>Like many members up here, I'm getting enough about the speculation about why members are banned. I'd like to see piece return to the UT. Maybe you can shed a bit of light in the questions below.
As usual, the materials collected for each issue cannot be divulged.
>Is it true that members can be banned without any warnings and without any explanation?
As already answered, it all depends on the severity of the situation. Usually, yes, we exchange emails, do phone calls, etc. But, when a situation it defined as highly severe, this just cannot apply.
>If so, why can't you give Kevin an explanation to why he has been banned? Are you convinced he knows why he is banned? Do you have absolute prove Kevin is quitly ?
Each issue has its own set of parameters, and yes, everytime such a situation has happenned, one can easily assume that we have detailed files (as in Terminator II).
>I know in the past, you've had some legal trouble. Does it have to do with that?
The site content, its options, its Terms & Conditions, have evolved from years to years, so is the case for all products you might find on the market. We have enhanced a lot of things based on various factors, and one of them is experience. Experience has shown me that you always have to expect the unexpected. We have faced some severe issues in the past and when we analyze a specific situations, we consider all factors. We do our best to make sure that this site cannot be jeopardized, that the security of its representatives is not affected and that everything in regards to our Terms & Conditions is respected at its best. So, if I find inter correlation data that leads us to believe that something like that could be in effect, our way of handling the situation could be different. Basically, it all goes down to our Terms & Conditions. Many items in there are generic and there is nothing that forces us to send notices, provide explanations and answer those types of messages. If all members would respect the Terms & Conditions of this site, we would have never faced that situation.
It is quite easily to spot troublemakers on this site. What is most difficult is to find hard data that we can use on each issue to back up our actions. Based on what happens in the recent situations, I have found that there is nothing to adjust in the Terms & Conditions of this site. Those rules are easy to follow. Anyone would intentions of breaking those rules, such as extremely high level of trolling, polluting, harrasing members at various levels on personal attacks, using fake identities, sharing account with non banned or banned members, using multiple accounts (which is usually associated with the sole intention of causing problems on the site so as most of the other items I just mentioned), posting ongoing content to provoke other members targeting at fighting and causing problems on the site such as affecting the image integrity of the site and related issues like that, could consider himself or herself a serious candidate of being banned with or without notice(s).
And, also, as I mentioned, I believe we usually tolerate a lot on those issues. But, there are times, the limit is reached and properly actions have to be taken.
Presently, we are doing researches on collecting hard data on indidivuals which are continuing to cause trouble on this site by using multiple accounts, fake accounts and fake identities. So, yes, we have individuals on this site presently which are coming here since a while with the intention to cause problems by using those kind of approaches. And, for those, in such a situation, once everything will be gathered, there won't be any negotiation because this is something I consider among the worsts situations that can happen on a site. So, yes, there are a lot of things that cannot be seen from a members POV. And, yes, we also do not have to justify any action we do in regards to those situations. We need to continue to focus on offering a good Web site to our members so they can continue to offer and receive support. Unfortunately, many members using this site are completely off target in regards to that because all they do is to continue posting non related technical content which is only targeting on trolling and polluting this Web site.
