Are private messages private?

I'm curious to know if private messages can be read by moderators and/or Slab.

I know for sure that moderators and super moderators cannot read them. And we cannot even provide a link to one. The only way I could show you one of mine is to do a copy and paste. I think that would work.

Hmm.. what reassuring words are there for this one? In all my time of messing around with forums as a mod and or admin, I've never seen where anyone but the sender and recipient could read the message.

Private messages are just that PRIVATE. However Visitor messages are public and unless you delete them anyone can go to your profile and read them.

I only had access to my own private messages when I was moderator. I would never think of reading messages for others even if I had access to them.

For your information, I have access to the data base, I can get at anything. But you need to know it's near impossible to dig through it. You also need to know Email on any server, or at any company is the same way. Don't type anything on a computer that you want to keep 100% private, unless you are a security administrator and write your own security algorithms.

I've received questions via email about this topic over the recent events here on Crappie.com because PMs were seemingly edited. If I "censor" a word, or a url, it's censored automatically everywhere, in PMs as well. So no, I am not reading and editing PMs, but please realize it's not private, private. It's all somewhere in the data base, and that holds true on any forum you join, public or private.

And anyone is welcome to PM me issues or concerns. I've always been accessible, you know that.

Tap,during the voting for chick lake bash I clicked on poll results which showed who voted for what date.while there i clicked on percs name and read a pm i had sent him.i was able to edit it,my address and phone #.then clicked on a couple others and read several pm.did not realize at first prolly should not be reading them.I have not tried it since then and not sure whats up with it.Being new and sorta dumb I dint think much about it.

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Originally Posted by fatslab

Tap,during the voting for chick lake bash I clicked on poll results which showed who voted for what date.while there i clicked on percs name and read a pm i had sent him.i was able to edit it,my address and phone #.then clicked on a couple others and read several pm.did not realize at first prolly should not be reading them.

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Are you sure you were not viewing the PUBLIC Visitor Messages?

Panman I was viewing the colored graphs with the members names showing what date they voted for.I was just learning how to pm and had sent one to Percidae with my address and phone #.when I clicked on Perc. under the colored graph I saw the pm I had sent him.I was able to edit it and removed my info.I checked a couple more members and read several pm.Thats the best I can explain it.

Amazing, isn't it?

That was a Visitor message....when you clicked on his user name it took you straight to his profile and thats where his visitor messages are.....those messages are public.......you have to send a PM for a private message.

G3 is right on. I just did a test and that is what happens.

All I know is, from a very good source the pm's were altered. A certain web address looked like this xxxxxxxxx.com in Private Message. I wasnt involved in alot of this riffraff, but what I hear dont seem right. Oh Well, see yall around.

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Originally Posted by UNDERTHERADAR

All I know is, from a very good source the pm's were altered. A certain web address looked like this xxxxxxxxx.com in Private Message. I wasnt involved in alot of this riffraff, but what I hear dont seem right. Oh Well, see yall around.

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Go up about 7 posts and re-read Slab's explanation. Its like when I change my signature, it changes it everywhere from my 1st post on and if it happens to be anywhere else it will change it too.

nope

I guess some folks do not realize that everything ever typed on the internet is stored somewhere, and can be found.
Not to worry, one guy in the boat can always out fish the other on the same honey hole, cus he is just a better fisherman.

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Originally Posted by G3 Fisherman

That was a Visitor message

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I'm glad Slab has now turned that feature OFF. It showed up automatically after a vBulletin software upgrade with no instructions or warnings. Not knowing the difference between these "visitor messages" and a PM, I accidentally posted a few messages to what turned out to be a public location...viewable by anyone who hit the profile page of my recipient. I didn't mean for these messages to be public but couldn't delete them!!

Yeah, that was definitly a bad feature. I really can't think of any good use for it.