Privacy Issues

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

In another thread (the Theft one) a rather serious issue has arisen; one which requires its own thread I think. This is it.

 

Basically it is about privacy and abusing it on this board.

 

Soongmaak brought up some very valid issues as to why he considered certain people to be violating Blackie's privacy. JJSushi countered with some excellent arguments as well.

 

My point of view? I really do not know, which is why I am hoping that we can reach a bit of clarity debating the issue in this thread.

 

Sanuk!

[soongmak]

My POV on this is simple:

 

This board is more than a virtual community. Many board members also meet each other in real life. Private information is shared in those meetings. It should go without saying that any private information regarding a board members' identity and his off board behaviour should stay private. I think the privacy statement on this board should be extended with a paragraph like this:

 

Disclosing private information regarding a board member contitutes a violation of his privacy. Only a board member himself can decide to disclose information regarding his whereabouts, job, and off board behaviour. Until a board member decides to do so himself, all this information is off limits. Any violation of a persons' privacy leads to immediate deletion of the post containing this information and to termination of the account of the member who violated the privacy.

 

Cheers,

 

soongmak

[Pom Michael]

Soongmak,

 

A very, very good start. I wonder what else some of the more astute members will come up with ?

 

Cheers!

[soongmak]

Thanks. I would furthermore like to elaborate my POV with an example:

 

A board member decides to marry a girl who he met through a dating site. In a former life, I just happen to know that she was actually a BG. Now there's a heated debate on one of this boards favourite topics - GTG vs. BG - where said board member takes the stance that any one looking for love with a BG is an idiot.

 

I think it is relevant to the thread that I point out that he is even a bigger idiot himself, because he unknowingly married a BG as well. In this case I diss out no information regarding his identity, and I am not telling any lies either, but I still think it is a massive intrusion on his privacy, since he is well known in person by several board members.

 

Cheers,

 

soongmak

[ThaiHome]

"Disclosing private information regarding a board member contitutes a violation of his privacy. Only a board member himself and can decide to disclose information regarding his whereabouts, job, and off board behaviour. "

 

I disagree. Efforts at legislating discretion never work.

 

You make the choice to socialize in "real life" with fellow board members. When you do so, that "real" relationship cannot help but carryover to your "board" relationship.

 

In my case, when I lived in Bangkok a couple of years ago, I got in the habit of going out on Friday nights with a couple of guys from the office to the old board meeting place. I made the decision not to introduce myself or get involved with other members there, because I did not want to intermingle by board identity with "real" people for the very reason you are trying to put into rules.

 

Beside, enforcing this will pretty much take the humour out of the highly amusing trip reports from the London bunch. ::

TH

[Guest]

well I guess you could go to meetings and NOT reveal your board name or go and assume another name, only met one this trip that I still have no idea who they really are, boardwise or othewise.

[soongmak]

I disagree. Efforts at legislating discretion never work.

 

Maybe not in real life, but this board is not a democracy. Anytime there's a negative undertone in the information that is disclosed, it can simply be deleted. Don't like it? Go somewhere else. Same goes for me. If I don't agree with the board rules, I can speak up, but if nothing is changed I have to accept that. There need to be no jury who decides whether the mods do a good job or not.

 

Beside, enforcing this will pretty much take the humour out of the highly amusing trip reports from the London bunch.

 

If you want to take my text literal, yes. I see no need to weed out any good-humoured stab at other board members. That's altogether a completely different thing than trashing a board member like it happened in the Theft-thread.

 

Cheers,

 

soongmak

[Guest]

My feeling is that the vast majority of posters here wish to remain totally anonymous, in all ways. That was very clearly born out to me, in the attempt at "Sanuk Stock".

 

To bring up a negative you happen to know about a poster in real life, and bring that into a post here, is going way over the line. It's basiclly flaming, IMO, and already incorporated in the present rules. You are attacking a poster directly, instead of his messege (you can attack the post, but not the poster himself).

 

We have members here who do meet in real life. Would any of them want to be out drinking, end up doing something stupid, and want to see that all over the internet the next morning? I think not.

 

Those that chose to offer glimpses into their personal life are free to do so. And we all do, to one exstent, or another, through our posts. But we get to limit what that exstent is. Start allowing personal info. shared about you here, without your permission, is crazy. Why?

 

Well......look what just happened. 2 posters claim to know a poster, and call him a fine upstanding guy. 2 others come on, and claim him to be a freeloading deadbeat. Why don't we allow B/G's identities know here? For the exact same reason. Someone may have a grudge against them, and post unsubstantiated allegations that cannot be verified. To be honest, concerning B/G's, it's also that they are not here to defend themselves. But the basic premise is the same.

 

It should be simple. You cannot trash another poster here for any reason. Don't like his school of thought? Then explain why, and debate his reasoning all you like. Start to make it personal, by saying they are stupid, an idiot for having a particular opinion, or you know of negative things about him in real life, is unacceptable, in the exstreme. PERIOD!

 

Just my take on this.....HT

[BelgianBoy]

I am astounded that we have chosen to uphold the privacy of all BGs, yet the same does not apply to board members. I am not allowed to share a girls number and the bar in which she works, although I do not reveal his identity. Then why is this not allowed? Simply because it is an easy step to identification.

 

Soongmaak,

 

This point in the previous thread was not answered, but it still deserved one : because those BGs are not here to defend themselves if gossipped upon, boardmembers can defend themselves.

 

Cheers !

 

HT,

 

oops, posted same as you 2 minutes later......

[Guest]

quote: "by saying they are stupid, an idiot for having a particular opinion, or you know of negative things about him in real life, is unacceptable, in the exstreme. PERIOD!"

 

Sounds good to me. I would have said "Do not write as if your mouth is attached to your butt, especially during the duress period when passing gas while smoking".