Reminder: global rules, roleplaying, and sexual interaction

[BinaryPony 120]

These records are never looked at except in a criminal investigation. You're also missing the point, and I shall now ignore you unless you have something more constructive to say.

Edited October 9, 2014 by BinaryPony

[EpitomeOfTruth 243]

 

 

consenting of-age parties

 

 

Doesn't matter if they consent. It's not allowed, and if someone finds out, they have to answer for it.

[Dattebayo 2,850]

These records are never looked at except in a criminal investigation. You're also missing the point, and I shall now ignore you unless you have something more constructive to say.

Bah.

Seeing as I've never met you on this site, I can tell you right now the threat of being ignored isn't as heinous as you might think. It'll be SSDD.

 

Sigh.

I mean f*ck. This isn't going to change. It's pretty much set in stone, and it's a minority who thinks this is wrong.

So yeah. Whatever. It's happening.

Doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

 

Doesn't matter if they consent. It's not allowed, and if someone finds out, they have to answer for it.

I can hear the hangman a-callin' already, generally speaking. Edited October 9, 2014 by Dattebayo

[BinaryPony 120]

One last note, when you signed up to use this site, you agreed to follow it's rules, so you have to answer to the mods for breaking this rule, even if you think it's stupid.

[SCS 7,537]

It will be 2 years since I have been here in a couple of weeks and I still don't remember that, it must have been added recently. I can understanding saving face, covering your ass and following the law I don't blame you guys for any of that but if there is one thing that I can't stand is being lied to and talked down to like I am god damn child. I have now lost all respect and trust I had for you and the faith I had in this staff. I am not afraid you guys will snoop in everyones PM's because even if you wanted to it is impossible with all of the hundreds sent everyday which is something that has been admitted but again I don't like being lied to and the whole "tough shit" argument you gave in response only pissed me off even more. I guess I am done here and possibly done with this site completely, but I suppose I will give that other matter a few weeks or so.

Here is a snapshot of the Global Rules page archived from October 19th, 2011: https://web.archive.org/web/20111019071045/http://mlpforums.com/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules

 

The following clause is present:

 

The above rules are global and apply everywhere on MLP Forums. That includes private messages, too. Individual forums may have their own rules, which will be displayed at the top of their index pages.

Therefore, that clause was there for a long time. I checked multiple dates after that point, and it was there as well. This clause has been an aspect of MLP Forums' Global Rules since two and a half weeks after its opening.

 

I'm not intending to talk down to you at all, and if it came off that way I apologize. I'm simply giving you the facts. This clause has almost always been there, and it's not the staff's responsibility if you missed it. It's the user's responsibility to read the rules carefully and keep up to date with any alterations made to them.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

Here is a snapshot of the Global Rules page archived from October 19th, 2011: https://web.archive.org/web/20111019071045/http://mlpforums.com/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules

 

The following clause is present:

 

Therefore, that clause was there for a long time. I checked multiple dates after that point, and it was there as well. This clause has been an aspect of MLP Forums' Global Rules since two and a half weeks after its opening.

 

I'm not intending to talk down to you at all, and if it came off that way I apologize. I'm simply giving you the facts. This clause has almost always been there, and it's not the staff's responsibility if you missed it. It's the user's responsibility to read the rules carefully and keep up to date with any alterations made to them.

In other words what SCS tells you. THIS WAS THE CASE ALL ALONG.

 

If you have any objections to it either make a thread about it, or don't join alltogether. Joining a group just to complain about it is dang wrong.

 

Their house, their rules if you want to be brutal.

 

Do excuse me if i'm not being in my kindest mood while posting this. I am not being sarcastic.

Edited October 9, 2014 by NioniosTheSilent

[Sir Hugsalot 9,352]

In other words what SCS tells you. THIS WAS THE CASE ALL ALONG.

 

If you have any objections to it either make a thread about it, or don't join alltogether. Joining a group just to complain about it is dang wrong.

 

Their house, their rules if you want to be brutal.

 

Do excuse me if i'm not being in my kindest mood while posting this. I am not being sarcastic.

I have to agree.

 

 

For another time (and last time in my case) this is to everyone.

 

You accepted those rules by making account here. If You don't agree with them - nobody forced You to come. And before starting protests about privacy violation or staff abusing power read at least entire thread. Not the parts of it. Because honestly, I've seen no good arguments against what staff is doing yet. 

[Dattebayo 2,850]

Enforce whatever rules you want, whatever.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

I have to agree.

 

 

For another time (and last time in my case) this is to everyone.

 

You accepted those rules by making account here. If You don't agree with them - nobody forced You to come. And before starting protests about privacy violation or staff abusing power read at least entire thread. Not the parts of it. Because honestly, I've seen no good arguments against what staff is doing yet. 

It happens all the time with politics i tell you. It's a nightmare.

 

Enforce whatever rules you want, whatever.

No absolution-isms please... I HATE talking with absolutes.

 

If anyone wants to protest about this i encourage them to do so. I mean i would love to hear everyone's thoughts about it.

[Banul 3,831]

I feel like this is being blown way out of proportion.

 

I can understand why this might be a bit creepy for some, but the mods are not the Illuminati (probably). They arn't reading though all of your shit, your privacy is not being invaded. They're just saying that if you break the rules in the messenger and you get reported, they're going to know about it. Sounds like the system is working as intended to me.

 

As for NSFW messaging, I mean, I don't care what two consenting adults do. I do wish that this board was a little more open to NSFW. I should know, I'm still working off warning points. However, how are the mods to know if the two people are actually adults? If some outside authority finds out that minors are cybering on their website, which is advertised as being 13+, they could get in some deep shit. I sympathize. Nobody wants to be asked "to take a seat over there" by Chris Hansen. If nobody involved in saucy rp reports either party you probably have nothing to fear, but there really are better places to do kind kind of thing.

Edited October 9, 2014 by Banul

[boiteporte 591]

 

 

They arn't reading though all of your shit, your privacy is not being invaded.

 

The people who complain are probably the ones who do not believe in this statement. 

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Sees people complaining about the mods snooping on people's PMs.

 

Doesn't realize Facebook does it worse and that there is a moderation team that does this on every site.

[Dattebayo 2,850]

No absolution-isms please... I HATE talking with absolutes.

 

If anyone wants to protest about this i encourage them to do so. I mean i would love to hear everyone's thoughts about it.

Oh pfft.

 

I'm not trying to demonstrate to anyone anything, I'm not trying to prove myself to certain people.

I have nothing to gain out of beating a dead horse to a pulp while everyone keeps reviving it.

 

Decision made. Majority accepts it. Minority is told "tough tits, boy-oh" and eats sour grapes. End of story.

 

 

Not paying the victim here.

Just acknowledging how futile an attempt to protest this is.

Edited October 9, 2014 by Dattebayo

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,673]

 

 

If some outside authority finds out that minors are cybering on their website, which is advertised as being 13+, they could get in some deep shit.

 

Really, that just needed to be said.

 

I think I need to remind people that blackmailing is strictly against the law and that only the staff could really say how much of a pain it would be if any accusations of blackmail or extortion were to come under legal investigation.

[Evilshy 5,090]

Sexual roleplays... oooohhh boy. Let's just say there are some parts of being a mod I will never, ever miss.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

@@Evilshy,Wait... was it that repulsive? I mean... was it? Really? Did you encounter a lot of them?

Edited October 10, 2014 by NioniosTheSilent

[Miles 2,513]

Alright, so I just read every single post in this thread.  And while I know certain aspects of my post are going to be redundant of prior posts to some extent, I just... want to say something here, so: buckle up. 

 

---

 

All of whom here who know me, or at least know of me somewhat, you more than likely know my personality.  And if you are someone who knows my personality; you probably even know my political stance, too.

 

But guess what?  For those of whom know my personality and/or political stance, you might just be taken aback at my stance in this message.  Because as someone who leans to the right of the political spectrum, usually that would mean I would want lesser control, ergo, either lesser governmental, or even this here situation - lesser control.

 

Well, I'm about to contradict what you might think; despite me being a "rightie" - I am actually a supporter of more control (for the forums, of course; I'm specifically talking about the forums here).

 

So and henceforth, let me begin explaining my views on this subject [etc.] with a bit more detail:
 

Upon creating a new account here, new members are essentially obligated to know the rules before they can make their accounts.  This rule has always been there.  And it ought to be.  Why, you ask?  ...

 

Tell me, what does the third button say?

 

That's right.  It says "community."

 

This is not a place to practice individualistic values over the values of the community at large.  To have this site to talk about ponies; to have this site that is open to young kids of just 13... Administration and Moderation, etc., must be watchful to make sure everyone's safety and well-being as a member is taken care of.  

 

I am grateful that we have mods/admins/staff/etc. who are as kind, caring, and patient, but yet still as smart, diligent, and devoted to their positions as they are.  Y'all are doing it right.  And we all should be so appreciative of what you do.  I know I am.

 

In the end, this site is a privilege.  

 

---

 

Honestly Yours,
 

~ Miles

Edited October 10, 2014 by Miles

[Evilshy 5,090]

@@Evilshy,Wait... was it that repulsive? I mean... was it? Really? Did you encounter a lot of them?

 

There was some pretty bad stuff, yeah. Think of a 14 year old kid writing clopfics. Not allowed on the forums, and terribly written. And whenever I found some or was the one who took the report, I had to read/skim all of it to make sure I got everything

 

Not very common, but I can remember a few times.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

The brown nosing in this topic...echh.

 

I don't think people getting an equal amount of punishment for doing something in private with another consenting and of-age party is very fair to the community. I'm far from fond of the idea in the first place, I've made that loud and clear, and while I'm a bit disturbed at the outburst of staff support for them being able to essentially rape our privacy, the bigger problem here is the equal punishments.

 

I'm all for keeping minors out of NSFW stuff with adults, don't get me wrong. I believe that if an adult were to have illicit conversations with a child on this site, then I think bringing the cops into the equation would be well worth it. But what if it's two consenting adults doing it entirely in private, and some other guy found out somehow and let the staff know? Would it be fair to punish them as if they were publicly posting NSFW material on this site?

Even then, if someone is doing NSFW things in private, would it be fair to punish them as if they were publicly posting the stuff?

That's a bit ridiculous. I can't convince anyone about the personal security issues this brings up, which it indeed brings up, but this is just supporting madness if we're just going to dish out the same punishments as if they were posting it for the world to see. In light of Brechard's ban, I know he received the same punishment one would for publicly posting NSFW. How is that fair to him? Is it going to continue happening to others in this sense, punishing them for their private conversations as if they were flashing them to the world? I find that a bit too ham-fisted, honestly. Call me disgruntled, but there is a lot wrong with this system and it's pretty unnerving, to say the least.
 

[EpitomeOfTruth 243]

 

 

I don't think people getting an equal amount of punishment for doing something in private with another consenting and of-age party is very fair to the community. I'm far from fond of the idea in the first place, I've made that loud and clear, and while I'm a bit disturbed at the outburst of staff support for them being able to essentially rape our privacy, the bigger problem here is the equal punishments.   I'm all for keeping minors out of NSFW stuff with adults, don't get me wrong. I believe that if an adult were to have illicit conversations with a child on this site, then I think bringing the cops into the equation would be well worth it. But what if it's two consenting adults doing it entirely in private, and some other guy found out somehow and let the staff know? Would it be fair to punish them as if they were publicly posting NSFW material on this site? Even then, if someone is doing NSFW things in private, would it be fair to punish them as if they were publicly posting the stuff? That's a bit ridiculous. I can't convince anyone about the personal security issues this brings up, which it indeed brings up, but this is just supporting madness if we're just going to dish out the same punishments as if they were posting it for the world to see. In light of Brechard's ban, I know he received the same punishment one would for publicly posting NSFW. How is that fair to him? Is it going to continue happening to others in this sense, punishing them for their private conversations as if they were flashing them to the world? I find that a bit too ham-fisted, honestly. Call me disgruntled, but there is a lot wrong with this system and it's pretty unnerving, to say the least.

 

 

Doesn't matter if it two consenting adults. The fact that it isn't allowed is reason enough to punish them. Actually, to do it via PM should warrant a worse punishment. It shows that not only are you blatantly ignoring set rules, but you are also going out of your way to cover your tracks. "What I'm doing is wrong, I know what I'm doing is wrong, but I'm gonna do it anyway."

 

There's also the issue of never being 100% sure if they actually were two consenting adults.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

 

 

Doesn't matter if it two consenting adults. The fact that it isn't allowed is reason enough to punish them. Actually, to do it via PM should warrant a worse punishment. It shows that not only are you blatantly ignoring set rules, but you are also going out of your way to cover your tracks. "What I'm doing is wrong, I know what I'm doing is wrong, but I'm gonna do it anyway."

 

Or you could just be assuming that it isn't an average conversation between two people and never will be if NSFW content is involved. People could discuss NSFW in private on this site without using it as a way to cover up their tracks and try to circumvent the rules, y'know  

 

 

 

There's also the issue of never being 100% sure if they actually were two consenting adults.

 

 

 

And if someone lies about their age, it isn't on the staff for not being able to know that much. I doubt they have access to seeing or hearing every kid that comes through, lying about their age, and that and likely wouldn't be able to be held responsible if they had no room for suspicion - which in the case of age lying, without a public confession, there really would be no room at all to doubt a person's age.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,162]

The brown nosing in this topic...echh.

 

I don't think people getting an equal amount of punishment for doing something in private with another consenting and of-age party is very fair to the community. I'm far from fond of the idea in the first place, I've made that loud and clear, and while I'm a bit disturbed at the outburst of staff support for them being able to essentially rape our privacy, the bigger problem here is the equal punishments.

 

I'm all for keeping minors out of NSFW stuff with adults, don't get me wrong. I believe that if an adult were to have illicit conversations with a child on this site, then I think bringing the cops into the equation would be well worth it. But what if it's two consenting adults doing it entirely in private, and some other guy found out somehow and let the staff know? Would it be fair to punish them as if they were publicly posting NSFW material on this site?

 

Even then, if someone is doing NSFW things in private, would it be fair to punish them as if they were publicly posting the stuff?

 

That's a bit ridiculous. I can't convince anyone about the personal security issues this brings up, which it indeed brings up, but this is just supporting madness if we're just going to dish out the same punishments as if they were posting it for the world to see. In light of Brechard's ban, I know he received the same punishment one would for publicly posting NSFW. How is that fair to him? Is it going to continue happening to others in this sense, punishing them for their private conversations as if they were flashing them to the world? I find that a bit too ham-fisted, honestly. Call me disgruntled, but there is a lot wrong with this system and it's pretty unnerving, to say the least.

 

 

Whether or not the said adults are consenting is not the point though. It's already been established that any and all PM contacts between members are to remain, at most, PG-13. If actual consenting adults want to engage in sexual role-play, that is fine. They just have to take it to Skype, Yahoo, or some other board that allows that.

 

The point is that it's way too easy to assume that one is of age, and in fact be wrong. Unless you face cam with them, you aren't going to know if they are, in fact, of age. To cover their buts and to make sure this board is accessible and safe to anyone 13 & up, the mods & admins have to go to these measures.

 

To answer your question, I do think it's fair because it's outlined. PG-13, no hire, and there is no guarantee that the messages are to be private.

[Shanks 10,816]

 

 

Doesn't matter if it two consenting adults. The fact that it isn't allowed is reason enough to punish them. Actually, to do it via PM should warrant a worse punishment.

Congratulations, you just said the most ridiculous thing I have heard in this entire thread and that is saying something. The reason posting on the forums themselves is worse should be obvious, anyone can see including children and even just people that don't want to see it while in PM's at the very least it can only be seen by the people involved in said PM. It is not a conspiracy to cover tracks it is simply good manners to I don't know not post it where children or people who don't want to see it will likely see it.

Edited October 11, 2014 by EarthbendingProdigy

[EpitomeOfTruth 243]

 

 

And if someone lies about their age, it isn't on the staff for not being able to know that much. I doubt they have access to seeing or hearing every kid that comes through, lying about their age, and that and likely wouldn't be able to be held responsible if they had no room for suspicion - which in the case of age lying, without a public confession, there really would be no room at all to doubt a person's age.

 

 

This day and age, a kid lying about their age would be something that would be on the staffs head.

[ARagY 1,152]

The brown nosing in this topic...echh.

 

I don't think people getting an equal amount of punishment for doing something in private with another consenting and of-age party is very fair to the community. I'm far from fond of the idea in the first place, I've made that loud and clear, and while I'm a bit disturbed at the outburst of staff support for them being able to essentially rape our privacy, the bigger problem here is the equal punishments.

 

I'm all for keeping minors out of NSFW stuff with adults, don't get me wrong. I believe that if an adult were to have illicit conversations with a child on this site, then I think bringing the cops into the equation would be well worth it. But what if it's two consenting adults doing it entirely in private, and some other guy found out somehow and let the staff know? Would it be fair to punish them as if they were publicly posting NSFW material on this site?

 

Even then, if someone is doing NSFW things in private, would it be fair to punish them as if they were publicly posting the stuff?

 

That's a bit ridiculous. I can't convince anyone about the personal security issues this brings up, which it indeed brings up, but this is just supporting madness if we're just going to dish out the same punishments as if they were posting it for the world to see. In light of Brechard's ban, I know he received the same punishment one would for publicly posting NSFW. How is that fair to him? Is it going to continue happening to others in this sense, punishing them for their private conversations as if they were flashing them to the world? I find that a bit too ham-fisted, honestly. Call me disgruntled, but there is a lot wrong with this system and it's pretty unnerving, to say the least.

 

Technically speaking, child x adult online is not really covered in most country laws, not unless pics and real-life stuff are involved. If it's just a bunch of words with asterisks, the police will toss the report out, laugh at them, and continue on with whatever else they have to do. 

 

Think about it, it's impossible to verify ages.

 

By the way, you can still pm people over programs like Skype. While I don't personally think NSFW in a 1-on-1 pm warrants any sort of ban unless 1 doesn't want it, that's the rule of the system and as I said, who can verify ages.