The MNHQ Moderation Team: Thread 2

[BarrackerBarmer]

Follow on thread regarding the data breach situation:
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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 Information Commissioner.

Opps.

Her comment about the maternity campaign reads to me that she thinks we are all silly middle aged women who just don’t understand trans at all and need to get with the program.

Her comment about the maternity campaign reads to me that she thinks we are all silly middle aged women who just don’t understand trans at all and need to get with the program.

I saw it as lip service - like she is pretending to give a flying fuck about breeders -

@justine

You have my address, my actual address. Once from a competition and once from the secret Santa days. I assume that at your end my address is linked to my user name and email - so you knew where to send correct stuff.

So theoretically EH could have a screen shot of my address and be sharing it with whomever she wants...

Is this possible?

Yes, and Justine told us yesterday they would be taking more advice on this morning which they clearly did.

Offical advice - Not information coming from the people posting here who could for all HQ know, be talking out of their arses.

I think that's fair enough.

I think MNHQ would be wise to get someone technical who knows the detail of responsibility under the DPA to answer questions on security and the data that MN hold, as I think Justine's personal knowledge is lacking here and perhaps isn't the best person to answer these questions. She holds responsibility as the owner, but I fear that her answers are doing more harm than good and god forbid if something does happen or MN fail to action on the good advice and knowledge here, her comments here could come back to haunt.

I am extremely concerned about the comment about sensitive personal data.

This is from the ICO's website on the definition of data:

Data means information which –
^(a) is being processed by means of equipment operating automatically in response to instructions given for that purpose,
(b) is recorded with the intention that it should be processed by means of such equipment,^
(c) is recorded as part of a relevant filing system or with the intention that it should form part of a relevant filing system,
(d) does not fall within paragraph (a), (b) or (c) but forms part of an accessible record as defined by section 68, or
(e) is recorded information held by a public authority and does not fall within any of paragraphs (a) to (d).

c is clarified as:

any set of information relating to individuals to the extent that, although the information is not processed by means of equipment operating automatically in response to instructions given for that purpose, the set is structured, either by reference to individuals or by reference to criteria relating to individuals, in such a way that specific information relating to a particular individual is readily accessible.

Now given that everything on MN is searchable by username then that most definitely is processed or filed.

ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/key-definitions/

MN have categories which actively invite users to post sensitive information and posters have a reasonable expectation of anonymity. When that information is connected to an IP address or an email address it becomes sensitive.

I'm sure that some one who actually knows this stuff inside out can explain better than me (I'll try and get DH on it later).

Offical advice - Not information coming from the people posting here who could for all HQ know, be talking out of their arses.

If I see MNHQ spouting stuff they say they have been advised and is incorrect, then I'm damn well going to question it, because its called holding MNHQ to account and its in the public interest of all users here.

I think this has been a terrible move not only for EH personally but also her cause. This is just an example of what's being said under #Mumsnet on Twitter. She's scored a gigantic own goal.

Well. How splendid

I recommend that EH does not pursue a career in crisis communications and PR...

The big thing that no-one seems to be addressing (tho perhaps this is happening behind the scenes) is WTF EH was doing taking screenshots of a private IT system containing personal data and sending it outside the IT system to her personal email / phone account. What was the intention behind that, if not to cause harm and distress? The apology is completely silent on this

I saw some change in attitudes after Dido Harding got raked over the coals in the parliamentary committee.

To quote someone from NCSC: "the Talk Talk vulnerability was older than the scrote accused of doing it".

That 'apology' was nonsense. Why should anyone who was hurt by her actions take her maturity levels into account? It might be Mumsnet, buy we're not her mum. Why would we care about her self-imposed social media exile? Tell it your parents, your (I would imagine soon to be ex) employers and the police. You're not a child. Take responsibility for your actions.

With all due respect, Bumblefuddle, you could be anybody fraudulently posing as an expert online....and as an expert, you should appreciate the danger in them acceding to such an offer, however well intended.

I think its absolutely right that MN are seeking advisors for themselves.

@Weebo why do you keep on doing that "let's all calm down, stop being silly" stuff? Just about everyone yesterday pointed out it was a big deal, and we were assured she was an awfully nice girl and it was a mistake, and no need to involve anyone else because she'd emailed and said she was sorry. That was still the situation last night.

I don't understand why she was hired in the first place, her sm history showed up the second she was googled, and had 'fanatic' and 'activist' written all over it. It's one thing to hire people with lots of different views, but she was out there as exactly what she was, someone who thought women who disagreed with her were Terfs and scum.

@justinemumsnet thank you for consulting with the ICO. If I may make a further suggestion, as someone who also works in emergency situations (albeit on a slightly different scale, in a very different industry), please invest in some emergency planning. At a bare minimum you should have emergency lines prepared to help reassure users that they and their information are safe. A good communications team should have these prepared as a matter of course.

It also means that you at least appear to be being proactive, even in the most bizarre situations. Please ensure you have sufficient debriefs to ensure that lessons are learned and appropriate actions taken.

Exactly. This is now about data protection and unlawful activities. Her age or cause are irrelevant. No need for any 'all girls together' nonsense. I thought we were all subject to the same rules.

Weebo why do you keep on doing that "let's all calm down, stop being silly" stuff?

I'm not.