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Disruption to Service - please read

  • 24-08-2017 3:52pm
    #1
    Boards.ie Employee Posts: 12,597 ✭✭✭✭✭Boards.ie: Niamh
    Boards.ie Community Manager


    Hello folks.

    As some of you may have noticed, we have been experiencing sustained attacks on this forum recently from some troll accounts. These troll accounts claim to represent a union and are making various demands on Boards, including demanding the appointment of union members as moderators in the C&T forum. I have two comments to make in relation to this:

    (1) I have personally been in contact with the General Secretary of the NBRU who has confirmed that all of their official communications/posts/tweets are channeled through NBRU Head Office only and that the posts appearing on this forum and around the site have no official NBRU sanction or status.

    (2) The normal process for moderator selection is that moderators are selected from those who have contributed positively to the forum, and who have shown good form and a genuine interest in the subject matter. The nominations for modships are reviewed by Admins and HQ and agreed by consensus. Moderators are not appointed on the foot of demands and hostilities and will never be so appointed.

    Trolling of any kind is not acceptable. In the case of the C&T forum, it appears to be particularly nasty with (a) multiple attempts to defame Moderators, CMods and Admins and (b) attempts to divide the community into a 'them' and 'us', quoting users to try and convince more people of their 'argument' and 'support'. We are aware of PMs sent from these troll accounts in efforts to manipulate opinion behind the scenes. If you receive one of these messages, would you please report them using the 'Report Message' button?

    Tensions have run high at times in C&T, particularly during and since the Bus Eireann strike, a hot and divisive topic. Boards is a community, and while our members may hold strongly differing points of view, I would hope that we are all adult enough to have these discussions in a civil manner.

    Many users will have received sanctions for posts over the past months. Posters are sanctioned if they break the Boards Terms of Use, or if they violate the C&T charter. Nothing else. Posters are most certainly not sanctioned for the content of their message unless it violates ToU (as above). Another common cause for bans is when a poster re-registers to evade a site ban. You may see new accounts who don't appear to be trolling banned at times, this is usually a case of a re-reg.

    If you think a post(er) has broken a rule or crossed a line, report the post to bring it to the attention of the mods. Do not assume that someone else has done it or that mods automatically read every single post as they simply can't read everything every day in a busy forum.

    Thanks are due to all of you for your patience over the past while during the disruption, to those of you who have reported posts and PMs and resisted the urge to engage the trolls! Also to the mods, cmods and admins who have worked very hard to get rid of the trolls and their posts as soon as they appear in order to minimise the disruption. You have a thriving community here with many a robust discussion which I hope can continue without further disruption. And finally, thanks for taking the time to read to the end!


Comments

  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 74,777 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Just to add some of you may have received PMs from re-reg troll accounts. As with the posts they attempt to make, there is nothing to back-up the propaganda they are spouting. If you do receive any such PMs, as mentioned by Niamh above, please report them as we can then delete all the PMs sent from specific accounts.

    It's sad that people decide to abuse the site, its moderators, CMods and Admins in this way, and we appreciate your patience as we try and keep disruption to a minimum.


  • Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 47,247 ✭✭✭✭Zaph


    Hi folks, as you're no doubt aware by now, this forum has been subjected to prolonged abuse and trolling by what could only be described as one or more people without anything better to be doing with themselves. They have posted here and on other forums, or have directly PMd posters to try and get some of the existing forum mods removed and mods of their choosing installed in their place. Obviously this "campaign" is pretty futile because we simply do not appoint mods like that, nor will we ever. New mods are chosen as a result of their prolonged positive contribution to, and interest in a particular forum. Throwing tantrums and demanding that you get to choose new mods will only end one way, with a siteban.

    To date we have been banning these accounts and deleting their posts and PMs, but some may not have seen either and it's probably only right that at this stage everyone gets to see the sort of crap that the mods, CMods and admins have had to put up with. I don't have an exact figure, but at this stage the number of accounts that have been signed up with the sole intention of disrupting the site is well into the hundreds. I've added some comments of my own where appropriate, but to give you an indication of the sort of crap that they have been spouting they initially claimed to be representing the NBRU. A quick e-mail from the Boards office to the NBRU confirmed that a) this was most definitely not the case; and b) the union were very unhappy about their name being used in this way. Since Niamh posted this fact the posts and PMs have quietly dropped the NBRU claim, no doubt hoping that nobody would notice their lie had been so easily uncovered. So with that in mind you can be pretty sure that the rest of their claims are lies too. Anyway, as mentioned, here's one of the latest examples from this evening:

    =====================================================

    FIGHTING FOR FAIR MODERATION - 31ST AUGUST BULLETIN

    Dear Comrades,

    Following last weeks post by Niamh that showed boards were running scared (from what, we're waiting with bated breath to find out), this week we have been able to spread our message to an ever larger growing community of Boards.ie. We have sent approx 140 private messages in the last few days, most of which we believed are undetected after succesfully using many long dormant accounts in addition to our new accounts which we set up daily. (Tbh, so what? All it serves to do is annoy decent posters who are having their PMs spammed with this nonsense, which is why we delete any PMs these guys send. But if they believe that it's some great victory then sure we'll let them have it - no skin off our noses). We have had a positive response to well over 50% of the messages that we have sent in the last few days and the pressure continues to be ramped up. (We can see the number of PMs sent and received by each account - although not the content so rest assured your PMs will always be private. Let's just say that the PMs received by these guys' accounts don't come anywhere close to supporting their claim. I know, I was shocked too.)

    We believe that we are now up to 20% of the userbase in Commuting and Transport are now supporting our campaign (providing actual evidence of their claims doesn't seem to be a strong point) and we now have support of many of the most well known posters in the forum, including (posters names removed because we have no idea whether their names are being used with their knowledge). Many of these posters are working hard behind the scenes (from the evidence, or lack thereof to date they must be waaaay behind the scenes tbh) in relation to ensuring that our aim of achieving fair moderation is met sooner rather than later and yesterday we posted off an official letter with the signature of 45 members to BOards.ie Management ahead of our meeting early next week. (I know this will come as a great shock to you all, but there is no meeting. Don't know about any letter, that's not necessarily something that admins would be privy to, but it's also probably a figment of somebody's imagination.)

    WHO ARE THE MODS ON COMMUTING AND TRANSPORT AND THEIR VESTED INTERESTS?
    Unkel, Monument, Tricky D, Buffybot, Beasty, Zaph and Boards management as a whole have links with right wing politics whilst BK and Devnull are involved in the operation and licensing of private bus services. (Now obviously I can only speak for myself here, so what I will say about this particular claim is - hahahahahaha. I think the closest I've ever gotten to being involved with politics was trying to encourage as many people as possible to vote yes in the marriage equality referendum. I'd be pretty confident that if I were to make a guess about the other guys they'd say something similar.)

    WE HAVE STRONG SUPPORT FROM THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS:
    (Again I've removed a bunch of names of posters who may not even be aware that they're being dragged into this nonsense.)

    In addition, there are many more members who do not wish to be named who also support ouf cause. (Ah yes, the multitudes who'd prefer not to be named because it's a lot more convenient when you're not providing any evidence to back up your claims.)

    LETS FINISH THE JOB
    Continue to pressure the mods and admins via posts and PM and create posts questioning the lack of neutrality and to stop the Pro Greenway and Pro Private Bus Agenda. (There is no agenda, people have always been free to post whatever they like on the forum from whichever side of any given debate they support, as long as it doesn't breach either the forum or site rules. These guys are trying to convince people that they are being banned for what they're posting when in fact they're being banned for how they're posting. But sure why let the truth get in the way of a good persecution complex?)

    This is your chance to change society for the better if you ever wanted to do something about this corrupt country now is your chance.

    Yours in Solidarity.

    CIE Workers Group.

    =================================================

    So it seems that for the moment they have it in for a couple of the mods in particular. As everyone is aware, mods are volunteers and freely give their spare time to helping the site run smoothly. For a bunch of nobodies claiming to be representatives of a group, most of whom they're claiming to represent are probably completely unaware of the fact, to target unpaid volunteers is grossly unfair. In fact it's not unfair, it's pathetic. If they were so genuinely concerned that the forum is so biased against them they're perfectly free to go start another forum elsewhere that suits their needs better. Instead that they choose to hide behind user names like "Beasty Dog Rapist" and "BK Rapist. Devnull Paedo." and post a continuous stream of lies and nonsense probably says all about them that you need to know.

    To those who have reported posts and PMs and have helped us keep the forum as free as possible from this nonsense, thank you from the mods and admins. And to everyone we apologise that you have to be subjected to this rubbish and we hope that it isn't spoiling your enjoyment of the forum too much.

    Zaph


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 74,777 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    I've just moved the above post from the "Irish Rail nearly insolvent" thread to give you all a bit more of an idea of the sort of propaganda this individual is spouting. I'll leave this thread open for comment for a while at least

    EDIT - just to add, Taytosnax has never been banned, either at forum or site level


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 14,071 Mod ✭✭✭✭monument


    Beasty wrote: »
    Just to add some of you may have received PMs from re-reg troll accounts. As with the posts they attempt to make, there is nothing to back-up the propaganda they are spouting. If you do receive any such PMs, as mentioned by Niamh above, please report them as we can then delete all the PMs sent from specific accounts.

    It's sad that people decide to abuse the site, its moderators, CMods and Admins in this way, and we appreciate your patience as we try and keep disruption to a minimum.

    I've just deleted that post given the complaints about the user name and posted it below with the name edited:
    STOP PRESS - 3rd September 2017
    ============================================================================================

    ESTABLISHED ANTI GREENWAY MEMBER TAYTOSNAX HAS BEEN BANNED FOR POINTING OUT INCONSISTANCIES OF MODS - FOR THE LATEST NEWS, PLEASE SEE THE WESTERN RAIL CORRIDOR THREAD.

    ============================================================================================
    Update from the Executive of the Busworkers Action Group
    ============================================================================================

    Dear Comrades

    As you no doubt are aware by now this forum has been subjected to prologned unfair treatment against union members and supporters of left wing parties by those who have clear links to right wing politics as they are scared of free speech.

    They have stopped or posts here and on other forums and are even deleting our pms to stop us from being heard and giving our side of the argument as they keep this board a closed shop where anti greenway / pro union / pro public ownership participants are silenced whilst pro greenway / anti union and pro privatisation posters are protected  and allowed to breach rules left right centre.

    This campaign is pretty futile and is based on the same kind of propaganda styles as North Korea. The reasons the mods were chosen was because they have same views as other mods and there is an inherant bias about the way they operate the latest example being Zaph completely taking our words out of context and saying we create vulgar usernames when this is clearly the work of the mods who are trying to blacken our name.

    =====================================================
    Setting the Record Straight
    =====================================================

    BOARDS CLAIM: We registered Vulgar Usernames
    TRUTH: Boards registered Vulgar usernames to blacken our name


    BOARDS CLAIM: We used the NBRU Name without permission
    TRUTH: We never said it was a campaign of the NBRU, just we are NBRU members.

    BOARDS CLAIM: They are not worried about us and there was no crisis meeting
    TRUTH: A 600 post thread in the admin forum discussing us, Niamh calling the NBRU and Zaphs post suggests otherwise.


    BOARDS CLAIM: We are not sending many PMs
    TRUTH: Actually sending a lot, using compromised old accounts. We have sent over 175 this weekend and no accounts have been banned as you don't know about them.


    BOARDS CLAIM: We are not getting many PMs
    TRUTH: In our new accounts we tell people to email us or PM our old accounts since we know the new ones get banned quick


    BOARDS CLAIM: providing actual evidence of their claims doesn't seem to be a strong point
    TRUTH: A good poker player doesn't show her hand, besides, have boards showed clear proof they are moderating fairly?


    BOARDS CLAIM: It must be way behins the scenes.
    TRUTH: Your admins are sh1t. We have sent over 300 messages on one 5 year old account you haven't spotted yet.


    BOARDS CLAIM: This is untrue, that is untrue etc.
    TRUTH: Anyone can say anything on a message board, sad that an admin has to resort to fiction to try and censor people, it's not Russia.


    BOARDS CLAIM: We don't name people as the don't exist
    TRUTH: Yeah, because with Boards record, someone who supports us is just gonna hold their hands up and admit it and see their account get banned aren't they?


    BOARDS CLAIM: There is no Agenda against the unions or biased moderators.
    TRUTH: You can keep repeating this as much as you want the people on the shop floor know that it's not true however many times you repeat it realise you are losing the war people know the score.


    =====================================================
    Remember to Vote in the CIE Elections
    =====================================================

    REMEMBER TO VOTE FOR STEVE HANNAN FOR CIE DIRECTOR

    =====================================================
    Bob's Final Thought.
    =====================================================

    It seems for the moment that not only do the moderators have it in for us, but also the administrators of Boards as well, who are allowing an anti-worker, pro race to the bottom regime be allowed to dictate free speech.

    They're defaming union members saying we called people dog rapists rapists and paedophiles in an attempt to drum up support against us by smearing the good name of our union, our solidarity and our fight for freedom of speech.

    To those who have pm'd us liked our posts and supported us to fight for fair moderation thank you from shop stewards union reps and the left of politics we apologise that you hav had to be censored for airing your view and we hope that you will be able to enjoy the forum again soon

    BEST REGARDS

    CIE WORKER GROUP
    BUSWORKERS ACTION GROUP
    SOLIDARITY

    For clarity: other posts that mentioned the user name of a real person were also deleted to remove mention of that person who likely has no connection to the C&T troll.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 14,071 Mod ✭✭✭✭monument


    The follow was explained to Taytosnax when s/he/it claimed named users were "protected":

    The posters you mention are not protected posters. I've just checked them all and can say all have recent warnings or infractions and some have recent bans (and one is close to another ban). So, your conspiracy theory in this regard is baseless.

    As people can guess, Taytosnax was likely a re-reg of an older account. As outlined above, s/he never got a ban at any level -- that's more nonsensical ranting from the C&T troll.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,478 ✭✭✭john boye


    If this really is a group of NBRU members, wouldn't you think they might have better things to do with their time?


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,655 ✭✭✭✭Jamie2k9


    john boye wrote: »
    If this really is a group of NBRU members, wouldn't you think they might have better things to do with their time?

    Indeed, it would be great to debate with them about the pros and cons of privatization and all other issues but they could offer very little.

    At least the few IE lads here bring something to a debate.




  • what we are doing is standing up for our fellow members who are slandered and their human rights violated

    I actually lol'ed at this


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 27,834 ✭✭✭✭ThisRegard


    The claim they didn't use tasteless user names is hilarious given we could all see them at the time.


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,462 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    the front page says this thread currently has 28 posts but the thread itself only has 10 prior to this one, whats with that?


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  • the front page says this thread currently has 28 posts but the thread itself only has 10 prior to this one, whats with that?

    The troll posts, gets banned and posts deleted


  • Registered Users Posts: 282 ✭✭rebel456


    the front page says this thread currently has 28 posts but the thread itself only has 10 prior to this one, whats with that?

    The C&T troll has been commenting (propoganda-ing would be more correct) on yet another new account.

    Comical stuff. He/She/They will likely strike again soon claiming even more victimisation.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 14,071 Mod ✭✭✭✭monument


    The troll posts, gets banned and posts deleted

    As well as that and as noted in my post above, I deleted a post as the C&T troll was using a user name which may or may not be linked to the real person of that name and I also included the following note above:
    For clarity: other posts that mentioned the user name of a real person were also deleted to remove mention of that person who likely has no connection to the C&T troll.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    Jamie2k9 wrote: »
    ... At least the few IE lads here bring something to a debate.

    I wouldn't associate the very informed comments of those posters with the trolling and spamming that went on.


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 74,777 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Just to be clear we are talking one individual who could best be described as a bit of a nutcase. I would certainly not tar others, and in particular people who have contributed constructively to any discussion here, with the same brush


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,462 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    The troll posts, gets banned and posts deleted

    which is all fairly obvious but the number of posts on the front page is still nearly 3x what the thread has, why doesn't it update correctly?
    edit, never mind. seems to have fixed itself now




  • which is all fairly obvious but the number of posts on the front page is still nearly 3x what the thread has, why doesn't it update correctly?

    That would be an ecumenical matter


  • Registered Users Posts: 37,295 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    Is there any way that boards.ie could get the IP's of the trolls, and have them arrested, should said troll threaten boards.ie or it's volunteers?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,478 ✭✭✭john boye


    I wouldn't worry about it. He's probably due to go out on strike from boards soon anyway.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,655 ✭✭✭✭Jamie2k9


    beauf wrote: »
    Jamie2k9 wrote: »
    ... At least the few IE lads here bring something to a debate.

    I wouldn't associate the very informed comments of those posters with the trolling and spamming that went on.

    I completely agree, didn't think my post implied anything negative about them or at leas that was ny intention.


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  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 14,071 Mod ✭✭✭✭monument


    C&T troll: I'm a winner, I can do this all night,?

    Normal poster: Kind of makes you the opposite of a winner...

    (I don't use their username as I don't know if they want to be named here)


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 74,777 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    I suspect there are 2 trolls who are regularly trying to disrupt this forum. One is pretty bad with the comments they make, but the other is a particularly nasty piece of work, making comments within usernames, e-mail addresses and posts that are aimed at mods and posters. This evening (s)he pleaded with the mods and some users to kill themselves, under the username "Electrocution", and also posted this:
    Lets finish them - lets put the mods 10 feet under

    trying to get railwaymen the sack for stupid humans

    and this:
    let them detrain, tie them to the track and led the train decapitate them

    FINISH THEM

    In the hope the other troll actually reads posts rather than simply posting to disrupt the forum may I suggest (s)he has a think about whether (s)he really wants to associate themselves with this particular individual

    Now I have not been involved in any discussions in this forum other than in my capacity as Admin. I have been subject to some comments, but it's water off a duck's back to me. I really am not taking a great deal of interest on the underlying topics - I'm much more interested in getting on my bike than catching a train or a bus. I've little doubt I will be subject to further vitriol, but would like the wider community here to have a flavour of the people who are trying to get discussion around here closed down.


This discussion has been closed.
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