I have received a report from a recently joined member to let me know that he asked for his email address to be hidden from other members via his profile but that
it was still visible.
I take data security and security of such personal details most seriously, so after investigating (
and confirming that we do NOT in fact have a security problem here!) I am documenting the situation for future reference, and to explain what happened / happens to the member concerned.
1. When you edit your profile, you can choose whether of not to make your email address available to
other members. You yourself are not regarded as an "other" member, though, and the system will NOT hide your own email address from you. This means that is you have forgotten which of a number of email addresses you registed from, you can easily find out! Telling you the email address through which you are logged in is NOT exposing it to other account holders ...
2. Email addresses are also available to the administrator but not to the other moderators unless you have made them public. As a matter of course, I will ONLY email people using these addresses if I have also been given them by another route, such as if I have been emailed myself either directly or via a security notiifaction. In excpetional circumastances (such as a security issue) where I need to get hold of someone and neither a post nor a personal message will do, the I may also email.
3. The site administrator can "email all users" if he wants. I have never wanted; I might do so should the board cease to be available for a long period or have its URL changed so that you can get back in touch, or something like that, but we have a policy not to email regularly!
4. If there is a legal requirement on me to reveal an email address - for example as part of a police investigation - I would be obliged to co-operate.
Please do ask any questions - via this board, via personal message, or via email - I personally choose to make my address of
graham@wellho.net public and you are most welcome to contact me via that address and pass it on to others.
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