Regarding Private Conversations

[HR-Trevor]

A few players have voiced concern recently about private conversations in Haelrahv, how private they are, and whether staff should respond in any way if they witness private conversations.

To date, staff have sometimes seen "screamer" messages - a message that pops up to alert them - if a player whispers/thinks/transmits certain keywords that are associated in some way with discussions of cheating/scripting/etc. Staff have also historically had the ability to see -all- whispers under certain conditions.

I've come to the conclusion that these tools, while intended, have done very little to help detect policy violators or deter their behavior. While generally the level of compromised privacy is low, it still has presented situations that are uncomfortable for players.

Therefore, as of this post, staff are no longer presented these screamer messages and do not see whispers. I do not want this to be mistaken for complete privacy however, because the following situations do still exist:

- All commands in game are logged. Staff don't have access to these logs, I do, Pete Souza/Exxy does, no one else does. I can, as needed, review every command a given player has ever entered in game. I review these logs as necessary only. In fact, it's inconvenient for me to review them.

- Staff can see commands a player types as they are typing them. This is necessary to assist us in script checks. They have to be actively watching the player or be in the player's location to see their commands. So the only case staff should see private conversations in this situation are when they are script checking or have reason to believe policies are being violated. Talking bad about staff or spreading rumors (true or not) are not against policy. If an extreme case comes up where a player is causing a major disruption however, this is handled case by case.

- Obviously it's possible for staff to see out-loud conversation anywhere, if they are watching/present in that area.

If anyone has questions, please post them, PM me, or email.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -- Plato

-- Trevor Rage / Rich Mondy