The MNHQ Moderation team

[BarrackerBarmer]

Dear MNHQ

I'm very grateful for the commitment to free speech you've publicly taken, and for Justine's courage this week.

A former disgruntled employee of MN is writing on Twitter about the 'transphobia' of MN staff, and calling you TERFs. She is showing a great deal of bias and intolerance towards women with feminist views, this may well be her honest opinion, which is no big deal I suppose, since she is no longer an employee.

At least, it isn't an issue until she calls a shout out to her
'friends who still work at MN' to report and take down posts by 'transphobic scum', by which she appears to be referring to any poster objecting to being called TERF by her friend.

Regardless of the personal views of the MNHQ staff, who should be as free to hold their own views as I am mine, I am disturbed that there may be a small contingent of employees who are invested in unfair moderation and will not be applying fair-handed principles, at least if the claims of this ex-employee are credible.

Can you please give posters some reassurance that the difficult job of fair-handed moderation isn't being abused by the 'friends' of ex-employees who are 'reporting it all' and taking down posts because any gender criticism means the poster is 'transphobic scum'?

Thank you.

I guess a public statement is being prepared. If I could lovebomb MN towers right now I would. They're there for us, we're there for them.

Haha 😂 at “journalism”, well then that suggests this was an intentional. You know...an breach of her contract with MN and possibly the law. No court will accept that journalism excuse here, they’ll just see an admission of guilt.

Employment status

Oh dear.

I asked the question genuinely and have no experience in this area. If this person can publicly state that others were/are involved in collaborating with her on this and yet nothing can legally be done to check what she has on her devices or who else is involved - that is shocking.

It would require "this" to be an offence sufficient to obtain either power of arrest or a search warrant. Sadly, it isn't. I'm not sure if GDPR fixes this, I'm not sure.

Moreover, on the assumption of a reasonably secured iPhone, even if you get an arrest or a search warrant and have their phone in your hand, your powers to find out what is on it are rather limited.

This is a data controller's nightmare. In 2018, it's very difficult (other that in environments where everyone is highly cleared and there are guns by the entrance) to prevent data from being exfiltrated from an organisation. But that sort of data is usually covered by the Official Secrets Act, which does have all sorts of scary investigatory powers. If you don't have guns, and you don't have data which falls under the OSA, then how you prevent your employees from dropping you in the DPA shit is what keeps data protection people up at night. #gladIamnotdoingitanymore

interns will probably sign an NDA on arrival - which is fine.
frankly, even if Emma didn't sign anything, the court will be swift to infer an obligation of confidentiality here.

Emma needs to make a full and frank disclosure of what she has. And then get on with her life, hopefully a sadder and wiser woman.

LibDem LGBT twitter account are calling her whistle-blower (which may carry or call for some protection)

They are also claiming Mumsnetters are calling for reinstatement of Section 28 (which I have never seen and nor would I expect to) by using a tweet which on my reading is doing no such thing...

(context can be important!)

Just seen this thread - what the deep fried fuck?!

For people who are worried, there is information here (and in many other places) on changing your IP address.

It seems that there is a section of the TRA community which believes that they have the right to break the law with impunity, on the basis of having taken offence at the gender-critical views of others.

Given that this person appears to have broken laws relating to data protection, leaving a number of women vulnerable to online or real-life attack, MNHQ really need to take this illegal data breach to the appropriate authorities. Failing to do so would send a very clear message that MN will capitulate to threats and to illegal actions, and that breaking data protection laws is yet another way to silence women.

Weird how this isn't in trending any more...lol.

Funny how her anger towards Mumsnet rears it's head just after Justine speaks to the times, isn't it?

She's clearly been hanging on to these screenshots waiting for MN to appear in one of the 'big' newspapers regarding this issue. This isn't about trans people, it's about self-promotion.

It has blown up in her face but I'm just sorry it has now brought more shit to Justine's door.

Keep stayin' classy, HQ.

Whistle blower my arse.

She is not acting as a journalist. Everything on the feminist chat is openly available for people to read. Its not hidden away.

If you are whistleblowing and revealing information which is confidential and not available to the public you have to be able to argue it is in the public interest to do so and it is focused on the particular institution you take issue with.

The 'public interest' argument here would be purely about MNHQ editorial policy. That has nothing to do with user's personal information. It was totally unnecessary to breach data

If you are putting people at unnecessary risk in doing so, that is not covered by a public interest defence. What she has stolen, does not add anything new to the public interest because the content of the posts was already public.

Her opinion and knowledge of MNHQ editorial policy is quite separate from what data been stolen.

The fact she has now hidden her twitter account is problematic. No one can report her to twitter for targeted harassment against individuals (nothing to do with MN itself). Not only that, many of us, have no effing idea what else she is saying on twitter. That in itself will cause anxiety.

This is a police matter as it is a data breach (I have consulted with DH whose job is to know this shit) and I hope they have been informed as I personally will not be happy with any other outcome.

I look forward to MN confirming that they have taken legal advice and have informed the police over the matter (I hope that we do not get paid lip service over this).

I am not happy.

Whistle blower my arse
Indeed.

Nasty control freaks.

What was the point of the screen shots?- anyone could have done that from any computer without the tabs. They are important because of the tabs, not the content. It looks like a demonstration that there is something more to mumsnet to me. Holding them over a barrel.

The comments screenshotted were all from a public forum. What whistle did she blow?!?

They are also claiming Mumsnetters are calling for reinstatement of Section 28

Defamation.

Shameless opportunist more like.

^^Pratchet

Is Healey sacrificing herself to bring MN to be censured for data breach with fines, legal cases and expenses and outside interference over the forum? The TRA plan of infiltration is well publicised. There may be something even more sinister here

This was my point when I said don't swallow the bait

What was the point of the screen shots?- anyone could have done that from any computer without the tabs. They are important because of the tabs, not the content

Exactly. She wanted to show that she had access to user data and very possibly has username/email combinations in her possession.

MN not protecting user data adequately? Once is unfortunate, twice is careless.

This may have more impact on advertisers than a ‘large minority ‘ insisting on the correct application of biological fact.

I can see the headlines now

Activists leak data of MN users discussing the rights of women and girls