Personal Messages (PM) and privacy on the forum

[Marshal Halloway]

It has been brought to my attention that Badlands Walker, a former member of Cas City Forum Hall, is sending out emails to fellow shooters including members of this forum informing them that our Personal Message system is not to be considered private and is monitored.

This is false information.

Neither administrator (me) nor moderators have access to the Personal Message section on this forum. The developers of the software we are using have not added a PM "Spy" feature on this forum and do not have not any intention of doing so. Not now, not ever!

Our forum is "safe" when it comes to personal messages between users.

PM messages between users are stored in a database in such a manner that retrieving them takes a whole lot of effort by the server providers.  The way it is stored is done on purpose to discourage forum owners from monitoring PMs, and also to make it more difficult for those who aren't supposed to see them to have access to them (hackers etc).

If a monitoring system for PMs was installed, every member would have to be informed about this when he registered.

If I as the owner and administrator of this forum ever needed to get ahold of personal information that was in PMs stored from a user, I would need to hire technical support to get that information and it would only be done if legal actions were taken and I would have to have a court order at hand.

No administrators or moderators have access to passwords saved on this forum. They are encrypted and if a member forgets his password, a new password is issued by the system unless the member personally requests assistance to get it manually.  In other words, we can not log in using a members ID and password to access their PM's.

The emails and forwarded emails that are now circulating out there, are being started with only one purpose in mind... and that is, by starting this rumor, the intention being ... to ruin the credibility of Cas City and their owners.

Badlands Walker has by his own initiative decided to leave the forum because of personal differences and he has not at any time before that questioned any privacy issues about our system while he was an active member on the forum.

If anyone has any more questions about this.. please do not speculate.. call me or e-mail me or send me a pm. I will be more than glad to clear up any misunderstandings where this is concerned.

[jiminy criquet]

If I as the owner and administrator of this forum ever needed to get ahold of personal information that was in PMs stored from a user, I would need to hire technical support to get that information and it would only be done if legal actions were taken and I would have to have a court order at hand.

If a monitoring system for PMs was installed, every member would have to be informed about this when he registered.

Wellllllllll, that's not entirely the whole story.

There appears to be a 'mod' available to the forum software that allows the administrator(s) access to user's PM's.  The mod is called the "Instant Message Spyer". To wit:

"This mod allows admins to search the PMs of the forum's members.  You can search by PM id, sender's name, reciever's name, or a combonation there of.

Prior to installing this mod you must inform your forum's members of your intentions in doing so.  Failure to inform your forum's members will constitute a breach of the copyright"

http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?PHPSESSID=0f401b87ce12020c8326b85adc4f7f52&topic=32952.0

Apparently, the 'requirement of notification of users' for this Instant Message Spyer mod is voluntary, and is left to the discretion of the forum operator in the same manner that a 'court order' or 'legal actions' is not actually legally required.  What it sounds like is that the Instant Message Spyer mod would work fine, the administrator would just be in violation of the forum software "copyright" if the forum users weren't notified.

Now, don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying that anyone does or doesn't have access to the PM's here.  What I'm saying is that it is not as difficult or outlandish as the aforementioned 'announcement' would have it appear.

Furthermore, since I haven't seen the email sent by Badlands Walker in which, or that led him to make such claims, I can't accurately assess their validity.  For the record, though, like email, I've never considered any Personal Message system on any board anywhere no matter what the circumstance, actually 'private' or 'personal'.  After all, it's the internet for cripe's sake ...it's simply the 'illusion' of privacy

[Camille Eonich]

Jiminy, copyright violation is against the law and if the violation is severe enough it can even be a felony offense.  I'm sure that Marshal isn't willing to break the law in order to read yours, mine, or even Badlands private messages. 

[jiminy criquet]

I'm not saying that he is or isn't, only that the whole thing is not as outlandish as it first appears.  Neither am I making the claim that the Marshal looked at or leaked anything...it could be anybody...it could be nobody.  Also, if you read the thread I linked to on the forum software, you'd also have seen that by simply reading the database you can read the PM's, no 'mod' is even necessary.

In either instance, rather than dismissing the claims outright by Badlands Walker, did anyone bother to investigate?  Did anyone check the logs to see if the database was accessed?  Did anyone check the PM's in question to see what he was referring to?  Did anyone check anything other than give a cursory glance at Badlands claims before dismissing them?

The appearance is that Badlands may have worked himself into a lather and is now in the hospital over this issue.  The least someone can do is look into it in a thorough and independant manner and get to the bottom of what he was upset about.

In conclusion, basing one's theory that an event wouldn't (or couldn't) occur simply due to the fear of some vague legal reprisal for 'copyright violation' is ludicrous

[Lars]

First, I will say that I know nothing of this specific matter and do not wish to.

Second, I will say that NOONE should consider ANYTHING written on the Internet to be 100% private and 100% free from unauthorized reading, etc. That includes any and all private, financial, etc. informations.

Third, I find it absurd that ANYTHING written in any PM on this site is worthy of ANY ONE taking the time to read it in secret.

Lars

[Derby Younger]

Jiminy:

I'm not going to post on the BW thread in the Longbranch.

I am going to post here in the Office thread: Your confusion there and comments here are to be expected.

DY

[Hedley Lamarr]

And of course the real story here is that the mod was removed the SMF forum April 12, 2005, and to boot, it never could work with any version of SMF software past 1.0 RC1, so it would not have been usable here since October 10, 2004, when 1.0 RC2 was released.

So yes, there was the capability that the Cricket speaks of.

But do any of you really believe that the Marshal is so evil that he would take the time to sit and sift through anyones messages to find things out? And for what purpose? Gossip?

Come on.

[Hemlock Mike]

Hedley --

I agree -- portions of the previous post read like " I'm not callin' the marshall a horse thief,  I just wouldn't trust him with my pony"!  Some folks just have too much time to worry about such things and make comments not appreciated by others.
The internet is now totally monitored by big brother and nothing is private.  Even landline calls are monitored so we all need to find a deep cave and say nothing to no one 

Mike

PS: My prayers are with BW and IBS.

[Camille Eonich]

In conclusion, basing one's theory that an event wouldn't (or couldn't) occur simply due to the fear of some vague legal reprisal for 'copyright violation' is ludicrous

I am not basing my theory "that an event wouldn't (or couldn't) occur simply due to the fear of some vague legal reprisal for 'copyright violation' is ludicrous".  I am basing my theory on the fact that Marshal Halloway is one of the finest people that I have ever had the pleasure of talking to and of associating with.  I am also basing my theory on the fact that Badlands tended to blow a lot of things out of proportion and has done many, many things to make me doubt anything that he says at all whereas all that I have ever seen from Marshal is honesty and integrity.

That's my last words on it.

[Derby Younger]

Camille:

I agree with each and every word of your post.

For the first and only time I'm going to say that I've been a part of CAS-l and the City since 1996. In every one of those years, the Marshal was and is the Best.

Enough of sitting on my hands and not typing, Jimimy perhaps you'd be more of interest on another Web site. If that offends you, so be it.

If it offends the Marshal or Marshal'ette, delete it, you're the only folks that I'll respect for doing it.

[Marshal'ette Halloway]

Thank you Hedley and all the others who have posted on this thread.
I appreciate your ability to decipher common sense and integrity from spiteful pot stirring drivel.

Now, Mr. Cricket..or whatever insect that you derive to have as a namesake.
I am going to TRY very very very hard and speak very very slowly and clearly to you..so maybe you will better understand what I am about to tell you. It seems to me that in past encounters and dealings with you that a normal discussion with a hopeful positive approach is apparently lost in the translation with you somehow. So I will take this approach.

I am married to Marshal Halloway and have been with him day in and day out 24 hours a day 7 days a week. When I give you these time frames I mean it literally.  24-7!
Every minute in every day I know what this man is doing..because I sit right next to him with our computers side by side in this tiny room we call an office.

  Let me reveal something to you sir.

Marshal has, in the 2 years we have been married, never so much as opened up my purse, never opened up my journals which I write in every night ( that are by the bed) .. look at or access anything on my computer.( which he can very easily do..as he knows all my passwords)
If I get a phone call and it isn't business, he leaves the room until that call is through.
I have told him countless times that it isn't necessary, but to him..personal privacy...not only between family members.. but between everyone, is one of the most important privileges that you can allow someone to have.
He is so honest and up front with everything in his business and personal dealings...that I feel small in comparison to him in that area.
To negatively insinuate that my husband is taking the time or having remotely any interest in  reading 2,000 plus members mail in the form of sifting through personal messages is ludicrous... To announce, in your usual negative posting way.. that someone should "check up on " Marshal ..and the system to:
quote...check the logs to see if the database was accessed?  or check the PM's in question to see what  was referred to? Unquote....
is just about the lowest level that you could sink to.

After all Marshal  has done for anyone who ask anything from him on this website and all the countless times that he has reached out and helped and gone more than the extra 100 miles..NEVER asking for anything in return..being as honest and up front with any one who ask him for help and who has  questions..... and you have the gawl to insinuate that he is hacking into people's personal mail messages? How dare you!

It is more than obvious to anyone with an IQ over 50 that you have very little to do with your time, other than stirring negative garbage into people's pots for the sake of stirring. I really think that you just can't stand to have any post or comment that even has a teeny bit of a positive aspect to it, or intelligent information without you adding your dark negative comments to it..
You might be under the delusion that your comments that you pull out from under your rocks are important or that people actually have a need to hear the negative things that you want to put forth... but let me let you in on a bit of a secret here pal.....About 90% of what you have to say is on the same level as hot air straight out of a horse's ass!!?!!.

Now, if  Badlands has worked himself into a lather and is now in the hospital over a CasCity issue.... then Badlands...along with yourself..need to get a real life away from a computer screen.
If the soap opera life of what goes on inside a computer forum world is what totally makes up someone's world..and it is enough that they are put in the hospital, then I would think that they should be thinking about getting a few more interests outside regarding the real world.

And as far as saying that the least someone can do is look into it in a thorough and independent manner and get to the bottom of what he was upset about...is just exactly what I would expect someone of your nature to say.
Set back in your safe haven of home and screen and interject your dissatisfaction with the world.
Toss out to the crowd that SOMEBODY should do this..and SOMEBODY should do that.. when in fact you .. my misinformed man.. You are the only one who thinks that there has been anything wrong committed here.
You and maybe a handful are the only ones that feel the need to stick their noses into everyone's business and lives..and stir whatever you can stir into it until it stinks real good..and then sit back and claim innocence and watch the show unravel.

You seem to not be real happy with CasCity or Marshal or the moderators or most of the people who make up this place....If you think you can do what Marshal does better or that you have the integrity than he has shown in the past 10 years, to keep something like this alive and running on a positive scale...... then why don't you just hightail it to the next county and set  up your own town for the like minded folks such as yourself..
Rap is doing it.. you might as well too.
You know what they say   Birds of a feather flock together..
That way you all can bad mouth and back stab my husband, and everything that makes up CasCity all you want, and leave the rest of us alone.

I am sure that it is giving you much merriment and Christmas delight in knowing that you have finally pushed my "totally pissed off" button. I had one nerve left today and I'll be damned if you didn't get on it! But then again, maybe that known fact will give you a tiny positive thought  this season.

I will repeat one more time to you Mr. Jiminy Cricket.................
Don't you ever come into CasCity  again....and insinuate the things that you just insinuated about my husband.

Thank you ~~ and I hope you have a delightful 2006.

[Big John Denny]

Amen Marshal'ette.

[Hemlock Mike]

And --"always let your conscience be your guide"  --- well maybe
Say hello to Pinochio 

Mike

[Qball]

 Hear Hear

[Bristow Kid]

I havent been here long and know no one here well enough to call them a liar.  I do not know what happened with Badlands and the Marshal.  And frankly it aint none of my business.  I will say this though bith the Marshal and the Lovely marshal'ette have been very friendly and helpful since I have become a citizen of CASCity.  As well as many other members including Badlands when he was here.  Its kinda like I tell people that complain about the cold winters here in Iowa.  If you dont like the weather move somewhere else and quit b**ching.

[Big Hext]

And folks that's the difference between a Cowboy and a Cricket.
How can BW's poor health be taken at face value, but the word of a man proven time and again be held worthless?  Must be the animation...

Adios,

[Delmonico]

Very bluntly, if some folks don't like the way my friend Marshall Halloway takes care of his board, thats fine.  Nobody is being held hostage, t'aint hard to delete an account and never come back.

When folks get called on posts that bother people they whine about others don't need to open the post.  Well some of the same whine about the whole board not being run to suit them, it's easy, don't open the whole board.

[Hedley Lamarr]

And that's the name of that tune.


Marshal'ette & Marshal Halloway, you two have a warm and wonderful Christmas followed by a great New Year!

[Tensleep]

And that's the name of that tune.


Marshal'ette & Marshal Halloway, you two have a warm and wonderful Christmas followed by a great New Year!

Amen!!!

[Marshal harpoluke]

And that's the name of that tune.


Marshal'ette & Marshal Halloway, you two have a warm and wonderful Christmas followed by a great New Year!

Couldn't have said it as well myself.