Correspondence

[katiefoolery]

Dear LJ,

Thanks for the good times, but I’m seriously considering saying goodbye to you.  Yes, even with some seven or eight months left on my PAID ACCOUNT.

I have always felt safe here... right up until some no-name, non-government-supported, vigilante group tried to make it even “safer”.  I don’t feel that sense of safety and homeliness any more.  Now I feel as though I should watch what I say; that I should be looking over my shoulder nervously every time I write a post or a comment.  I’ve even removed some of my interests out of paranoia.*

Oh, I added one, too: free speech.

I’m so sorry you felt pressured into doing what you’ve done and I’m sorry you made mistakes in doing that.  I’m sorry that an organisation with an essentially admirable aim has potentially alienated some thirteen million people across the globe.  I’m sorry that I just made a GJ account in case this all gets out of hand.

Communicate, LJ.  Tell us what’s going on.  Isn’t that what your news account is for?

Yours in frustration,
Katie.

EDIT> Want to protest? Here are some suggestions. And if you currently have a Plus account, consider switching back to basic. Perhaps a loss of ad-generated revenue will make LJ and 6A sit up and take notice.

EDITx2> Finally, an explanation from news... from the head of Six Apart. I guess we know for sure that LJ was not responsible now.

Click the banner for more info
(please be aware that this issue covers subjects such as child abuse -
don’t click the link if this is likely to upset or affect you)

* And who wouldn’t be paranoid when there are rumours abounding that simply listing an interest in certain mangas is enough to get your journal deleted?

Comments

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm condensing the issue a lot here, but:

1. An organisation calling themselves "Warriors for Innocence" has taken it upon themselves to track down child-abusers on the internet. Which is a noble aim. However, they don't appear to be an official, or even legal, organisation.

2. They decided to go after LJ, on the basis that anyone who's a child abuser would list child abuse as an interest. LJ initially refused to act, saying that they couldn't find evidence that any of the people WfI was attacking had condoned or encouraged child abuse.

3. WfI persisted and (I'm assuming) went to Six Apart, LJ's parent company.

4. As of barely twenty-four hours ago, some five hundred journals and communities were deleted. Many of these were journals of role-playing characters or long-standing fanfic archives. At least one of the affected communities was a community offering support for sufferers of child abuse. Essentially, hundreds of innocent people have been attacked and had their journals deleted.

5. There have also been rumours that people with "dubious" icons (such as ones containing slash) have had their journals deleted.

The problem is that LJ (or Six Apart) has refused to make any statement about the issue, or confirm or deny anything.

[naelany.livejournal.com]

What's "slash"?

It seems odd to me that all this is happening, but nothing is being said about it from LJ's point. Why do this, and then not acknowledge it. Aside from your entry, I've seen or heard nothing about any of this, which strikes me as odd. Granted, I don't belong to any such communities, but you'd think it'd come up elsewhere, too?

And I agree, the sentiment of going after child abusers is a good one. But really... do they think that any child abuser is going to be stupid enough to flag himself like that? Isn't the whole point of what they do, to do so without raising flags to themselves? They usually are quite cunning and do everything surreptitiously. And yes, I do speak from the standpoint of an abusee.

I hope LJ comes to its senses, and that the people doing all of this get their heads straight again. What they want is noble. How they're going about it, is not. In fact, it could be construed as harrassment, as well as (I think this is the word for it, since it's written) liable.

Thanks for trying to explain it to me, Katie

[naelany.livejournal.com]

check out the news post, they finally made a statement, and it looks like they're working on matters ^_^