[3.0.0 beta 5] Read your members Private Messages

* Users tested this on beta 5,6,7,gamma,rc1 and didn't complain about errors *

/*================================================= =====================*\
|| This IS the First vB3 Hack (PM.PHP)
|| Description: Allow Super Administrators to read Private Messages
||
|| Author : Scott (scott@vbulletin.com) (version 1.0 for beta 3)
|| SideKick : Xiphoid (info@vBulletin.nl) (version 1.1 for beta 5)
||
|| Install : Upload to admincp/ folder and in browser run as
|| http://www.yoursite.com/forum/admincp/pm.php?userid=x
\*================================================ ======================*/

ENJOY
(and thank you Scott)

[tjad]

where is this?done the other part(have trolls blew up old board)

now create a new phrase in "Control Panel User Management" as follows:
varname: view_users_pms
text: View Users PM's

[Talisman]

I know it's a tired subject for most folks, but getting back to the legal responsibility/privacy issues (a few pages back)...... Sorry for dredging this up again, but I find it's an interesting topic.

You know, I think there's an important distinction that's been missed here. There's a big difference between the obligations and legal risk/exposure between people who are (1) IT professionals working for a commercial or non-profit organization ... (2) those technical administrators who truly provide communication services to the public ... and (3) people who own and manage private forums/communities on the internet.

Legally, I believe this would be the key phrase: "... providing an electronic communication service to the public..."

In my mind... admins/engineers who work for an internet service provider (for example) are held responsible under that law, as would be anyone else in a technical position at some place like msn, yahoo, or icq. Those are public communication services (free or fee-based) that actually serve the public in one way or another.

But as a forum owner ... that's not the role I'm in at all. The members who register for my community are NOT part of the general viewing public and they're NOT customers or consumers.

A more accurate way of describing this would be to say that my members are guests in my home. Incidentally, this private-versus-public distinction also applies to that old "free speech vs. censorship" debate and how we function as administrators/moderators by establishing membership rules. There's a difference between people expressing themselves on a public street corner (which is legally protected as their right to freedom of expression) from people having a conversation in the living room of a private residence. (That difference being... it's my house and I'm the one hosting the party and paying all the bills. If I don't like what you say or how you behave as a guest in my home, which is private property, then I have the right to throw you out.)

In my case, I registered my domain name, installed my (licensed) software, set up my database, designed my website, secured hosting on a server, and arranged for all the memory storage and bandwidth being used each month. That website and everything in it -- is mine. I bought and paid for all those "assets" and they legally belong to me as property.

For that matter, I am also held legally responsible for any abuses or illegal activities that take place on my (private) property -- whether I know it's occuring or not.

The visiting (public) web surfers who stumble across my website either by accident or by invitation DO NOT have access to exchange private messages with anyone else, neither can they email my other members, post a message in my forum, or forward messages to someone else. To do any of these things, they first have to "register" as a member of my private (not public) forum.

Furthermore, if I don't take my responsibily as the licensed owner of my board seriously and, let's say, my members start using MY forum (and it's features) to traffic illegal drugs or distribute child pornography or make bombs or stalk/sexually harass other people ... then how am I supposed to defend myself when the authorities find out about what's going on and show up at my door with a subpoena or an arrest warrant?

I'm the one with full access to that database containing "plain text" of every forum post and private message that's been sent. How could I legitimately claim that I don't know what people are using my site for? What court would overlook my allowing these things to happen ... when all I can say for myself is, "Well gee... I didn't want to intrude on their privacy?"

[aquariumpros]

Works in 3.0.3 great!!

[delds]

The owner of the board, I feel is responsible for the operation of that board.

If the administrator / owner doesn't have the ability to monitor everything that happens with the forums that he / she is overseeing , how can he / she know rather or not the forums private messages is not being used as a means to send or plan illegal activities, or possibly harassing others on the forums.

Having the ability to view all private messaging on the forums is an added means for the owner / administrator to verify that such activities are not taking place. As long as you include in a privacy statement that the owners / administrators of the forums do have the ability to read all private messages than you should haev your legal ass covered.

I would however like to be able to view all private messages in the entire forum system on one page, without checking it individually by user. Perhaps a page that would inidcate user name / time date / private message, of each message.

[mr_RR]

I installed this hack.

To all the people who have privacy issues, remember that the board has no responsibility to keep messages private, although an ethical administrator will. There are times on occasion when I do have to go into the PMs and make a ban based on what I find there. Unfortunately, I will get users who sign up and PM everyone on the active list with a lkink to his site/free-ipods/referral link. This blatant spam and pimpage is not welcome, and this hack allows me to protect my users from spam easier. Also, on occasion, I have found users PMing links to porn to each other. This is in strict violation of the rules, and needs a way to be enforced. An administrator who wishes to abuse privacy will always find a way to do so, this tool is merely a convience to those administrators who have a reason to go through PMs on occasion.

[bondjetta]

I can think of some reasons to use it on one of the larger sites that I run...but it's truly an invasion of privacy (unless it got to death threats, etc...which has happened before i'm sure).

I'll probably install it, but not use it...believe it if you will but it's the truth

[NSeXcellent]

Originally Posted by bondjetta

I can think of some reasons to use it on one of the larger sites that I run...but it's truly an invasion of privacy (unless it got to death threats, etc...which has happened before i'm sure).

I'll probably install it, but not use it...believe it if you will but it's the truth

Is there a "View Recent PMs" hack for vB3 like the one they had for vB2 ??

[ozmazdaclub]

Thanks for the Hack * Installed *

[evss]

Originally Posted by NSeXcellent

Is there a "View Recent PMs" hack for vB3 like the one they had for vB2 ??

suggest u view earlier post on this thread.
there a recent view provided.

[Mechanical Mind]

* clicks install *

Will let you know how it goes. :smoke: