Title: Ethics Question Last modified: August 18, 2016 --- # Ethics Question * [abrazell](https://wordpress.org/support/users/abrazell/) * (@abrazell) * [20 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/) * This is a more abstract topic and I was hoping to get some of your opinions. I have a No-Censorship policy at Technosailor.com. Anyone can write anything as long as it is not spam. * But to steal from Sir Isaac Newton, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. * When trolls come on your board, how do you feel about responding with personally identifying information regarding the troll? * The situation is that there is a post I made several months ago about Halo 2 Game variants. It’s sort of an annoying thread because I get all the kiddies who can’t spell and like to mumble…. but hey, no reason to censor. A troll hit that post today with “you’re all gay”… no more. My response was to chide him and include his IP address in my response… lol. I thought twice about it but did it anyway. * Which begs the current question…is it ethical to release personally identifying info about a poster ever? Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 27 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/page/2/?output_format=md) * [jinsan](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jinsan/) * (@jinsan) * [20 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-207873) * Do you have rules? Rules does not equate to censorship – but courtesy, respect and constructive commentary are usually a requirement for some intelligent conversation. * At the same time you say yourself nothing is censored, so if your user makes such a comment, chastising that user rather debunks the idea that you are a no- censorship site. You’re in a catch 22 * Thread Starter [abrazell](https://wordpress.org/support/users/abrazell/) * (@abrazell) * [20 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-207874) * When I say no censorship, I mean I won’t remove comments because I don’t like them, not that I won’t challenge the comment. That would be an absurd definition of censorship. * [jinsan](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jinsan/) * (@jinsan) * [20 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-207878) * well then there probably isn’t a problem then with your specific site – if you didn’t post their IP you’d be censoring your own thoughts now wouldn’t you 🙂 * Thread Starter [abrazell](https://wordpress.org/support/users/abrazell/) * (@abrazell) * [20 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-207882) * lol… unique perspective. :p * [Lorelle](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lorelle/) * (@lorelle) * [20 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-207892) * This is actually a very good question and one that all users with comments and interactivity must consider. When is censorship censorship, and when is it just housekeeping? * I’d consider the “you’re gay” comment to be a simple matter of cleaning house. It shouldn’t require revenge or slamming, just a little squishing of the bug that got inside of your house and tossing it outside with the garbage. Remember, it’s your house. You can make or break the rules. * It makes it even more complicated for those who get these nice bits of comments that say “I really like your site and have recommended it to my friends” and “ I’ll be back, you have good information to share”. My first few made me preen. Then I read [this article by zengun](http://zengun.org/weblog/guestbook/) on the fact that a lot of these vague little compliments are really spammers at work. * So do you leave them – allowing their spam links to generate biz for them – or delete them because the words are nice but the intention isn’t? Which is more important? Nice comments or protecting others from comment spam? * It gets complicated, so I recommend you review your “rules” and add a little ditty that says “Play nice or get out of the sandbox” and add that you have the power to delete, and claim the rest as housekeeping. * [Marc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/marc/) * (@marc) * [20 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-207907) * First of all post rules for your site. If you run 1.5 make a separate page for them and have them easiliy accessable. * Secondly there may be a slight legal problem with posting their pesonnel info. I’m no lawyer but better to be safe than sorry in this day and age. * Third don’t delete the comment. Edit it. Edit out the offensive words/phrases. Then leave your note why “XXX” replaces something in the comment. * Worst case ban the IP address. * Question. Did this person only drop “your gay” once in the thread or was it a continuing conversation in that thread and others? * If it was one remark in one thread it hardly meets the “troll” stage. * [jonimueller](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jonimueller/) * (@jonimueller) * [20 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-207949) * I disagree about not posting the IP address. It’s available in the site owner’s server logs, so he now has possession of this information which he can, or not, as he chooses, share with his visitors, no? * And if someone is worried about their IP address being disclosed, then they should stay out of people’s comment boxes, am I right? No one has an unfettered right to do and say as he pleases on someone else’s site without paying a price. A lot of forum boards automatically post the IP address of the person posting ( usually a registered user). They don’t seem to be concerned with posting this information. It’s not like it’s someone’s social security number. And sharing the IP of an unwanted visitor is a good way to let others know to ban him from their own sites as well. Community housekeeping’s finest hour — or perhaps the mob on the front porch with the torches burning? * [Marc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/marc/) * (@marc) * [20 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-207958) * Jonimueller * > They don’t seem to be concerned with posting this information. It’s not like > it’s someone’s social security number. And sharing the IP of an unwanted visitor > is a good way to let others know to ban him from their own sites as well. * You may be correct I don’t hang around boards. But i bet as part of any registration to many if not most boards there is a disclaimer of some sort. * As for posting the IP on your blog, that IP is known only to the blog owner not the rest his/her readers. * By posting it yes it could lead to others banning the same IP. Not a problem. But what if someone does something more destructive? Can you say Dos attack? Or someone could flood that IP with their version of spam. * All without you, who posted the IP, knowing about it. * But guess what you would be just as liable as the person who committed the actual act itself. There are way too many nutzoids out there to take the chance. Just ban the IP and be done with it. * [Marc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/marc/) * (@marc) * [20 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-208015) * bump * [lmcgaffey](https://wordpress.org/support/users/lmcgaffey/) * (@lmcgaffey) * [20 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-208017) * I checked your site and didn’t find the offending post or your response. But I offer the following comments: * NO, I do not think you should have posted his IP address. Would you like it if someone who didn’t like something you said decided to post yours? Think about it – the statement the “troll” made did not include any “dirty” words and was a properly composed English declarative sentence used to express his opinion. Would you have taken the same extreme action against him if he had said, “You’re all idiots”? Certainly both sentiments are argumentative and nasty. But, I would bet that you wouldn’t have come down as hard on the guy if he’d just said you were an idiot. You might have even thought he was a relatively legitimate visitor with an extreme opinion about the game. And you might have “chided” him about his attitude and then truly challenged him about his opinions on the game – i. e. tried to steer him back to the subject at hand. * Instead, you re-acted to the word “gay”, which is not a dirty word, and leapt all the way to trying to harm him. Harm him? Yes, to get others to block him, etc. TO SILENCE HIM. TO CENSOR HIM. * So, you’ve got quite a dillema. You don’t want to “censor” yet you punished ( censored) someone who posted something you didn’t like. You say you know that“ challenging” someone is not the same as “censoring”. Yet, you didn’t challenge the offensive poster. You censored him, in a most extreme and knee-jerk fashion. * “Challenging” that person would have involved asking him why he thought the way he did or telling him that you disagreed with his assessment. Or maybe even just ignoring the comment and not giving him power to pull your strings. * But choosing to take offense and punishing the person was a form of censorship since you are the one with the power to EDIT his statement (censorship), DELETE his statement (censorship), and PUNISH HIM for his statement via banishment or publishing his IP address so others can potentially hurt him (censorship). * I close by saying that I understand your dilemma and suggest that you just start admitting that you WILL censor when YOU want to. And then be VERY SPECIFIC about what measures you will take if someone posts something YOU find offensive (which is your right, in my opinion, by the way). I read the disclaimer at the bottom of your site where you say censorship is rare but will be done for “legal purposes”. That sounds a lot like a cop-out. Or maybe just an overly generalized statement that can be interpreted any way you like which makes me very, very nervous. I sure won’t be reading and/or posting to your site with that disclaimer now that I know you will go as far as posting IP addresses of those who say things you don’t like. The disclaimer sounds too much like you’re saying, “I don’t censor. But, if I arbitrarily dislike something someone says, then I’ll do whatever I feel like to control/manipulate that person, including publishing their IP address so others can help me silence (censor) him.” * [Marc](https://wordpress.org/support/users/marc/) * (@marc) * [20 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-208019) * All excellent points lmcgaffey. * Couldn’t have said it better than myself. I tend to think someones panties got in a bunch because of the word “gay” also. Another word, a different response. * [somefool](https://wordpress.org/support/users/somefool/) * (@somefool) * [20 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-208020) * “the fact that a lot of these vague little compliments are really spammers at work.” * true, Ive taken to deleteing any comments which seem suspicious in any way, especially“ you are all gay” comments – which clearly dont bring anything to the table. * Also, dont forget that even a “shut up” response may well incite more unwelcome comments from a troll. Best just delete it, theyll give up soon enough. * Thread Starter [abrazell](https://wordpress.org/support/users/abrazell/) * (@abrazell) * [20 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-208133) * Wow…leave the front door open and look at the party I’ve created. 🙂 * Thanks for the insights folks. lmcgaffey, do a search for halo 2 and you’ll find the entry. “Gay” wasn’t the offending word. It was how he was choosing to interact with my readers under the cloak of percieved anonymity that irked me. * 26629 * [20 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-208166) * You may be correct I don’t hang around boards. But i bet as part of any registration to many if not most boards there is a disclaimer of some sort. * —- Shimo Knuddels * [Moderated – URL removed] * [Mark (podz)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/podz/) * (@podz) * [20 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/#post-208167) * shimo – quit the link-whoring / spamming okay ? Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 27 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘Ethics Question’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [IP](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/ip/) * In: [Everything else WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/miscellaneous/) * 27 replies * 14 participants * Last reply from: [James Huff](https://wordpress.org/support/users/macmanx/) * Last activity: [20 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ethics-question/page/2/#post-208179) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics