[2014-10-4] Bitcointalk Staff Quietly Bans People for Speaking Out Against Them

[HELP.org]

https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/bitcointalk-staff-quietly-bans-people-speaking/

[Lethn]

roflcopter That's really all I can say, if everything goes to shit everyone is more than welcome to hop onto my chat.

[ForgottenPassword]

Haha, I tried to read this article and I got an error saying my IP was banned (I was using Tor).

[freedomno1]

Wait's in amusement for the response from the mods   (nvm always need to check in meta first before saying that lol ah good stuff)
But this is a bitcoin related press article so it seems we have some interesting debate incoming here.

BitcoinTalk staff wouldn’t need to moderate the forums any longer if they become decentralized, and their already existing trust from the community would only get stronger for it.

This proposal might be interesting in the future the idea of using blockchain technology to moderate, does seem like a possible application of bitcoin for next gen forum software kind of like voting with your money, or addressing the externality of being a troll and their nuisance cost by making them pay to well be tolerated (something of a forum feature  ) and someone somewhere will need to try it to prove it works. That said it's aside from the other stuff.

BitcoinTalk and other major players could benefit from a decentralized control structure. If enough people vote to remove an account, it will be removed. If enough people wish to reinstate that account, it will be reinstated. Blockchain technology makes all of this possible, and all the largest Bitcoin forum needs to do is implement it.
(When Ethereum is out lol)


(mmm comments on that thread link was amused by the article)

[Sutters Mill]

Haha, I tried to read this article and I got an error saying my IP was banned (I was using Tor).

OMG there's a conspiracy! They don't want you reading this!

Wait's in amusement for the response from the mods   (nvm always need to check in meta first before saying that lol ah good stuff)
But this is a bitcoin related press article so it seems we have some interesting debate incoming here.

BitcoinTalk staff wouldn’t need to moderate the forums any longer if they become decentralized, and their already existing trust from the community would only get stronger for it.

This proposal might be interesting in the future the idea of using blockchain technology to moderate, does seem like a possible application of bitcoin for next gen forum software kind of like voting with your money, or addressing the externality of being a troll and their nuisance cost by making them pay to well be tolerated (something of a forum feature  ) and someone somewhere will need to try it to prove it works. That said it's aside from the other stuff.

I don't think a forum like this would work very well. The people who moan at how this forum is run should try create one, though.

[HELP.org]

The people who moan at how this forum is run should try create one, though.

Yes, keeping a forum operating is a difficult task but with a 7-figure budget that should be possible.  However, the issue is not about that, the issues are about common-sense policies that most other forums and legitimate businesses do.  For instance, most forums do not promote Ponzi schemes/illegal investment schemes, partner with vendors who they know will not deliver, promote fake banks where the people lose their funds, and promote the resale of accounts.  Even if you can't stop these things you certainly do not promote it or watch it take place without taking reasonable action to stop it.  You simply don't see this stuff other places and it often makes Bitcoin look ridiculous. 

[Sutters Mill]

The people who moan at how this forum is run should try create one, though.

Yes, keeping a forum operating is a difficult task but with a 7-figure budget that should be possible.  However, the issue is not about that, the issues are about common-sense policies that most other forums and legitimate businesses do.  For instance, most forums do not promote Ponzi schemes/illegal investment schemes, partner with vendors who they know will not deliver, promote fake banks where the people lose their funds, and promote the resale of accounts.  Even if you can't stop these things you certainly do not promote it or watch it take place without taking reasonable action to stop it.  You simply don't see this stuff other places and it often makes Bitcoin look ridiculous. 

I disagree with this. I like that people are free to do most of this stuff and it is down to the community to spot or police scammers etc. Censorship is a slippery slope. Once you decide to start removing ponzis, then people will want everything that they think may or may not be a scam removed. As I said, if people do not like how this forum is run, abandon it or create your own where you police it yourself.

[KWH]

The people who moan at how this forum is run should try create one, though.

Yes, keeping a forum operating is a difficult task but with a 7-figure budget that should be possible.  However, the issue is not about that, the issues are about common-sense policies that most other forums and legitimate businesses do.  For instance, most forums do not promote Ponzi schemes/illegal investment schemes, partner with vendors who they know will not deliver, promote fake banks where the people lose their funds, and promote the resale of accounts.  Even if you can't stop these things you certainly do not promote it or watch it take place without taking reasonable action to stop it.  You simply don't see this stuff other places and it often makes Bitcoin look ridiculous. 

Greed. It's what causes most scams and the subsequent successes of the scammers. Many of these "deals" happen in Skype, Yahoo and other off site places and only come here to open an accusation thread, seeking some kind of help for their gullible actions. The really sad part is they usually fall for the same scam over and over again.
Throw in people sprinkling dust on the beggars, gamblers and "loan" seekers, this only keeps them coming back and bringing their pals.
Start banning accounts and scammers only create more accounts and stay deeper in the shadows, there is no winning this fight.
If people want to be censored, there are an unlimited places they can go but for myself, I would rather have the freedom here than have a select politically correct few deleting my posts at will.

[HELP.org]

The people who moan at how this forum is run should try create one, though.

Yes, keeping a forum operating is a difficult task but with a 7-figure budget that should be possible.  However, the issue is not about that, the issues are about common-sense policies that most other forums and legitimate businesses do.  For instance, most forums do not promote Ponzi schemes/illegal investment schemes, partner with vendors who they know will not deliver, promote fake banks where the people lose their funds, and promote the resale of accounts.  Even if you can't stop these things you certainly do not promote it or watch it take place without taking reasonable action to stop it.  You simply don't see this stuff other places and it often makes Bitcoin look ridiculous. 

Greed. It's what causes most scams and the subsequent successes of the scammers. Many of these "deals" happen in Skype, Yahoo and other off site places and only come here to open an accusation thread, seeking some kind of help for their gullible actions. The really sad part is they usually fall for the same scam over and over again.
Throw in people sprinkling dust on the beggars, gamblers and "loan" seekers, this only keeps them coming back and bringing their pals.
Start banning accounts and scammers only create more accounts and stay deeper in the shadows, there is no winning this fight.
If people want to be censored, there are an unlimited places they can go but for myself, I would rather have the freedom here than have a select politically correct few deleting my posts at will.

Your post if hyperbole.  Nobody said a site has to go investigate activities of those who post.  The issue is specifically conspiring people to do illegal, stupid and ridiculous things.  I don't what you are talking about with the freedom not be censored since the article is about Bitcoin staff censoring critics.  If the Bitcoin staff takes the time to censor certain things yet promotes the fake banks and vendors they know won't deliver it seems pretty clear what they are doing.  The "free market" is not the same as conspiring to scam people.

[KWH]

The people who moan at how this forum is run should try create one, though.

Yes, keeping a forum operating is a difficult task but with a 7-figure budget that should be possible.  However, the issue is not about that, the issues are about common-sense policies that most other forums and legitimate businesses do.  For instance, most forums do not promote Ponzi schemes/illegal investment schemes, partner with vendors who they know will not deliver, promote fake banks where the people lose their funds, and promote the resale of accounts.  Even if you can't stop these things you certainly do not promote it or watch it take place without taking reasonable action to stop it.  You simply don't see this stuff other places and it often makes Bitcoin look ridiculous. 

Greed. It's what causes most scams and the subsequent successes of the scammers. Many of these "deals" happen in Skype, Yahoo and other off site places and only come here to open an accusation thread, seeking some kind of help for their gullible actions. The really sad part is they usually fall for the same scam over and over again.
Throw in people sprinkling dust on the beggars, gamblers and "loan" seekers, this only keeps them coming back and bringing their pals.
Start banning accounts and scammers only create more accounts and stay deeper in the shadows, there is no winning this fight.
If people want to be censored, there are an unlimited places they can go but for myself, I would rather have the freedom here than have a select politically correct few deleting my posts at will.

Your post if hyperbole.  Nobody said a site has to go investigate activities of those who post.  The issue is specifically conspiring people to do illegal, stupid and ridiculous things.  I don't what you are talking about with the freedom not be censored since the article is about Bitcoin staff censoring critics.  If the Bitcoin staff takes the time to censor certain things yet promotes the fake banks and vendors they know won't deliver it seems pretty clear what they are doing.  The "free market" is not the same as conspiring to scam people.

Perhaps you need to reread my "hyperbole" instead of answering with your FUD.
Scams happen everyday, in every county, city, state and country. It's been going on since man has existed. You want utopia, there is no utopia.

[HELP.org]

Perhaps you need to reread my "hyperbole" instead of answering with your FUD.
Scams happen everyday, in every county, city, state and country. It's been going on since man has existed. You want utopia, there is no utopia.

I read it and your post is worthless nonsense.  You are just making stuff up about my position and raising irrelevant issues.  I never said I want utopia and certainly scams exist everywhere.  Nobody said the forum should investigate activates of its members or things that happen outside the forum.  Your post is all nonsense and hyperbole and it is an attempt to avoid the actual issue.

The issue is the people who run this forum conspiring to knowingly engage in illegal things to make a profit.  Often the profit was made from scamming newcomers just trying to get involved in Bitcoin.  Other activities, while not necessarily illegal, are ridiculous and damage the reputation of Bitcoin. 

[hilariousandco]

I don't what you are talking about with the freedom not be censored since the article is about Bitcoin staff censoring critics.  If the Bitcoin staff takes the time to censor certain things yet promotes the fake banks and vendors they know won't deliver it seems pretty clear what they are doing.  The "free market" is not the same as conspiring to scam people.

Except the users mentioned in that pathetic and biased article wern't 'censored' for being critical of this forum. You can find plenty of threads attacking mods or criticising the site in one way or another and they're never removed or the users banned, yet when a user is banned for PM/sig/troll spamming like those three users were there's suddenly a conspiracy.

[Lethn]

In truth, there have been members I've reported for spamming that have come back trying to play innocent before so I'm not surprised to see this kind of shit being spread around, they take stuff being said about them surprisingly well, much better than fucking games communities and the like anyway.

[HELP.org]

I don't what you are talking about with the freedom not be censored since the article is about Bitcoin staff censoring critics.  If the Bitcoin staff takes the time to censor certain things yet promotes the fake banks and vendors they know won't deliver it seems pretty clear what they are doing.  The "free market" is not the same as conspiring to scam people.

Except the users mentioned in that pathetic and biased article wern't 'censored' for being critical of this forum. You can find plenty of threads attacking mods or criticising the site in one way or another and they're never removed or the users banned, yet when a user is banned for PM/sig/troll spamming like those three users were there's suddenly a conspiracy.

You are correct, those petty arguments and 'troll" accusations don't really matter.  It is just a bunch of teenagers arguing.  What is important is teaming with fake banks and vendors who didn't deliver.