Are Private Conversations Accessible to Admins?

[Divinum Fiat]

One of our members asked if private conversations between members are readable by the admin or if records are kept. Does anyone know if, where and for how long private conversations between members are accessible?

Thank you.

 

[ManagerJosh]

One of our members asked if private conversations between members are readable by the admin or if records are kept. Does anyone know if, where and for how long private conversations between members are accessible?

Thank you.

By default - admins, no.

By default - server admin's yes. It's a matter of popping into the database and browsing.

 

[Mike Edge]

They remain in your database until the member deletes them or you delete them from the database.

 

[Digital Doctor]

No.
But with this they are
http://xenforo.com/community/threads/tlk-readpc.15460/

 

[Divinum Fiat]

Wow, I had no idea! Thank you all. I'm the only admin and I do have a server but someone else is managing it for me since I'm not the most technical person here. It's good to know that I don't have blatant access to conversations, I'd want those members to know that they're not being watched.

Digital Doctor, wow, that's quite some add-on! Don't think I'd want that much control.

 

[Mike Edge]

If your concerned with that management team for your server viewing it. You could install http://www.ezeelogin.com/ and require them to work on your server via it. You can control what commands and folders/files each user can use or view and all commands are logged too.

 

[Divinum Fiat]

Thank you, Mike. That might be helpful, except I would need the server guy to install it, which would defeat the purpose of him not having access. lol. I think I'm good for now, just wanted to make sure I didn't have access to something I didn't really want access to.

 

[Morgain]

Any admin can access PCs via log-in-as-user.

Depends on the site. Can be useful in case of trouble eg bullying.
I always call them Personal Conversations not Private Conversations - in principle anything on your site is not private from you if you want to look.
I always tell my members I'm far too busy to look unless requested for a serious reason.. Which is true. They find that very reassuring.
If your members can see that you are generally careful and honourable - which in your case they will - they won't be worried.

 

[Kim]

I seriously hate the idea of reading or having my own read.

Horrible hideous behaviour.

Admins who do so should warn their members up front.

 

[Morgain]

I seriously hate the idea of reading or having my own read.
Horrible hideous behaviour.
Admins who do so should warn their members up front.

Definitely. Members need to know that bullying will not be tolerated and any report of aggression will be fully investigated.

I once asked in a disccusiion in our chat room what oir (young) members thought of our admin powers to investigate and read records of any conversation. I fully expected disapproval in the strongerst terms as our communities are very much around freedom principles which are often debated.

To my amazement the response was 100% that they liked it! Bullying is such an epidemic and so feared, they said that it made them feel safe that someone can step in and see exactly what is going on.
Signifiucantlyt they said they also liked it that both staff and ordinary members can be inspected.

I think it is very sad that the deterioration of society over the last 30 years has made social spaces so unpleasant that young people welcome surveillance.
They also said they welcomed CCTV in schools for the same reason.

Me I'd rather have privacy. But then I'm older generation from a time long ago when things were different. It's nt really for me to judge how young people are forced to cope with this disgusting society.

 

[DRE]

I'm on a forum where the admin posts people's pms randomly. Sh!!s hilarious and messed up but people still post there regardless.

 

[M@rc]

By default - admins, no.

If attachment uploading is enabled for personal conversations, can an admin read the PC by clicking the link to the attached file Via attachment browser in the admin control panel?

 

[DRE]

If attachment uploading is enabled for personal conversations, can an admin read the PC by clicking the link to the attached file Via attachment browser in the admin control panel?

Naw. Stay out of that section though. You might see random nudes you did not want to see.

 

[Kim]

Definitely. Members need to know that bullying will not be tolerated and any report of aggression will be fully investigated.

WHAT????

I was saying reading PM's was despicable, not bullying... or whatever context is used to justify it.

Regardless of WHY an Admin reads PM's I find it disgusting, and it should require people being notified that PM's will be read up front.

 

[DRE]

WHAT????

I was saying reading PM's was despicable, not bullying... or whatever context is used to justify it.

Regardless of WHY an Admin reads PM's I find it disgusting, and it should require people being notified that PM's will be read up front.

Hope your not on FB http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...kerberg-hacked-emails-rivals-journalists.html

 

[Mike Edge]

Hope your not on FB http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...kerberg-hacked-emails-rivals-journalists.html

LOL that's funny as 30 seconds before you posted this I had PM'd Kim to see if she'd like to take part in beta testing my xenForo facebook app I been working on in spare time for the last 8 or so months.

 

[erich37]

please be aware that it might happen that "human spammers" or "bots" are registering at your site and then are sending mass-conversations (via "Private Conversation" interface) to many of your members.
And then your members receive an Email-notification that they received a PM, then your members go and check it and see some Viagra-spam-links or some other nasty internet-scam-crap.

As an Admin, you will not even be able to notice this "spam and scam" in PM's at your website, if you are not able to have easy access to the PM-interface.
This happened at my Forum already several times and I can tell you that it was not funny

I think as an Admin, you should be able to see what is going on in "Private Conversations" in order to make sure your members are safe from spammers and scammers.... and this is an additional way of detecting spammers at your website.


The only funny thing is if you see one scammer from Nigeria sending some internet-scam (via "Private Conversation" interface) to another scammer from Ukraine.

 

[DRE]

The only funny thing is if you see one scammer from Nigeria sending some internet-scam (via "Private Conversation" interface) to another scammer from Ukraine.

 

[DRE]

In my opinion, you shouldn't read your members pms. A fellow webmaster from this site sent PM spam to members on my site but he was reported. I didn't have to look at pms because people told me. That's what the report link is for. If you have a lot of quality posters, real people, they'll report any problems they have with you to you. By volunteering yourself to solve their issues with the other poster, you set yourself up as being too controlling or strict or nosey and rumors might spread that you are doing creepy stuff etc. I've seen that happen to other webmasters who got too all up in people's business. When it gets serious such as people threatening to sue the site or serious harassing, stalking, predator, hacking, child pornography and spam type issues then it's your responsibility to gain full control of your site to find out what's going on and handle the situation before it spirals out of control and you no longer have a site.

 

[erich37]

Maybe another solution to this issue is to have only "trusted members" being allowed to send a "Private Conversation" ?
Not sure yet how to set this in "ACP-options" ?