Do the Mods..

[minnie56]

Read 'Private Messages'???

Surely not?

 

[Hedy]

I suppose you could always forward it if it were that incendinary.

 

[Captain Brain]

We read the ones that YOU send us. I don't think that anyone can read the Private Message, besides the person you send it to or forward it to.

If you have a problem with someone over a PM, forward it to a Webmaster.

 

[Hercules10]

Possibly, and stop calling me 'Shirley'...

 

[Mono~rail]

Read 'Private Messages'???

Surely not?

What's going on now? Today has been so weird. PM me!

 

[minnie56]

What's going on now? Today has been so weird. PM me!

Hahahaha...no, nothing and if there were, I'd be the last one to know!!!
I just heard a rumour and hoped it wasn't true..

 

[tiggersmom2]

Why do you ask?

I swear there is a full moon coming.......

 

[Mono~rail]

Hahahaha...no, nothing and if there were, I'd be the last one to know!!!
I just heard a rumour and hoped it wasn't true..

Where did you hear the rumor?

 

[minnie56]

Where did you hear the rumor?

I'd have to kill you!

 

[dcentity2000]

If memory serves, they do. Not routinely, surely, but when they feel it is needed.



Rich::

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

I don't have mod powers on this board. I have other powers, but that's a bit off topic.

I know on other boards that I am familiar with the mods/admins/WMs can't access other people's PMs and can't even read other people's passwords. Any personal info that comes up on a person just has a bunch of ****s as their password. Some board powers can reset a password (this is what they do when someone loses their password here I'm guessing), and enter into an account that way, but you would know your account was tampered with when you couldn't get in with your old password.

 

[Tim Gunn]

Only the juicy ones.

No.. with all seriousness.. Moderators can NOT read PMs. Private messages are just that, Private.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

It's my understanding that they have the capability, but that they have far better things to be doing.

 

[robinb]

The rumor that they can read PMs has been around for a long time. I don't know for sure, but I would not recommend sending anything in a PM that you would not want a Mod/WM to read.

 

[Boo'sMom]

It's my understanding that they have the capability, but that they have far better things to be doing.

that is my understanding as well. As the administrators, yes, they have that ability, but not the inclination.

 

[JunieJay]

I used to be a mod here, long ago and far away and a different name ago. And at that time, mods could not read PMs or really do much of anything from a technical standpoint (or any standpoint, actually. ). Not sure about WMs tho.......

 

[dcentity2000]

Technically, if you have access to the database, all you need to do is search and hey presto!

Problem is, if you don't know what you're looking for, it's like wading through mud - slow, dull and basically fruitless.

There is a mod for the forum software here that allows mods to read PMs through the board software; whether that has been installed or not I don't know.

In that case, though, they'd have to be targeting a particular person - there's just too much data to filter through systematically.



Rich::

 

[MELSMICE]

Interesting question.

 

[keishashadow]

no offense but, why would you care if they did or not?

better yet, why would the mods want to waste their time on PMs when they've got bigger fish to fry on the CB?

 

[WebmasterAlex]

I swear this question comes up every 6th months or so.

Rich has the right answer. From a technical point of view anyone with database access can read anything just like any tech person at your work can read your emails and AOL or Gmail staff can read your emails if you use their service and they really want to.
In order to do it you have to have server access. No moderators or webmasters have that server access as they have no need. The only people with server access are Pete, myself and some behind the scenes tech people that you have never heard of and have never heard of you. We all have way better things to do than wade through the 1000's of PM's that are sent everyday.
The honest to god truth is ANYTHING you write or post on the internet can be read by someone. Even the credit card numbers you put in on a "secure" site can be read by the technical staff somewhere.