Well done Justine and Becky. We told you it would happen again.

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 2026-08-12T23:28:21+00:00

Just sort it out please. I don’t know any website as badly run as this one. You deserve to lose all your advertisers and lose the website.

ThatWasGreek · 14/08/2026 13:45

Efacsen · 13/08/2026 12:59

They are allegedly in different time zones - so not under UK law

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I was living in Australia when the night watch was started, it must be twelve years ago now. There was a definite push on the Living Overseas board about how helpful it would be to MN to become a part of the night watch. I absolutely thought to myself that I could probably do that a couple of hours a day. Then I realised it was a volunteer role.

SignsofLife · 14/08/2026 13:07

RedTagAlan · 14/08/2026 12:25

In what time zone ?

MN is worldwide.

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Yes true.

Jaimelefromage · 14/08/2026 12:59

SeaAndSangria · 14/08/2026 12:39

Well, seeing as MN is in the UK, I'd say the UK time zone. Although that would mean a lot of users not being able to use it during what would be the daytime for them.
So can't see that happening personally!

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In which case, we’re back to 24/7 moderation as a solution. But Justine wants to protect her millions, so that won’t happen either.

RedTagAlan · 14/08/2026 12:58

SeaAndSangria · 14/08/2026 12:39

Well, seeing as MN is in the UK, I'd say the UK time zone. Although that would mean a lot of users not being able to use it during what would be the daytime for them.
So can't see that happening personally!

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I would be one of the users locked out. I would say anecdotally from a one of the threads I post on, that maybe a quarter of the posters are not in the UK time zone.

I am just making an observation, that's all. MN will have the data from the IPs.

MenArePigs · 14/08/2026 12:52

Outrageous that you’re so penny pinching you can’t be bothered to safeguard your own business

@mnhq

SeaAndSangria · 14/08/2026 12:39

RedTagAlan · 14/08/2026 12:25

In what time zone ?

MN is worldwide.

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Well, seeing as MN is in the UK, I'd say the UK time zone. Although that would mean a lot of users not being able to use it during what would be the daytime for them.
So can't see that happening personally!

KaleidoscopeSmile · 14/08/2026 12:36

Just leave the site FFS

Simonjt · 14/08/2026 12:28

Boreded · 13/08/2026 00:37

Wait what? There were abuse images last year…awful

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Not only that, but people employed by MN to moderate encouraged posters to share the images of child sexual abuse (a crime!), rather than reply to reports and delete that way.

RedTagAlan · 14/08/2026 12:25

SignsofLife · 14/08/2026 11:59

They need to lock the site overnight when no one is moderating. It's simple.

In what time zone ?

MN is worldwide.

SignsofLife · 14/08/2026 11:59

They need to lock the site overnight when no one is moderating. It's simple.

Whinge · 14/08/2026 09:49

Efacsen · 14/08/2026 02:29

My understanding of the overnight moderation is that following the child sex abuse images, Nightwatchers now 'have access' to a day time moderator in the event of a similar crisis after hours

Not sure about NW spotting problem posts as they go about their lives - I was under the impression that they acted in response to posts on the NW board - maybe it's both

.

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Nightwatchers now 'have access' to a day time moderator in the event of a similar crisis after hours

Considering MN staff have told us there's no requirement for nightwatch members to be online, or monitor the forum I highly doubt they have access to a day time moderator. But I would love to hear from a nightwatch member to confirm or deny this.

If MNHQ won't pay for evening / overnight moderators, there's no way they're paying for a day time member of staff to be on call for a just in case situation.

Soontobe60 · 14/08/2026 07:27

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 13/08/2026 00:42

@BeckyAMumsnet you also wrote this -

Our image moderation systems worked as they should, but there was a problem with GIFs pulled directly from GIPHY. We introduced GIFs in 2023 and haven’t had any issues until last night, when someone discovered that the library contains some fairly risqué material and deliberately used it to cause trouble.
To be clear, the GIFs we’ve seen didn’t contain nudity or depict sexual activity, but they were obviously inappropriate for the discussions in which they were posted.
We’ve now placed tighter restrictions on GIPHY content. That may mean the occasional perfectly innocent GIF gets caught too, but our priority is to make sure conversations aren’t derailed by this kind of nonsense.

Dont blame GIPHY, blame yourselves. You’re the ones who can’t run this website in an appropriate manner. You’re the ones lied about the images and you lied about ‘tighter restrictions’ on the GIPHY content. The one I’ve seen was worse than the screenshot I took last night, the one that didn’t get posted for some reason despite it being good enough to be posted in the first place.

Justine is an embarrassment.

And yet here you are…
If this site is as awful as some of you are claiming, why are you on it?

Jaimelefromage · 14/08/2026 07:24

Efacsen · 14/08/2026 02:29

My understanding of the overnight moderation is that following the child sex abuse images, Nightwatchers now 'have access' to a day time moderator in the event of a similar crisis after hours

Not sure about NW spotting problem posts as they go about their lives - I was under the impression that they acted in response to posts on the NW board - maybe it's both

.

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Becky has been clear that there is no overnight moderation. She said that Nightwatch are not unpaid moderators, they are just ‘an extra pair of eyes’ who deal with things if they happen to notice it/see that something has been posted on the NW board. They are not expected to be watching the forum for the entire time.
I have not seen anyone say that they have access to a moderator, perhaps @BeckyAMumsnetcan clarify this point?

Original poster

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 14/08/2026 03:21

Efacsen · 14/08/2026 02:29

My understanding of the overnight moderation is that following the child sex abuse images, Nightwatchers now 'have access' to a day time moderator in the event of a similar crisis after hours

Not sure about NW spotting problem posts as they go about their lives - I was under the impression that they acted in response to posts on the NW board - maybe it's both

.

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My understanding of the overnight moderation

There is NO overnight moderation.

…is that following the child sex abuse images, Nightwatchers now 'have access' to a day time moderator in the event of a similar crisis after hours

I have never heard this. Becky has not said it on this thread, or indeed any thread I’ve seen.

Not sure about NW spotting problem posts as they go about their lives

Becky said this, please read her posts on this thread.

I was under the impression that they acted in response to posts on the NW board - maybe it's both

They do that, that is what that section is for, but many posters have not heard this so if they see something many of them still report in the normal way which the Night Watch volunteers do not have access to.

OP posts:

Efacsen · 14/08/2026 02:29

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 13/08/2026 23:20

@Roundthemaypole The question is, is there overnight moderation, and if not, why not?

From Becky: We do have paid moderators. Nightwatchers are not expected to moderate the site or have set hours. If they happen to be using Mumsnet and spot something concerning, they can temporarily hide the content and suspend the account’s ability to post until a moderator reviews it

So paid moderators are in the day, volunteers ‘if they happen to be using mumsnet’ at other times. I have occasionally seen a mod messaging out of 9-5 Monday to Friday, but not on a regular basis.

My understanding of the overnight moderation is that following the child sex abuse images, Nightwatchers now 'have access' to a day time moderator in the event of a similar crisis after hours

Not sure about NW spotting problem posts as they go about their lives - I was under the impression that they acted in response to posts on the NW board - maybe it's both

.

JustAnotherWhinger · 13/08/2026 23:52

WearyAuldWumman · 13/08/2026 22:08

I think that the Night Watch volunteers do a good job. I only found out about them by accident.

They do. And there is nothing wrong with volunteer members helping a site out occasionally.

However, they are flying solo at night and that’s wrong. There should be staff moderators around too. Especially given MN is clearly targeted at night, likely because their lack of night moderators is well known.

the poor Night Watch were subjected to the CSA images last year with no effective tools to deal with them and (as far as I’m aware) absolutely no prior training on how to deal with images like that.

Original poster

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 13/08/2026 23:20

@Roundthemaypole The question is, is there overnight moderation, and if not, why not?

From Becky: We do have paid moderators. Nightwatchers are not expected to moderate the site or have set hours. If they happen to be using Mumsnet and spot something concerning, they can temporarily hide the content and suspend the account’s ability to post until a moderator reviews it

So paid moderators are in the day, volunteers ‘if they happen to be using mumsnet’ at other times. I have occasionally seen a mod messaging out of 9-5 Monday to Friday, but not on a regular basis.

OP posts:

Original poster

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 13/08/2026 23:16

SignsofLife · 13/08/2026 22:29

I can't believe this actually happened. If it did it's utterly inexcusable.

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Ohh it absolutely did happen. There is a thread in Mumsnet Campaigns about it. The naked girls picture was eventually removed on the 21st May (you can tell by the comments) despite it being put up there on the 12th May. It was actually by a photographer called Ryan McGinley, but the offending picture (three naked young women/girls jumping off some sort of pier into water, the photo is taken from behind) doesn’t even appear on Google images.

Here’s the thread.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnet_campaigns/5528889-need-your-help-with-pre-smartphone-youth-photos-for-new-rage-against-the-screens-campaign?reply=152592462

From the very first comment on the 12th May people are saying to lose that photo, how inappropriate it is.

Page 6 | Need your help with pre smartphone youth photos for new Rage Against the Screens campaign | Mumsnet

Hi all, We’re looking for real photos from Mumsnetters’ gloriously pre-smartphone youths for a new Mumsnet ad campaign about getting kids off screens...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnet_campaigns/5528889-need-your-help-with-pre-smartphone-youth-photos-for-new-rage-against-the-screens-campaign?reply=152592462

OP posts:

Roundthemaypole · 13/08/2026 23:03

Londonmummy66 · 13/08/2026 12:24

@BeckyAMumsnet - can't you just say that no images or GIFs are approved overnight - should deal with the immediate issue?

Justine was asking for naked pictures of teenagers - that is appalling.

The worst of what has been posted over the last few nights isn't GIFs, that's just a distraction from MN. It's recurring sexually explicit offensive walls of text posted on multiple threads.

The question is, is there overnight moderation, and if not, why not?

Foolish1984 · 13/08/2026 22:54

@BeckyAMumsnetWhy not just either ban the posting of images and GIFs after 11pm(?) that seems like an easy solution? Surely? Or, that any photos posted after 11pm (or whatever time) won’t be approved until after 8/9am? 🤷🏼‍♀️ problem solved? 🤷🏼‍♀️ Surely to goodness?

SeaAndSangria · 13/08/2026 22:45

Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice · 13/08/2026 21:05

Oh wow, I didn't know that either.

Are we supposed to know what the moderation team's working hours are? I'm in a different time zone so it's probably often overnight in the UK when I report stuff, but it wouldn't occur to me to check the UK time first.

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Exactly, good point about time zones too - how's anyone supposed to be arsed to figure out what time it is if they're in a different country as well?!

SignsofLife · 13/08/2026 22:29

Jaimelefromage · 13/08/2026 12:44

It was a campaign (around May time) called something like ‘your mum wants you to live a little’, apparently about the pre smartphone ages. The campaign featured a photo of 3 naked teens from behind, and said ‘your mum didn’t sent nudes, she was nude’, then asked people to send in similar photos of them having fun as teens. So not quite ‘please send naked photos’, but extremely unwise (and bizarre!) in terms of the imagery and text used.

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I can't believe this actually happened. If it did it's utterly inexcusable.

WearyAuldWumman · 13/08/2026 22:25

spokenorchid · 13/08/2026 22:17

I don't think the issue is that they don't do a good job, it's that Mumsnet, which is a for-profit business, isn't bothering to pay them, has in the past subjected them to child sexual abuse material, and somehow doesn't see anything wrong in that. I've learned a lot from this thread and it doesn't look good that Mumsnet are exploiting foreign women for their own ends.

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I cannot disagree.

spokenorchid · 13/08/2026 22:17

WearyAuldWumman · 13/08/2026 22:08

I think that the Night Watch volunteers do a good job. I only found out about them by accident.

I don't think the issue is that they don't do a good job, it's that Mumsnet, which is a for-profit business, isn't bothering to pay them, has in the past subjected them to child sexual abuse material, and somehow doesn't see anything wrong in that. I've learned a lot from this thread and it doesn't look good that Mumsnet are exploiting foreign women for their own ends.

Rituelec · 13/08/2026 22:12

It needs sorting out