The Arcive of Official vBulletin Modifications Site.

amnesia623 · #1 11-10-2007, 04:02 AM

I have to break the beginning of this story down into small sentences because I' having a hard time getting it across correctly.

I started a forum and built it.
I sold the database and domain name to a user.
Since the sale, the community has split and some members started their own forum.
I have no control over either forum although I did impex that data into the new database.

The split was a nasty exchange of words and posts between the current owner, myslef, and the others. The others left the forum and started their own and now are claiming that the admin of the board they left is altering posts to 'suit his needs.'

While this is a small little community, there have been insinuations that legal action against the current board owner could be taken on the basis that some people are using their 'real names' and that altering posts will misrepresent the ideas and opinions that they are trying to express.

It won't ever get to the this point but it brought up some questions in my head of who actually is responsible for the content posted on forums.

In my mind and from everything I have read, the owner of the site is ultimately resposible for the content of the site. Also, as I understand it, the owner of the site can do what they wish with the site content. The opinion expressed in a post will always belong to the poster, but the typed content posted belongs to the site owner.

But who else can also control the content? Say I have a hosting agreement with a hosting company, do they have any say in the content of the site? Can they edit posts and such?

I know these questions are a little far-fetched, but I need to ask the obvious to help me understand.

What if a user posts a picture that portrays an illegal activity? Who's liable for the picture? Me as the admin or the person who posted the content?

Can one actually have legal action taken against them for editing a post?
Where is the line between user accountability and site owner responsibility?

Any thoughts on this would be great.

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