liz_marcs: Jeff and Annie in Trobed's bathroom during Remedial Chaos Theory (Homicide_Quote_Everybody_Lies)
liz_marcs ([personal profile] liz_marcs) wrote2007-08-09 07:18 pm

I Just Pinged LJ Regarding the Issue of Linking

Right now, an awful lot of people are saying LiveJournal will ToS your journal if you provide even a link to material LJAbuse would deem ToS-worthy (using, of course, LJ's invisible guidelines that we — the customers and content providers — have yet to see) as if you were hosting the content on the LiveJournal servers.

I'm not talking about displaying images that are hosted on another site (i.e., Photobucket or DeviantArt) using the <<img>> tag.

I'm talking about just providing a link to content or an image using the <<a href>> tag that LJ Abuse deems ToS-worthy.

See the response this user got when he/she asked that question.

Another LJ user asked the same questions and got the same response from an LJ/6A employee. (H/t to [livejournal.com profile] wesleysgirl for the link.)

Note that this new off-site linking stance is in direct violation of LJ's own abuse policies.

I want to be clear: I'm not calling the OP a liar, but this response beggars belief as far as I'm concerned,  especially since Web sites change all the time and it's not that hard to imagine a once-innocent link to, say to an article on SuicideGirls (warning link may be NWS), could suddenly become rife with problems.

So I decided to ask Support for myself.

Within seconds of me posting my request Support tagged it as private, so good luck seeing Request#: 797739 if you want to confirm that I did, in fact, do this.

I'll just have to give you the text of what I asked:

There is currently a rumor going around the user base that LJ/6A would delete or suspend a journal if the user links to a Web site or Web page that contains content that the Abuse Team deems as objectionable.

I'm not talking about displaying an objectionable image hosted on, say Photobucket, and linked using the "img" tag.

I'm talking about linking to a site or an image using the "a href" tag.

So, for example, I post a link to a Web site( a link and nothing more) and say someone reports the entry to LJ Abuse.

If LJ Abuse deems that I have, indeed, linked to material that would otherwise get me ToS'd if LJ servers were hosting it, would my account be suspended/deleted because I merely posted a link to another Website?

Thank you for your prompt response on this matter.


As soon as I get a response, I will post it here.

Either that, or LJ is going to ToS me for posting a link to SuicideGirls.

Screw it. If this journal disappears, that's a pretty much solid answer, don't you think?

[identity profile] adis723.livejournal.com 2007-08-10 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
I just... *throws up hands*

6A is exhausting me and trying my bleeping patience. I've sent them three emails regarding this situation. The first one was actually when I turned off my auto-payments (on the 5th) and got the confirmation notice.

The closing read: Thank you for supporting the site,
LiveJournal Team


It irked me so I hit reply and wrote: I assume that you realize, I requested that my auto-payments be stopped because I no longer wish to support a site with such poor customer service. If there's any doubt, yes, I am referring to the way the deletions were handling, the lack of clarification regarding the ToS, the contradictory statements made by LiveJournal staff and the silence from LJ/6A regarding said matters.

Sincerely,
Adis723


That was the 5th and got a real cheerful 'check out our lj_biz post' answer yesterday morning. *headdesk*

Actually to quote: In regards to this specific incident, LiveJournal management has made a statement, which can be found at http://community.livejournal.com/lj_biz/241884.html, to clarify the question of material dealing with the sexualization of minors.

Where did I mention sexuality or minors? And I'm still waiting on anything regarding the other two emails I sent (one on the 6th and one yesterday). So, yeah, 3 Support requests and... no support as of yet.

[identity profile] liz-marcs.livejournal.com 2007-08-10 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
Fah. This is nuts. I can see me repeatedly posting the same question to Support at this point because I see no response yet.