[HPFGU-Feedback] Re: ADMIN: Possible Change to the Main List Settings

[Shaun Hately]

On 12 Jan 2004 at 13:54, Iggy McSnurd wrote:

> So, while it's easy to join the HPfGU groups, the fact that you *need*
> to join helps to protect the members.  (For one thing, there is an
> implied condition that you will not join a group for the sole purposes
> of dredging up information to use against people.

It's not always just implied either - as I said in my previous 
post, sometimes in my line of work, we're assigned to check people 
out and we use the net for that purpose. We work under very 
specific rules as to what information we can and cannot gather 
under particular conditions - on their own authority my 
subordinates can gather anything returned by standard websearch 
methodologies - if they want to join something like a closed 
yahoogroup, though, they need my approval (and I have to satisfy 
myself as to certain things before I can give it). The rules get 
stricter, the further we go up the chain - eventually we're dealing 
with needing to use court orders, etc.

Also - a lot of the time, it's messages that probably seemed quite 
innocent, that get people into trouble because they get interpreted 
through certain lenses - Iggy's mention of a southern Baptist 
Minister isn't really an uncommon scenario. I know personally of a 
case where a SciFi fan temporarily (fortunately sanity prevailed) 
lost custody of her children because she'd written a post about 
getting ready to watch the start of a new season of her favourite 
show, and totally tongue in cheek, had written a post to a mailing 
list that referred to 'tying up and gagging the kids so I could 
have some peace and quiet.'

You might be surprised at what can potentially be used against you.


Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately | www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       | drednort at ... | ICQ: 6898200 
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one
thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the 
facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that 
need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Face of Evil
Where am I: Frankston, Victoria, Australia