Update from MNHQ addressing the recent images posted on the site

Sorry, I'm not Justine but have something to add. I should think limiting new posters is possible but not sure how much it would help because anyone wanting to post illegal photos would just have to join MN and wait a bit before going ahead.
My feeling is that the urgent thing is getting the AI filter up to isolate any photos or links to photos that look remotely dodgy and immediately prevent the poster posting again until the suspect photo has been visually checked by a human being. The problem with waiting for a certain number of users to report them is that they will have to look at the photos first, then the moderator will need to look too, which is distressing and also risks someone equally dodgy taking a screenshot and sharing it.

That’s wholly unacceptable behaviour.

Fully agree re answers and with no ad hominems, that's what I said....

There is now a BBC news story and a PH thread on this.

Probably to create shock and revulsion.
Mumsnet is a parenting site, {mainly} and people will naturally be revolted and horrified at illegal images of children being sexually abused.

Conjecture, but there are various groups who dislike Mumsnet but I'm not saying that these are guilty of posting the illegal images.

I'm very grateful I didn't see them that night, but I have seen other inappropriate stuff posted {Probably by men out to ''shock''}

It's fair enough that people ask questions. Some people are taking the piss out of Justine, mocking photos, calling her Big Jussers. How is that helpful to anyone?

There is no support for ad hominem attacks here.

But, this is a hugely important matter, and MN users are entitled to seek answers - hence MNHQ rightly starting this thread.

Yes I think you are right.

@JustineMumsnet is there a way to limit new posters as to what they can post for example only one post a day. Maybe a stupid question - I’m not very technical so don’t know if possible.

I would prefer a system where photos were oked by a moderator before they went up,it's not like that many photos go up.and someone should be paid for that job.it just sounds too easy for it to happen again and that should never happen.an ai filter doesn't sound enough.i dont really want to leave mumsnet but have stopped using it at night now.most of all I hope they have caught the perpetrator and the 7 hours delay in calling the police didn't prevent this happening.

But being insulting achieves nothing. It's totally valid to ask about changes, and criticise what was in place, but personal remarks aren't really in the spirit if improvement. Which is what we want. And are likely to result in fewer updates.

There’s no attempt to silence anyone. There is an effort to delete and ban trolls who are hopefully just opportunistic and not actually linked to whoever posted those images.

Thanks for the response.

’Messed up big time’ would be one way of describing it.

A number of posters have clearly been profoundly impacted by the terrible images they saw - they are entitled to ask what safeguards are being implemented so there can never be a repeat.

Surely you can understand that?

Exactly.

What makes me very uncomfortable, on a site that markets itself as "by parents for parents" is that this was initially minimised as trolling, and that now, discussion about this is being intentionally hidden from active, shut down across threads and people raising concerns are at risk of being labelled "bad actors" and that other users are essentially being requested to dob them in.

That, and the lack of any mention of support for the volunteers that were exposed to the barrage of abuse images (not some nasty little naughty troll) over that night.

These weren't some kind of silly little troll images - they were highly illegal images of children being abused - and I'm horrified at the attempts to minimise it and shut down the expression of valid concerns over this. Not to mention the use of volunteer mods to prop up a financially very profitable website... but then they also used to rely on interns a lot as well - and that ended well with one going rogue didn't it? The consistent playing fast and loose with user data, the defaulting to "whoops, nasty people" type responses when things go wrong and now the attempt to silence a community largely of mothers - who are inevitably going to react incredibly strongly to images of children being abused... it's not a good look.

Apologies I see HQ have posted a number of other comments since the one I just replied to, and may have already answered my question (and the several other unanswered questions from users).

I'll come back to the thread later. Right now, I'm getting more and more annoyed with every 'official' comment, which isn't productive.

Mumsnet is a relatively big site at this point with many advertisements. Why is there not somebody employed to monitor the site at night

At 11pm? Or when images of CSA were posted for the second time?
Or in the morning when paid staff started work? Or later, after managing to reach a senior member of staff?

Since Justine is off spinning for the press, can you maybe confirm that there is an escalation policy that the unpaid volunteers can access in these situations? They NEED to be able to take appropriate action.

Thank you for the update.

I'm concerned as to why there are volunteers propping up what is essentially a profit making website. Volunteers for a charity, yes, but for a business that takes in a good sum of money? I didn't know this was how sites operated regarding employees.

Big Jussers. I mean seriously. Yes, once again, awful images were posted <and removed> but do you not think your 'Big Jussers' comments diminishes the problem as if you find it all one big joke? .

No one does that.

R2 just had it on their news bulletin.

You're not really posting in good faith are you @Wetherspoons ?

Do you want to help improve the site, or do you just want to bring down MN?

If it acts like a troll and targets abuse at women …

Istg some people act as if Big Jussers is running it out of the basement of her ran-down house or something...