New Mod Idea!

[LostProphecy]

Greetings!

I got a really good idea one night while going through the contents of my MySql database.

What does everyone think of a "Read members private messages mod?"

The admins at my site do this by digging through the ever complicated SQL database! It's a pain in the butt really...and a mod specifically designed for this purpose would make things a lot simpler...

So what does everyone think?

Kodee.

[Ben_S]

That it's wrong and unethical and it's been discussed before.

[Peter Duggan]

private

[LostProphecy]

Well see I believe in privacy too. But we have had hack attempts before...and a lot of the members that did it used the private message system. Sorry, I had no clue it was already discussed.

Kreacher.

[jack]

That it's wrong and unethical and it's been discussed before.

Not 100% so. The Ts & Cs of my board state that there should be no expectation of privacy. Our rules also allow us to ceck a user's IM box for reasons such as  claims of harrasment* or if we think that things may be being discussed that may cause problems for the site (i.e. illegal stuff) and of course there's exceptions for the UKs anti-terrorism laws.
I whole-heartedly agree that it should not be given a front-end as that would tempt people to 'fish' through other people's non-public messages. The complexity of looking now is deterrent to do so fpor trivial reasons.

* I have done so once.I got a complaint from a couple of people about a user annoying them. Upon checking, he'd basically been working his way through the userlist bugging anyone marked as female. A swift banning ensued.

[Peter Duggan]

My recommendation would be to disable the PM system if you don't like/trust it rather than let folk believe it's something it's not.

<edit>Posted in response to LostProphecy, not jack, whose stance I broadly agree with.</edit>

[Ben_S]

jack,

I agree with you, there is always the chance that a situation may arise where the need to check a certain members messages is needed, but as you say there is no need for a front end for it, the need will likely never arise on most boards if/and when it does, then the admin can always check on it in the db.

[nave]

i personally would not feel comfortable being a member on a board where the admin could easily read my private messages. knowing they could do it, if they had to, but it would be a pain in the arse to get to them, makes me feel more secure. there is just too much temptation for a nosy, bored admin to go rooting through people's messages if it was so easily done.