Possibly worrying news

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I'm sure the governent can find better things to do than police internet forums to make sure that the moderators are registered...

if this is what they are spanking my tax money on, I want it back!

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Welcome to Reality. This is what people we elect do with our money.
Now, when I get the New British Empire started, we'll see a slight change in THAT, ho yes sah...All politicians will be hung until dead from the neck up AND down, not just one way...

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And this initiative costs nearly as much to implement as the billions of pounds the government is pumping into the banking sector...oh wait.

Drop in the ocean of public spending.

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@Jaw Dropper - Toons of all levels so drop me a line!

Imaginary Inc.

Twitter me!

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I'm sure the governent can find better things to do than police internet forums to make sure that the moderators are registered...

if this is what they are spanking my tax money on, I want it back!

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Hahahaha! WHAT!? You don't want the government spending tax money on making sure paedophiles don't work with children?

You and Techbot have just taken the mighty leap from "didn't bother thinking this through" to "outright disgusting". I can't wait until I can have a son of my own one day, as an aside I'm hoping he'll be like a kind of Mini Me, and I'd quite happily flat out take away the voting rights of people like you, because you obviously shouldn't be allowed the responsibility.

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^This. Seriously, there is no real down side to this, and it just helps keep our kids safe.

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Hahahaha! WHAT!? You don't want the government spending tax money on making sure paedophiles don't work with children?

You and Techbot have just taken the mighty leap from "didn't bother thinking this through" to "outright disgusting". I can't wait until I can have a son of my own one day, as an aside I'm hoping he'll be like a kind of Mini Me, and I'd quite happily flat out take away the voting rights of people like you, because you obviously shouldn't be allowed the responsibility.

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I think the rescources could be put to much better use than by making sure FORUM MODERATORS are registered, yes stopping grooming of children on the internet is important, but perhaps the government should be putting more money into...

A. More police on the streets so that if someone is tempted to meet someone online, they don't have to run around for 40 minutes trying to find a police officer.

B. Checking more into people that have PHYSICAL contact with children.

kicking off legislation regarding forum moderators is just daft, as forum users have to CHOOSE to sign up to the forum first, surely its better to inform children about the dangers of meeting people they don't actually know without supervision, rather than just jump on the...

"Oh wont someone think of the children" bandwagon that seems to be crusing around. Parents also need to take more responsibility for their childrens internet use and actually part with money to have their computers setup properly to filter their childrens internet usage, rather than bodging it, or not being bothered, then blaming others for their lack of action to protect their children.

Or perhaps we should just point the finger at forum mods rather than live up to our own responsibilties.

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In-game and now on Twitter @Tsumiju Zero "The Nightmare of Dra'Gon"
"The flow of battle can only be influenced, not by realtime tactics, but by strategy."
Proud resident of the Union EU Server.
B.A.F. Trial Guide

You cannot allow a registered offender to work with children under any circumstances, volunteer or not, in any other walk of life.

The check is simple, the initiative costs essentially nothing and can do nothing but increase awareness and safety, and you disgust me. You're ignored. Don't waste NCSoft bandwidth typing at me you freak.

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Chairman of the Charity of Pain; accepting donations of blood and guts.

Prophet of the Creamy Truth; "If it's empty, fill it with cream."

so hang on, clamping down on forum moderators raises awareness how? I'm sure actually RAISING AWARENESS through more powerful means is surely more powerful and a better way to protect minors?

I'm actually suggesting that targetting forum mods is essentially something that wouldn't be nessecary if the rescources were put to better use, hence

"I'm sure the governent can find better things to do than police internet forums to make sure that the moderators are registered..."

if you can't agree with that then I really don't know what to suggest apart from a nice sedative and a sit down, followed by actually reading my posts and not merely reacting to the first three words of my post and disregarding the rest because somehow you think you know better?

Ignore me if you like, I myself AM a forum mod for several sites and I advise parents on security for their computers to help them protect their children as part of my job, if you're ignoring me, then you're ignoring YOUR responsibility as a parent to help protect your children and thats what I find the saddest.

discussion end of thanks

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In-game and now on Twitter @Tsumiju Zero "The Nightmare of Dra'Gon"
"The flow of battle can only be influenced, not by realtime tactics, but by strategy."
Proud resident of the Union EU Server.
B.A.F. Trial Guide

And so this topic has become a flamefest.

Blegh. Padlock please.

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And so this topic has become a flamefest.

Blegh. Padlock please.

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It's not a flamefest. This is something else entirely.
It's too important a subject to trivialise it by calling people Flamers.
I 100% agree with Khorak and of his opinions of those posters who are saying things like "I want my taxpayers money back etc."
Theyre saying trying to keep kids secure in an area (the internet) that is crawling with sex perverts isn't worth the miniscule money they (as in taxpayer) have to invest in it. Or that this isnt important enough. Get more police on the streets but dont ensure that people that moderate kids websites arent peodophiles? What a joke!

Khoraks response pretty much sums up how I feel about those people too.

I happen to think any responsible company would be happy to run these checks and any right minded interviewee would understand why the checks are being run. I can't see why this would create more hassle as its a pretty routine thing.

And, like Khorak, I wonder about the mentality of thopse people who think that such as move isnt sensible and responsible.

Are you not aware that these people can be and are attracted to posts that connect them to children? Have they never heard of internet grooming?

There is only one valid point of view on this subject.
And while i have a reputation for thinking that people that disagree with me are wrong, in this instance, anyone that doesnt think this is responsible legislation is a disgrace.
And you can ignore my disclaimer sig.

Saying it may affect forums is one thing and is a valid debate.
Saying the legislation is a waste of taxpayers money... uh uh

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Don't get into a flap. It's only my opinion and I'm thick

Arc 56763 Lord Anarchys heaven

2 mission arc. Bring friends cause Lord Anarchy means business...

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... that is crawling with sex perverts...

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It's that type of exaggeration which prevents anyone from being able to comment rationally on the issue.

Right. I've no problem with trying to prevent kids being groomed on the internet. This law is an attempt to do so, but I personally feel, like Tsum that it's targetting the wrong area - parents should be responsible for what their children do, rather than a complete stranger (which is what a forum mod is) - yes, when you drop your kids off at the youth club or whatever (not a parent myself and have no wish to speak for parents), you've got the guarantee (or do you?) that someone has been vetted.

Given the number of forums in the country, that doesn't seem feasible. And given the potential for lawsuits that arrive with new regulations and laws, I can see many a company giving up forums as a risk too far.

I hope I'm wrong.

And yes, it has went to flames, far quicker than I would have guessed.

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"Idealism is such a wonderful thing. All you really need is someone rational to put it to proper use." - Kerr Avon

Myopic Aardvark on Twitter

It must be true, it says so in the Daily Mail!!!

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I really should do something about this signature.

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It must be true, it says so in the Daily Mail!!!

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My point exactly! (layered with heavy layers of irony).

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"Idealism is such a wonderful thing. All you really need is someone rational to put it to proper use." - Kerr Avon

Myopic Aardvark on Twitter

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I hope I'm wrong.

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I hope you're wrong too, the ability to discuss issues and bring our opinions to the table would be sorely missed if it were gone!

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In-game and now on Twitter @Tsumiju Zero "The Nightmare of Dra'Gon"
"The flow of battle can only be influenced, not by realtime tactics, but by strategy."
Proud resident of the Union EU Server.
B.A.F. Trial Guide

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There is only one valid point of view on this subject.
And while i have a reputation for thinking that people that disagree with me are wrong, in this instance, anyone that doesnt think this is responsible legislation is a disgrace.


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Truth.

I don't believe you're all sitting there trying to say this legislation is a drain on tax payers money...how can you put a price on the safety of a child?

Yes parents should be responsible for what their children do but we do not have is eyes in the back of our head....but we do have a government...that parents pay taxes to....that asked for this legislation.

The net has just become a safer place for everyone.

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It might also be a good idea for all forum moderators to have some experience with working with children too

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@Golden Girl

City of Heroes comics and artwork

I think that rather than spend taxpayers' money on policing thousands upon thousands of forums in the country and making sure that the moderators of those forums have no criminal record (innocent! Or just very good at hiding the evidence!), it would be better if the taxpayers' money was spent teaching parents about the web, the possible dangers, the likelihood of said dangers without media bias that says IT HAPPENS EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY and the ways that the parents can ensure their kids are safe.

For example:

"Dad, Mum, I'm going out to meet someone I met on the Internet."

"Okay dear, just make sure you're back before it gets dark."

is not the best way, but I'll be damned if I agree that it's the forums' fault for this happening.

And disagreeing with the way that legislation is put in place doesn't automatically make someone a paedophile's friend. Just the same as someone calling for this legislation to be put in place doesn't automatically make them a Daily Mail reader (sorry Stasis, I'll stay away from that stereotype now).

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"Idealism is such a wonderful thing. All you really need is someone rational to put it to proper use." - Kerr Avon

Myopic Aardvark on Twitter

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Whilst I cannot disagree that anything that helps protect children is a good thing I cannot agree that forcing forum mods to jump through this particular hoop will do much if anything to assist this.

A CRB check is almost useless as it can only tell you that a person has no criminal convictions at one specific moment of time. I have two CRB certificates but, to all intents and purposes they are useless now as it can only confirm that I hadn't been caught at the time of the check (not that I have ever done anything worthy of police attention; my life is not that exciting).

As far as gaming forums go; all this will do is make them that little bit more expensive. As has been pointed out official forums are becoming less common and this could potentially be another reason for a company not to provide one. Further, it could also deter unofficial forums' moderators as they are volunteers and so would need to pay for the CRB themselves. It has already been shown that the CRB requirement has led to a decrease in the number of parents volunteering for school trips/after school clubs etc. and I could see this having a similar effect on unofficial forums if it is policed.

As I say; protecting children - good thing, CRB; of limited use.

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that is crawling with sex perverts...

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It's that type of exaggeration which prevents anyone from being able to comment rationally on the issue.

Right. I've no problem with trying to prevent kids being groomed on the internet. This law is an attempt to do so, but I personally feel, like Tsum that it's targetting the wrong area - parents should be responsible for what their children do, rather than a complete stranger (which is what a forum mod is) - yes, when you drop your kids off at the youth club or whatever (not a parent myself and have no wish to speak for parents), you've got the guarantee (or do you?) that someone has been vetted.

Given the number of forums in the country, that doesn't seem feasible. And given the potential for lawsuits that arrive with new regulations and laws, I can see many a company giving up forums as a risk too far.

I hope I'm wrong.

And yes, it has went to flames, far quicker than I would have guessed.

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Firstly, it isn't an exaggeration. But that aside, what on earth is your issue (and any responsible employers issue)with checking out interviewees?

Im not for a second suggesting that every kids forum has pervs on them,, anymore than Im suggesting every under 16 football coach or scout master is one.

But, perverts look for ways to get in touch with kids. That is a fact. And it is absolutely correct that forums ensure they are moderated by people without that sort of record.
And to say its entirely the parents responsibility and not that of the company is niave, unfair and just plain wrong.
Companies are responsible for who they employ.
Can you imagine if i was a taxi firm and i employed a rapist who i never knew about because I never checked him out? I would be putting women in direct danger every time I sent him to pick one up.
I'd actually go so far as to say if an incident happened and I hired someone who attacked someone then, unless I checked them prior to employing them (and got references from the authorities), the attack is partly my fault and i should be held accountable.
if you had a cash register or valuable goods are you sure you wouldnt check out the person who youre gonna be entrusting with your goods first?

I know thats a slightly different scenario but the principles about the same and the whole thing about pedos is they are insideous and cunning.

In fact, one final point, if there is a forum for kids and a moderator isa sex offender, can you think of the reason he's (or she) working kiddie forums?

There's really only one isnt there and that's why it's correct for these checks to be in place.

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Don't get into a flap. It's only my opinion and I'm thick

Arc 56763 Lord Anarchys heaven

2 mission arc. Bring friends cause Lord Anarchy means business...

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I think that rather than spend taxpayers' money on policing thousands upon thousands of forums in the country and making sure that the moderators of those forums have no criminal record (innocent! Or just very good at hiding the evidence!), it would be better if the taxpayers' money was spent teaching parents about the web, the possible dangers, the likelihood of said dangers without media bias that says IT HAPPENS EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY and the ways that the parents can ensure their kids are safe.

For example:

"Dad, Mum, I'm going out to meet someone I met on the Internet."

"Okay dear, just make sure you're back before it gets dark."

is not the best way, but I'll be damned if I agree that it's the forums' fault for this happening.

And disagreeing with the way that legislation is put in place doesn't automatically make someone a paedophile's friend. Just the same as someone calling for this legislation to be put in place doesn't automatically make them a Daily Mail reader (sorry Stasis, I'll stay away from that stereotype now).

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This is my point.
You can throw as MUCH money at you want at things, whiffle on about problems as much as you like, but nothing will change if problems are not actually confronted and SOLVED.

The issue should not be 'Stop Sex offenders from getting at our children'.
The issue should be 'Why the hell are these people even out of jail, or more realistically a mental ward?'

Wow, Im getting riled about politics...dear oh lor

Also, honestly, some of the attitudes displayed are really sad. Do people behave like that in reality, when not shielded by the net?
Humanity? Y'can keep it.

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This is my point.
You can throw as MUCH money at you want at things, whiffle on about problems as much as you like, but nothing will change if problems are not actually confronted and SOLVED.

The issue should not be 'Stop Sex offenders from getting at our children'.
The issue should be 'Why the hell are these people even out of jail, or more realistically a mental ward?'

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Boy, there are all kinds of people in the world arent there?

"the issue should not be "Stop sex offenders from getting to children?"

You did say that didnt you?

And yes I know what you were saying.
This aint la la land. Pervs do get released and people like you and the "person" you quoted should be ashamed of yourselves. Really.

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Don't get into a flap. It's only my opinion and I'm thick

Arc 56763 Lord Anarchys heaven

2 mission arc. Bring friends cause Lord Anarchy means business...

The first few lines of the article said it for me 'moderators for sites that mainly kids use' - so unless parents have bought CoX for their kids, surely the arguement would be this game and therefore it's forums are restricted by purchasing the game, you have to be over kiddie age to buy the game, that's for sure.

Maybe it doesn't work like that, i don't know, but that'd be my take on it.

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You're all (well, not all - some of you are being very sensible) being a little silly.

1. Parents should monitor their children. NOT to the point of shielding, but enough to keep them safe. The majority get this balance down perfectly, the rest have little excuse.
2. CRB checks take less time then credit rating checks. This is a good thing, unless you're trying to get a credit card. Freakin' Barclay's!
3. CRB checks are NOT foolproof. All sex offenders start somewhere, why not on an internet forum? By this I mean, any potential sex offender who has not committed a crime/been caught, will pass.
4. The police and social services should attempt to work with each other, not against. Increasing the number of policeman/social workers will not improve a damn thing until they start working together.
5. Stop complaining about "taxpayers" money, jeez. We all* (*majority) pay it, a good deal of us without complaint.

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So many people going out of their way to misunderstand or misrepresent the other side, then get all righteous about what the nasty straw man's saying.

This thread so needs locking.

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1. Parents should monitor their children. NOT to the point of shielding, but enough to keep them safe. The majority get this balance down perfectly, the rest have little excuse.

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110% agree there Stasis

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5. Stop complaining about "taxpayers" money, jeez. We all* (*majority) pay it, a good deal of us without complaint.

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Just wishing they would make wiser use of it, for a start I use the gift aid scheme to try and do just that, but its still frustrating sometimes and I bet deep down there are things we all would prefer it went to

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In-game and now on Twitter @Tsumiju Zero "The Nightmare of Dra'Gon"
"The flow of battle can only be influenced, not by realtime tactics, but by strategy."
Proud resident of the Union EU Server.
B.A.F. Trial Guide

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QR

So many people going out of their way to misunderstand or misrepresent the other side, then get all righteous about what the nasty straw man's saying.

This thread so needs locking.

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Agreed. When people ignore whole chunks of what you write to try and make you look bad, time to say good-bye and let GR know.

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So many people going out of their way to misunderstand or misrepresent the other side, then get all righteous about what the nasty straw man's saying.

This thread so needs locking.

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Agreed. When people ignore whole chunks of what you write to try and make you look bad, time to say good-bye and let GR know.

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No, I got what you said fully. Just one question:
Why exactly would a registered sex offender ever get a job as a moderator of kids forums do you think?

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Don't get into a flap. It's only my opinion and I'm thick

Arc 56763 Lord Anarchys heaven

2 mission arc. Bring friends cause Lord Anarchy means business...

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So many people going out of their way to misunderstand or misrepresent the other side, then get all righteous about what the nasty straw man's saying.

This thread so needs locking.

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Agreed. When people ignore whole chunks of what you write to try and make you look bad, time to say good-bye and let GR know.

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No, I got what you said fully. Just one question:
Why exactly would a registered sex offender ever get a job as a moderator of kids forums do you think?

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My reply-question, aimed at the people who should be making these decisions, would be;
Why is a sex-offender who was sentanced for chil-related incidents not in a mental ward?
Its not right, not by any means, and I would be quite shocked if anyone said it was. So we can classify something like that as an illness, at the very least. So maybe money should be put into actually trying to find a way to solve it, and if not then at least keep them out of harming other people and possibly themselves.

That sounds logical to me. I won't go into political ramble mode, as thats against Forum rules and such. But hey-de-doo.

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