Email address when making reports

[Pmalek]

For some people it could be, i know people that create email accounts with a combination of all of their names, not that it can affect them too much, but it is somehow connected to their identity in real life.

Yeah, but you should avoid that in the first place. Like I said, there is no reason to use an email that shows your real name or one connected with a third-party site where your name can be obtained from there. This is a forum where you are not asked to identify yourself, so it's better if people used that to their advantage. A username is everything you need.

No one should unnecessarily risk putting a target on their backs by revealing what street they live on, how they look, what their names are, and how many Bitcoins they have managed to collect after all these years.

[NotATether]

It is best to assume that global moderators have access to your email, and that admins has the authority to know your email even if you do not make a report.

if you read privacy page you will find that email Retention is Indefinite

I'd be inclined to believe that because the email addresses are stored in a MYSQL database along with the report contents, that only admins are able to read them, as they have direct access to the DB.

Global mods I'm not so sure. But given that these merely are given mod powers in all boards by SMF software, I don't think they have access to the DB either - to give such an access would be catastrophic to security anyway, and it reflects in the security bounty rewards for gaining access to the two types of account.

[TheBeardedBaby]

From what I read until here is that after 2018 (probably) only Theymos has access to see the user email addresse with or without reports.
But is it the same with reporting private messages, you get the same message with you report PMs.

On the other hand, I created an email only for to use it here and even if some of the mods knows it, it won't be any problem for me.
I don't believe that they will sell my data to third parties, but even if they do, and I get hacked, I can recover quite easily signing a message from my staked address.
 

[PrimeNumber7]

I did a little search in the Staff section, and for the record the ability to send an email for each report was removed in January 2018.

So if you did a report in 2017 or earlier, it's possible that a mod has your email address somewhere. But if I believe this answer from a mod (I won't name him ) following this change, you don't risk a lot :

I had a filter set up as well though I recently changed it to move all the messages to the trashcan. Guess that's no longer needed.

If this is accurate, the warning should probably be removed.

I'd be inclined to believe that because the email addresses are stored in a MYSQL database along with the report contents, that only admins are able to read them, as they have direct access to the DB.

I don't think the forum uses MySQL. It appears that SMF may use Oracle databases by default, although theymos has customized the forum software, and the new forum software uses postgressSQL, so he may be using that.

I would agree that only certain admins have access to the forum database, although the OP was pointing out specific situations in which certain mods had permissions to view certain data from the database under particular circumstances. This is different than a moderator making an arbitrary query to the database.

[Mpamaegbu]

No, there's no way to put turn it off because that's how the "Report to moderator" functions but I believe it is used to track the number of reports made by each user.

Seriously, I've wondered what's the need to expose reporters' emails since notes and responses to the report can be sent to reporters through PMs. It makes it look like exposing the privacy of those who use the "report to moderators" tab. It's like reporting a criminal at a police station and then police ask you to write down your name and address. It doesn't make sense, honestly. On a few occasions my posts were deleted, I got reports in pm here in the forum. So, it shows that asking for emails can be avoided and it won't destabilize the forum

[suzanne5223]

No, there's no way to put turn it off because that's how the "Report to moderator" functions but I believe it is used to track the number of reports made by each user.

Seriously, I've wondered what's the need to expose reporters' emails since notes and responses to the report can be sent to reporters through PMs. It makes it look like exposing the privacy of those who use the "report to moderators" tab. It's like reporting a criminal at a police station and then police ask you to write down your name and address. It doesn't make sense, honestly. On a few occasions my posts were deleted, I got reports in pm here in the forum. So, it shows that asking for emails can be avoided and it won't destabilize the forum

I understand your point because decentralization, no censorship and privacy should be part of this forum. But, someone has explained how the email of the person that makes a report is shown to the moderator and according to the research done by Halab when this issue was raised, the feature was removed in January 2018 which I believe clarifies the reason why OmegaStarScream said he/she didn't see any user email here.

[Welsh]

Seriously, I've wondered what's the need to expose reporters' emails since notes and responses to the report can be sent to reporters through PMs. It makes it look like exposing the privacy of those who use the "report to moderators" tab. It's like reporting a criminal at a police station and then police ask you to write down your name and address. It doesn't make sense, honestly. On a few occasions my posts were deleted, I got reports in pm here in the forum. So, it shows that asking for emails can be avoided and it won't destabilize the forum

It's a default SMF feature, which has been explained has since been removed. For additional confirmation, I don't see anyone's email when they report.

I understand your point because decentralization, no censorship and privacy should be part of this forum.

Well, this forum has never been truly decentralised, and not that it needs to be either. Not everything needs to be decentralised, and there's obvious examples of it being detrimental. Although, there are features like the trust system which tries to be decentralised as much as possible, which might be what you're thinking of.

What's collected on this forum (IPs) are used for account recoveries, so while the privacy isn't completely private, it's at least used for something useful.