OUTING........

[Carlos Danger]

I'm aboot to go oot

[rooster]

Originally Posted by JohnnyCap

When a fucktard leaves of his own volition, his posts become 'Guestx0133x', correct?

If a fucktard is banned for three months, how do his old posts appear? How do they appear if he is banned for life?

Sorry for the delay....

Most members who depart under their own power receive "Account Disabled" status. You can still see their posts, and still search for posts by their username.

A member that is "Banned" is also in "Disabled" status. For all practical purposes, the two statuses are identical. The only difference is that a "Disabled" member can ask to be reactivated at any time. A "Banned" member has to wait until the ban runs out, then they are automatically reactivated. Of course, if they are banned permanently, they are never reactivated. But their posts remain, and they stay under their old user name.

"Guest" ID status is much more restrictive. Their posts will be assigned to something like 'Guestx0133x' and you will not be able to see their original username any longer or search for any posts by that username. If they come back, they usually have to come back with a new user name (which IS allowed). This is usually for someone in serious legal or family trouble.

So "Account Disabled" is far more common and it is the best option for someone who wants to just leave or to "take a break."

"Guest" status is for someone in a world of shit.

I will agree that "Guest" status has been allowed too often. Personally, I tend to be very reluctant to allow it. I think it should almost never be granted except in cases where someone in a member's personal life has tied them to their username and they are in real danger because of it.

I know that this is complicated. Some of my explanations have probably contained more detail than needed, which can make it worse.

[jackfengshui]

Originally Posted by rooster

So "Account Disabled" is far more common and it is the best option for someone who wants to just leave or to "take a break."

"Guest" status is for someone in a world of shit.

That is a helpful explanation.

IMHO, being "guested" does not provide much "anonymity" protection. It usually takes relatively little effort to uncover a guested member's former handle. In any case, I will abide by the "newly interpreted" rule.

[offshoredrilling]

Originally Posted by jackfengshui

IMHO, being "guested" does not provide much "anonymity" protection. It usually takes relatively little effort to uncover a guested member's former handle.

yup

[JohnnyCap]

Thanks for the answer Rooster. I was curious how one might know whether he was outing a 'guest' or connecting a new handle to the former handle of a banned dirtbag. It seems to me there is a way, but that the 'guest' privilege is overused.

[Tiger]

Can one of the mods answer this thread... Where_is_Crystalaries?

[jokacz]

[Guest072323]

My absolute most favorite book EVER. Movie was good.... Book is a classic.
And it's not even Joseph Heller's best book. Read "Something Happened"
That book is a masterpiece.....

[Guest050314-1]

don't think just because you think you are so smart that you can lin k someone to another handle that there isn't someone who knows more about you perhaps.

[Carlos Danger]

Some kinda snitch?

[Guest050314-1]

Originally Posted by Carlos Danger

Some kinda snitch?

not me . ijs.

[rooster]

STAFF EDIT: This post is copied here from another thread since it deal with this subject

Originally Posted by jackfengshui

I think the Coach is right (see http://www.eccie.net/showthread.php?t=770193), but I don't know whether this discussion is even allowed under the expanded outing interpretation.

I'm gonna "rescind" that rule, I think. Here is the problem - too many members were given "Guest" status when they probably did not deserve it. Fuck it. This is causing more trouble than it is worth. We SHOULD be able to know when someone comes back, in most cases.

I expanded the "rule" to keep people from hassling others who did not deserve it. But there are other ways to take care of that kind of behavior.

Go ahead and talk about her, try to figure out who she is/was. As long as it is not done in a vindictive or unfair manner, I will not intervene...especially when it is done in the ML.

[offshoredrilling]

Originally Posted by rooster

"Outing" is the term we use when someone posts information about a member that could lead to someone learning their "true" identity or other details about them that could cause problems for them in their "real life."

Here is the formal definition from the "Forum Guidelines" that are located here:

http://www.eccie.net/announcement.php?f=5

#5 - Outing or threats of outing are taken seriously. Membership here is anonymous and for the privacy of our members it will remain that way. That means any effort or attempt to connect a person's real world information to their username on this board will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. This includes real names, employment, medical info, addresses past or present, images, criminal or driving record, etc. We expect everyone who participates here to respect and go to great lengths to protect the anonymity and privacy of one another. Reckless disregard or accidental outing will also be taken very seriously.

It is the most severe offense that can be made on this board.

Blatant outing is dealt with harshly. Minimum punishment is a 7-day ban, and you can be banned permanently if the situation is serious enough. A second offense will lead to a much longer ban, often permanent.

Many argue that there should be ZERO tolerance for this. But there has to be some room for judgment. Often, the information is not leaked intentionally or the details are not that damaging. In that case, a Moderator may just remove the offending information and remind the member on why it should not have been posted.

Recently, we have instances where members have exposed someone with a "Guest" ID. I want to explain a bit about this and warn everyone that this will no longer be allowed.

First, a word about "Guest" ID's. They are different from "Disabled" accounts.

"Guest" ID's are rarely granted. If someone is having a problem with their account, we usually just "Disable" it rather than "Guest" it. No one can access it in any way. Their posts stay on the board under the old ID. The member can ask to have the account returned to normal status if they want to use it again in the future.

"Guest" ID's are granted only when there is substantial "real life" danger to the member. In this case, all of the member's posts will be anonymized, and will show an ID like "Guest1234." The number at the end is based on the date and time when the change in account status is processed. The old member ID disappears and posts under it cannot be searched.

As I said, "Guest" ID's are rarely allowed. It has to be ruled on first by local staff and then by Board Administration. An example of when it would be allowed is if someone is in a serious legal situation.

We receive a lot of requests for "guesting" or requests to "remove all of someone's posts or reviews." But we almost always process these as "Disable" rather than "Guest." The problem with granting too many "Guest" ID's is that it turns the forums into a mess if the member has a lot of posts and reviews. They become anonymous and no one knows who did them. So we avoid them except in clear instances where they are needed.

Back to the real point of this.....

Often, members who receive "Guest" status come back at some point under a different user name. At some point, someone finds out who they "really" are, and makes a post where they can be identified and linked to their old user name and posting history.

THIS WILL NO LONGER BE ALLOWED.

Posts of this type will be deleted and the poster will be warned. Repeat violations will lead to increased sanctions.

I know that this is a sore topic. It can be argued that it gives a member a "free ride" and/or allows them to misrepresent themselves and avoid complications from their past ID. But that is the way it has to be. The general membership will never know why a "Guest" ID was originally granted. It should be assumed that it was for a good reason and that this person deserves to be unlinked from the original ID forever.

There will, of course, be objective assessment of posts of this type. If the member abuses their "Guest" status flagrantly or if they admit publicly that they are that member, then the posts may be allowed. But the Mods aren't perfect and we don't have the time to search the whole board every time something like this happens. We may just give the "Guest" the benefit of the doubt and kill it.

When in doubt..... ASK a Mod first before you post!

Please try to understand and respect this policy. You never know when YOU may be in a situation like this and need the slim protections that this offers.

Na, current mods rather double on wrong