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.

There are 2 issues.

One is the Tweeter. And all that we know has happened so far is she tweeted posts by anonymous posters with 4 IP addresses attached. Possibly deliberately or possibly accidentally. She's apologised, it's been reported to the IOC and the Police.

We have no evidence there is anything else she is in possession of. No evidence she's passed anything on to anyone else. No evidence anyone has been doxed or threatened or harmed.

Suggesting it was part of a deliberate campaign, she's being protected, there is a cover uo, an act of terrorism, she has a dossier of info, every MNetter is at risk, that MNHQ has been infiltrated, we can't trust mods, women may be killed, children are at risk etc just isn't supported by any evidence right now related to this persons actions.

Lots of people are being frightened by some posters with 99.9% chance they have nothing to be afraid of at all.

So it isn't dismissive to suggest that people keep a level head.

The other issue is how MN registers, stores, uses and distributes data. Which I'm sure MN are looking into. And they should.

@tinlegs

Can I ask again what an OTW is on a thread? ("Mumsnet have an OTW on this thread"). Pure nosiness though!

To be honest I'm still surprised that the screen grabs she shared were so, well ... mild? If that's the right word? Ive always assumed the mods have seen worse that have promptly been deleted, based on comments about goady fuckers and deletions.

Personally I'd be most worried about posters like @Datun. If I were out to make trouble she's the one who's information I would have screengrabbed. Datun, do MN have many details on you?

Is there an admin or mod anywhere on the internet who does not know that the IP address shows on their screen?
The assertion that everything was done with malice aforethought except the IP addresses beggars belief.

Hello everyone - just to let you know that there's an update over here.

“To be honest I'm still surprised that the screen grabs she shared were so, well ... mild? If that's the right word? Ive always assumed the mods have seen worse that have promptly been deleted, based on comments about goady fuckers and deletions.“

That’s what makes me think this was all she had to give.

OTW is, I think, One To Watch.

sad and a bit cross

FFS. You should be furious. That you aren't suggests you have no concept of just how bad it is.

Ihavenofuckstogive. You're right, we don't know. That's why people are worried. What we do know is she has some sensitive information that she is willing to share with others who are in a loose group with someone who has already been convicted of assault for their beliefs. We don't know what the information is. We don't know who is affected. We don't know how widely it has been shared or with whom.

If you'll excuse me I am going to be worried. Someone who has shared information on here about DV, about SN, about medical issues has the right to be a lot more worried. Someone who is hiding from a family member has a right to be fucking terrified.

I won a mug from here. Will that lead to an assault from a TRA? Unlikely but until we know more it really can't be ruled out.

Oh, I’ve had that for ages on my iPhone- basically whenever I try to access Mumsnet via public unsecured WiFi. Nothing new for me

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

Indeed, I've confessed to being Pope Francis more than one.

However most of what has been posted here on the subject can be subject to at least quick checks against the various governmental and gdpr.eu web sites.

I would assume that any offer of help would be validated in the normal way (possibly checked more strongly than an intern though).

Mainly I'm hoping the advice being sought now is not the same source as has been used to date.

Mogleflop

They've got my full name.

Fucking hell but this is horrific.

I don't care if she's an intentional criminal or just an unintentional fuckwit as seems to be suggested by MNHQ, but it's bad enough that every lousy journalist can use threads as a lazy story, without this.

Seriously considering requesting every post of mine under every name I've ever used be deleted and then leaving for good.

I don't know if this has been suggested as I'm only on page 17 so far but has your IT department checked that she hasn't put something into your computer system to either hack it or continue to gather our data? Presumably she has IT savvy friends involved in this dreadful situation.

Just caught up....thank you for the update Justine.

Good question @thegirlwhowasn't there. Well @JustineMumsnet?

Much of it is optional, but at its maximum it could include the following: email address, name, gender, the date you joined Mumsnet, IP address at the point you joined; the names, DOBs, gender and number of children you have

Tsk MNHQ, sex not gender

On a more serious note this is meaningless:

From our discussions with her, we do not believe that she has accessed any data other than in the course of her work duties or that she took any additional data before leaving Mumsnet.

Do you really think that if she had taken more data she would have admitted to it?

www.mumsnet.com/info/mumsnet-data-qa

TheGirlWhoWasntThere

I don't know if this has been suggested as I'm only on page 17 so far but has your IT department checked that she hasn't put something into your computer system to either hack it or continue to gather our data? Presumably she has IT savvy friends involved in this dreadful situation.

Bloody good question. There could be all sorts keyloggers and delayed timer malware dowloaded.

Yikes. I'm vaguely hoping it's something common like Sarah Smith Datun? (don't confirm that obviously). Mine's not, which is worrying, but I'm not influential so doubt I'd be noticed.

It's AMAZING that we could be in actual physical danger from a terrorist flashmob because of saying:

"There is such a thing as biological sex, you can't change it, and there should be limits to what you can access if you want to 'live' as another gender (which incidentally is based on stereotypes and we should be wiping those out not entrenching them)."

I mean really, it's almost funny.

How the hell is that hate speech?

This is so disappointing. Why are the u defending her?!

I've just come across this on twitter, which is really weird.

thetab.com/uk/leeds/2016/02/04/roosh-vs-followers-posted-details-online-i-criticised-22209

It looks like the same thing happened to her two years ago

MipMipMip - all of the information you have put on MN will be on other systems at your e.g GP, CYPSS, CAMHS, the Police, your childrens school etc actually directly linked to your name, address, DOB etc.

There are potentially hundreds of people who have access to your personal data daily with no need to go to the trouble of tracking IP addresses or trying to link up email addresses with posts under different names etc to try and find out who you are.

Any one could use your clearly identified data that has access to it. It's far, far more likely (but still extremely, extremely unlikely) that someone with that access would use your actually easily indentifiable data than the idea that a MN ex-mod/intern has some random pieces of data and they (or someone else they passed it on to, which we have no evidence to suggest has happened) are going through it all and piecing together bits of information that could potentially identify someone.

MipMipMip - all of the information you have put on MN will be on other systems at your e.g GP, CYPSS, CAMHS, the Police, your childrens school etc actually directly linked to your name, address, DOB etc.

Missing the point, much?

I wrote this on the update thread, posting it here too.

HebeMumsnet Sorry, it doesn't allay my fears one little bit. MN have taken the word of a proven liar and thief who's sole aim was to cause maximum damage and harm to this site and its users.

Today I have; changed my password, changed my email address and had the post under a different username deleted as I am terrified I have posted too much personal information and the NN I use now is for the feminist board. No one knows what EH has stolen, and it could include;

Full names
Addresses
Email addresses
Children's names and DOB

She had access to all our user names, that means by going from one username to another she could easily build up quite a comprehensive picture of some posters. Saying you don't think she has taken more data is not good enough. GC women are threatened by TRA every day and EH was/is a TRA sympathiser/activist.

Juells www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3226335-Emma-Healey-was-subject-to-a-data-breach?pg=1

Juells - how is it missing the point?

Yes. The difference is I don't share my political views with them and they are not linked to a group (for lack of a better word) who are known to threaten and commit violence.

And actually, I'm not overly worried. I'm out in my real name. But a lot of people aren't, this is the only place they share their views (and how many will stop after this?) I'm also not trying to keep my location secret, as some people on here are. I'm not going to be sacked for having views. I've not said anything that I don't want the world to know - there's nothing very private that I've posted.

A lot of people are not in that position.

The point is we don't know what will happen to that data. For example: ex knows woman uses mumsnet and can work out user name/posts. IP Address published online with a load of others. Ex uses it to track down woman and hurt her.

Until we can be sure what data has been taken and where it has been shared this is a very real worry. Please don't minimise it.

Too much of MNHQ’s confidence about the extent of what was taken seems to stem from their “discussions” with Emma for my liking. The assurances of a dishonest person.