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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

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See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

The MNHQ Moderation team

999 replies

BarrackerBarmer · 18/04/2018 12:51

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.

The MNHQ Moderation team
OP posts:
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8
RedToothBrush · 18/04/2018 22:31

I hope Emma, who said she had no loyalty to MN realises how much Justine has looked out for her. Justine didn't need to do that. If anything Justine has done more damage to trust between users and MN in doing so. No doubt there will still be the usual trail of martyrdom surrounding this on twitter whilst blasting MN. MN are between a rock and a hard place on this, with Emma leaving them with few options imho. (And DH's professional one).

RosenbergW · 18/04/2018 22:31

Wondering if someone on the MNHQ team has a personal relationshipof some sort with Emma now tbh, because "she said sorry and I said don't do it again and she said okay and I believe her" is not believable or acceptable. It's what you would do if you were desperately trying to keep someone out of trouble. It's incredibly unprofessional and very risky in the circumstances. Justine doesn't strike me as unprofessional or the sort to risk her business and her reputation lightly. So what is going on here?

Winewinewinegin · 18/04/2018 22:31

@Juzza12 you might not want to advertise that online if you are concerned about hacks - maybe get your post deleted?

redhalia · 18/04/2018 22:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Juells · 18/04/2018 22:32

@kalapattar
Does it? I thought the ICO says that you don't have to report breaches

Just checked back and discovered it was the Irish Data Protection website that I clicked on by mistake.
www.dataprotection.ie/docs/Guidance-on-how-to-complete-the-data-breach-notification-form-in-compliance-with-EU-Regulation-611/1319.htm

AngryAttackKittens · 18/04/2018 22:33

Someone tried to sign into mine earlier and they had my password. Password was the same word as my Mumsnet one but with a different number on the end.

Again, @JustineMumsnet, this is very serious indeed. This is not a "well do try to be more professional in future, dear" kind of situation. An apology is not enough, and your primary responsibility here is to your users, not your former intern.

HairyBallTheorem · 18/04/2018 22:34

Truscum the real question is, do you, or do you not have a loo brush?

But yes, there's been endless jumping up and down from various quarters for quite some time about how transphobic MN is, but funnily enough no-one's really come up with convincing examples. In fact, Some just tried to start a TAAT on this, and her examples were: a thread which loads of us reported at the time because it was genuinely transphobic, so the mods took it down really quickly (surely an example of MN's modding policy working right); and a couple of posts from women saying "you know what, I'm really not comfortable with getting naked in changing rooms in front of male bodied individuals or having a male bodied HCP doing medical exams, and I think I should have rights to set my own personal boundaries on things to do with my body." If Some really does see the latter views as transphobic then I'm afraid she is exactly the sort of TRA extremist who worries me, because people should be allowed to set boundaries about their own bodies.

ThisisSparta · 18/04/2018 22:34

Hmm I don’t want to go all tinfoil hat because my IT skills are rubbish so it may well be my own cock up, but I’ve had to deregister my account and then register again (twice!) this week because I kept getting locked out of my account (wouldn’t accept my password).

(Used to post as HattiesBackPack)

Mumsnut · 18/04/2018 22:34

Truscum Grin

Juzza12 · 18/04/2018 22:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HopScotchy · 18/04/2018 22:34

I think it's quite likely Emma is connected personally to someone at MN somehow. I can't think why else it feels so 'sorted' to them without action?

IntelligentYetIndecisive · 18/04/2018 22:34

@WhereistheVicksgone, The IP address is precisely that; an address.

In some cases, it can pinpoint a single postcode.

Even if it doesn't, it can track back to a geographical area and combined with some other data that the targeted poster may have published on the forum, someone trying to track that poster down can narrow the search considerably....

QueenYnci · 18/04/2018 22:35

It's worth you knowing that Emma has apologised wholeheartedly to a member of our team for her actions and confirmed that the publishing of IPs was accidental and, though she did have access to user data for a time, I don't think there's any significant risk of a further breach.

@JustineMumsnet. As others have said, I believe Emma is only sorry she got caught.

It doesn't feel 'accidental'. She could have taken the screenshots from anywhere but she took them as an admin to show she had access.

Your comments read that you're dismissing valid concerns that she may have taken other screenshots or data (potentially containing names, addresses, emails). I hope you can understand how we wouldn't automatically trust the word of someone who has already, at the very least, breached your trust and the trust of your users.

I have been supporting Mumsnet very vocally this week, and will continue to do so, but I found today's response to this breach worrying.

0phelia · 18/04/2018 22:36

Out of interest why does it put posters in danger if their IP address is known?

Your IP address identifies the region / city / town you are in, so it only takes a read through of a few mumsnet posts to work out exactly who you are from your username.

kalapattar · 18/04/2018 22:36

Even under GDPR, you don't always need to report. But you need to look at the breach and the consequences.

Big fines though. And big fines if you don't report when you should. Or if you don't have sufficient protection in.

What's worrying is that people need to be concerned that having an opinion on something can lead to action against you. It's alarming that people will try to target someone who has a different opinion to themselves through their employer, home etc.

AngryAttackKittens · 18/04/2018 22:36

Bluntly, it doesn't matter whether or not Emma is sorry. "Sorry" is not a defense to have breached data security and stolen information from one's employer.

Ekphrasis · 18/04/2018 22:38

I will say that mn kindly changed my username for a years worth of posts when I was outed under sad circumstances at work. They were extremely supportive.

spontaneousgiventime · 18/04/2018 22:40

The only thing EH is sorry for is being caught and what makes it worse is the lack of seriousness this seems to be being dealt with. I've posted before about how as an older woman I don't feel safe, now I don't feel safe here. Who in all honesty would allow interns to have access to users data? I will never, ever understand how data is not viewed as private and not to be shared with all and sundry.

AsAProfessionalPenis · 18/04/2018 22:40

Accusations of transphobia and from MN staff Shock
It's a joke. I know far more than I want to about what is acceptable to TRAs and frequently supporters demonstrate 'transphobia' accidentally
Saying a penis is not a female body part is transphobic. Saying trans women and women are not the same is transphobic
As we don't have definitions of either woman or trans woman the only way to be safe is to not discuss. Which is what they want.
I'm disgusted by the views of MN staff

Winewinewinegin · 18/04/2018 22:41

What's worrying is that people need to be concerned that having an opinion on something can lead to action against you. It's alarming that people will try to target someone who has a different opinion to themselves through their employer, home etc.

So true, and why it is so important to stand up against this attack on free speech.

HopScotchy · 18/04/2018 22:41

Nor is not knowing that what you stole for personal use is 'data' or not. I have never known in my entire working life someone take information about individuals home with them to 'use later'. It's not OK to say she didn't know. She took it to use, she used it.

EnoughOfThisNonsense · 18/04/2018 22:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Winewinewinegin · 18/04/2018 22:42

I will say that mn kindly changed my username for a years worth of posts when I was outed

This could be a good option for anyone concerned.

AssignedPuuurfectAtBirth · 18/04/2018 22:42

Is it this kind of sorry?

IamXXHearMeRoar · 18/04/2018 22:44

Creating turmoil and trying to get mners to flounce is exactly the desired result for those who wish to shut women up for good, don't get sucked in.

Obviously Healy isn't the sharpest tool in the box but if anyone thinks this nonsense is enough to have us bail then they have another think coming! This is a natural progression from all the bullying that we are fighting against, the threats to advertisers or to any venues booked for a woman's place etc.

United we stand to protect women's rights and I do not believe for a second that places me in a minority.