Ability to report private messages

[Ben]

Hi,

I think members should have the ability to report private messages. This could be for things like spam etc. There is a plugin for this for 1.8 but it would be good to see it included in the core for 2.0.

[Devilshakerz]

This could be enhanced with a PM log available in the ACP that would provide basic information about PMs sent - senders, receivers and dates with the possibility of deleting them without viewing the content (which would still be accessible for reported PMs).

[Bozkurt]

it's awesome suggestion! +1

[Euan T]

Would be very useful for catching people spamming PMs. Content should be hidden unless reported though as Devilshakerz said.

[VirusZero]

Report PMs should be in the core.

PM log should also be included in the core. I mean it's really just a convenience thing because if an admin wants to check PMs they can easily do so by accessing the sql. But having it in the ACP just saves time/energy because instead of having to log into the panel/sql they can just stay in the ACP.

[s3_gunzel]

PM log should also be included in the core. I mean it's really just a convenience thing because if an admin wants to check PMs they can easily do so by accessing the sql.  But having it in the ACP just saves time/energy because instead of having to log into the panel/sql they can just stay in the ACP.

Exactly. The expectation that private messages are private is stupid. There's always a trace.

[Devilshakerz]

PM log should also be included in the core. I mean it's really just a convenience thing because if an admin wants to check PMs they can easily do so by accessing the sql.  But having it in the ACP just saves time/energy because instead of having to log into the panel/sql they can just stay in the ACP.

Exactly. The expectation that private messages are private is stupid. There's always a trace.

It doesn't mean that we should encourage it by making it possible to read unreported messages in the core.

[s3_gunzel]

PM log should also be included in the core. I mean it's really just a convenience thing because if an admin wants to check PMs they can easily do so by accessing the sql.  But having it in the ACP just saves time/energy because instead of having to log into the panel/sql they can just stay in the ACP.

Exactly. The expectation that private messages are private is stupid. There's always a trace.

It doesn't mean that we should encourage it by making it possible to read unreported messages in the core.

Well, no - but if they're reported they need to be able to be seen; and any message can be reported. Hence there shouldn't be a stigma of absolute anonymity.

[MrTristan]

Fantastic idea, Ben.

As far as this overall discussion goes... If a PM is reported (outside of something from a spambot), there often is more to the incident at hand than just the one reported message. With that being said, more than likely there is a string of messages in the conversation between the two users that would need to be reviewed by the administrator to determine what exactly happened and get to the bottom of all of the "he said, she said."

By no means do I condone PM-reading by administrators unless absolutely necessary. However, I also think that if a PM is reported, more context may be needed than the single message - and that is something to keep in mind moving forward with this feature as well as in consideration of a possible PM log.

Just my $0.02.

[VirusZero]

I agree with MrTristan. One reported PM might give something, but sometimes it really isn't enough. Or here could be more going on. (One member reporting another for harassment, but only seeing one PM where no real harassment is going on. Possibly a message like: "Hey, I saw your post in <spot> can you send me some more info?" seems civil and polite enough right? But there may be more going on. Like if they sent 20 of those messages. Or if they've been sending stuff to multiple people. Or even possibly the one reporting has been making stuff up.)

The whole name "private message" is a misnomer anyway. They aren't private and really never were. Anyone with database access can view them. Now that said for MyBB 2.0, if memory serves, the name private message is bring dropped anyway to be replaced with a conversations system/setup. So hopefully that whole privacy thing will be clearer. 

Though I disagree that having it as a core feature means it encourages people to go read other's messages. Having the option to ban people doesn't encourage them to do it for the heck of it. It just gives admins a tool to use if they need it.

Will some people abuse this feature anyway? Sure. But even without a pm log option they could still do it anyway. So this isn't stopping them.