearly talking smack in his PMs. Cuff 'im!

[Raistlin]

Myself, Kishi, and I'm not really sure who the third would be. Roogle perhaps?
That was my guess, too. Both wrong on the last one. Guess the "full" admins know better than to trust Samuraid. :p

[Yamaneko]

Actually, I don't have adminCP permissions to run any queries. :p
You could always give it to yourself. :p

Most of the time SQL queries are only run to compile stats for BoB's unending stats fascination, and ever since we got the inline moderation features it has been used even less.

[RSL]

Turns out I can run queries. I don't know when this happened. Time to go read all your PMs!

[Yamaneko]

We're passing the wanker around.

[crono_logical]

Am I the only one to actually modify the tables with the queries then rather than get information out, such as mass deleting user notes? :p

[RSL]

Probably. Why would you want to mass delete usernotes?

[Rye]

Maybe as part of a fundraiser we could start selling tin-foil hats.

If you pay 10 dollars, the admins promise to never read your PMs. :p

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

If you pay 10 dollars, the admins promise to never read your PMs. :p

...for a year.

[Hawkeye]

Guys, be sensible. Burn the PMs.

On a side note, has anyone seen the correlation between PMs, and PMS, or is it just me?

[Samuraid]

That's why capitalization matters. :p

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

That's not really what "correlation" means.

[Yamaneko]

It has to do with which way the toilet water spins depending on the hemisphere.

[Rusty]

It could be Pre-Moderation Syndrome.

[Miriel]

Yamaneko is always saying creepy things like "I can see EVERYTHING" so I'm guessing that includes private messages too. >_>

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Instead of wasting your time on guesses, you ought to be locking your doors.

[-N-]

It has to do with which way the toilet water spins depending on the hemisphere.Dude, it's different. I swear.

[Loony BoB]

Private Messages are private. They're only readable by yourself and the admins. That's private! As in, not public. :)

I've read PMs from other people without their permission, but only if they were reported for PM advertising and I wanted to find out the scale of which they were doing such a thing. Otherwise, yeah, permission is requested.

Samuraid (and I guess Cid and myself) doesn't need SQL query access via vB because he can do that stuff via phpMyAdmin or other such tools. Although if he wants to allow himself to run queries via the admin CP he just has to type his id into a field on a file on the server and he'll be sorted. *shrugs*

[Roogle]

Administrators of this forum have no need nor want to read any private messages of a user unless there is a report or violation of the rules the user agreed to upon their initial registration.

[Loony BoB]

It's also notable that PMs get sent something like once every two minutes on average (if I remember correctly), and that's way too much reading for me - I barely have enough time these days as it is :p

[Flying Mullet]

This would actually be a problem if anyone had any PMs worth reading.

[Loony BoB]

Oh, don't worry, they do! I mean, uh...

[fire_of_avalon]

The post office stole my livesaver. I haven't been pleased with them since.
Mine too. :(

[NeoCracker]

It's pretty simple...

Number of admins: 8
Number of admins who can execute SQL queries in the forums: 8
Number of admins who we are aware have abused this privledge to wrongfully invade privacy: 0[(Possibly Yams and Bob)

Just thought I'd fix that up a little.

[Flying Mullet]

Mine too. :(
I don't want to know what "life saver" is a euphemism for to you kids .

[Leeza]

I received my life-saver all safe and sound and uncrunched. :cat:

[Old Manus]

I'm sure that nobody here actually cares that much if somebody reads their pms

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Yeah, Ashley's an exhibitionist anyway.

[TheAbominatrix]

It's true.

Stay out of my PMs, Kishi. Mandee and I are gossiping about you <3

[rubah]

my PMs are pretty hot, but rsl can read them for himself already.

[Shoeberto]

It would be tragic if the foaxhsu PMs were revealed to the general public

wait




o crap :(

[rubah]

What

[Loony BoB]

oh oh oh

I've seen this episode

RSL & foa end up hooking up!

[Shoeberto]

oh oh oh

I've seen this episode

RSL & foa end up hooking up!
MY WORLD CRUMBLES AROUND ME AND YOU JEST



I SAY GOOD DAY, SIR.

[Loony BoB]

MY WORLD CRUMBLES AROUND ME AND YOU JEST



I SAY GOOD DAY, SIR.
Dude, it's 11:22pm!

[Cruise Control]

XD

[RSL]

what

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

<img src="http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e200/grokyou/mg-gb-075.png" title="Please be careful not to be taken advantage of by that man.">

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

*closes with extreme prejudice.*

What?

[Cid]

I start my day with a fresh cup of coffee and suffle through the last 24 hours of PMs.