Private Messaging

[Australian Guy]

I have a question regarding Private Messaging or PM's as they are commonly known.

Are PM's between members actually private as the name says, or perhaps are they not quite as private as we are led to believe?

Can anybody ( Administrators or Moderators or ANYONE ELSE ) other than the sender and recipient either read the messages or in some way see the title, or body of these messages?

I sincerely hope not, but someone who uses this same platform for a non related forum, informs me that it is possible? As we all must surely know now, the moderators/administrators) have their own network (behind what the ordinary member can see) where they privately PM each other and post about other members, as well as other forum related matters. I think these things must surely be put out in the open.


I think that this is a VERY important question that needs honest addressing. The obvious next question, is has ANYBODY ever read PM's that were not addressed to them, surely a breach of privacy should it have ever happened!

With sincerity and concern,

Grant

[FrankBooth]

I don't know how it works here. I'm a mod on another forum and we don't have access to PM's and such, nor would I want access. I think if something really needs to be kept private, email is the way to go for more security, or use an IM program to message in real time.

[Australian Guy]

Hello Frank,

Thank you for taking the time to let me know how it is on your other forum, much appreciated

I sincerely doubt any of our Moderators, Super Moderators, Administrators etc, would ever stoop to looking at members Private Messages if they could, they all seem very nice people.

A vast number of fora are powerd be vBulletin these days, and what a god send it must be for the owners of these fora. It had been brought to my attention that it was possible for the PM' to be looked at with some versions of vBulletin, so thought I would like to get a definative answer from those in the know!

We, shall wait and see, I do hope that I have been told a furphy, a good old saying from the trenches of WW1

Cheers,

Grant

[PHILBROWN]

no they cant grant and why would they, ? i write enough drivvle here without them reading endless quips i send/receive. ive nothing to hide if they did, there welcome anytime maybe your paranoid?

[Dimas]

That is physically impossible, the VBulletin is well secured and there no possibility to see any of the passwords- they encrypted with MD5+salt which for example your pass is: qwerty, the encrypted pass will be looked like: qa7aBOs905g6lsyebr5lgutgde8h3, more than Enygma

The PM's could be readable, but only if someone answered to the PM via @-mail client like OUTLOOK Express ( they never will get by recipient but will be sent to the Admin mailbox, or in case when the notification sent to the recipient is unreached his mailbox and returns to the mailserver... In that case this can be read only by me...But I do not read correspondance if that is not addressed to me, even I have a thousands of @-mails daily, system etc...

[Adrian Stevenson]

It is impossible for any Admin (or Mod) to read private messages on any board using this type of software. Trust me as I have used this software elsewhere as well as here. To read anyones private mail would be a disgraceful breech of trust.

As Dimas, said there is only possible way this could happen. Most of us get an email to say you have a PM. IF the person mistakenly used the E-MAIL to reply, this would not go to the intended person, but to the forum admin mailbox. If that happens as a matter of priniciple, these are deleted. The emails do contain a warning not to use them to reply:

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL!
Admin cannot redirect them to recipient!

Cheers, Ade.

[Steve T]

Grant

It's an Urban rumour mate. One of those made up by the hordes of doom merchants sitting out there on the interwebz, desperately thinking up ways which they could, however unlikely, be being 'spied' on.

And as Philbrown quite rightly said, I have to read the drivvle you put in your posts, why on earth what I want to read your PMs to !!



Steve T

PS The drivvle bit was a joke by the way

[Gary J]

Strueth ! Grant ....
I hope your PM's ain't been knocking the Poms ...
We're 336 for 7 on the 1st Day .. and there ain't no Warney to save you this time !!

[Australian Guy]

Thanks Dimas, Ade et al, You have set my poor paranoid mind at ease

I kind of figured it might have been one of those urban myths that get around, you know, the ones like Phil brown really is a short roofer

Polski 44, It's not over yet mate and Steve, I'm disappointed my drivel is worth reading

I am glad it has cleared the air, I'm sure others had heard such rumors

Cheers,

Grant

[Nige H]

If your worried you could always contact the person directly via normal email.

Nige.