Threats sent through HP-- How was it allowed?

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   VENUGOPAL SIVAGNAposted 13 years ago

   Three days ago, I posted a comment in the hub "TN Legislative Assembly Elections, 2011" posted by 'bigfather'. I posted several comments in that hub for nearly one week. 
   
   I found to my horror that one person called 'karunanidhi' issueing a veiled threat that I will be burnt alive if he saw me because of my comments. The local elections are nearing and I was commenting on how some college girls were burnt alive and the perpetrators are to be hanged soon. They belong to a party which the above 'karunanidhi' was advocating.
   
   Just for my comments, can any one threaten me through HP? What are the moderators doing? Just sleeping? I am planning to complain to the police.
   
   Before that, the hubs posted by bigfather may please be stopped. Or it will mean you advocate one party in our local elections.

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      Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      We own the copyright to our own hubs, including comments. We are our own moderators of comments to hubs. If we need assistance, it is our responsibility to contact HubPages, not the other way around.

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   rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

   Did you contact team@hubpages.com?  I would address the issue directly with staff.

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   Daniel Carterposted 13 years ago

   As Rebekah suggested, report and flag any and all such comments and profiles. I don't think HP staff read every syllable on their website. That wouldn't physically be possible. Do your part and they'll do theirs.

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   Cagsilposted 13 years ago

   Threats sent through HP- How was it allowed?
   
   Threats sent through Hp are typed messages, either via comments, posts or emails.
   
   How was it allowed? Forums posts are moderated by some Staff people. Comments on the Hubs are moderated by the Hub Author. Emails are not moderated at all.
   
   Email communications are private between two people. If you have someone threatening you, then it should be reported to HP staff. Not that there is much that they can do, unless it's a HP member.
   
   If you received a threat from someone who isn't a member, then HP can do nothing to help you.
   
   As for pulling down the member's hub who you disagree with or because it has something you don't like, then it isn't going to happen, unless the published works are made or filled with "hateful" or "hate" message. Not the comments section, but the Hub itself.
   
   

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      VENUGOPAL SIVAGNAposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Mr.Cagsil, did you read my first comment above?  'karunanidhi' was threatening me in his comment in HP on the topic "Tamilnadu Assembly Elections. Who will win?"  He was able to post his comment only because he was a member of the hub, hitherto unknown to me.
      Mr.Cagsil, please have some reason to advice me.  If a threatening messege is posted in the HP, and if it is published, is it not a crime?  Dont think you are better informed about HP and other world events than me.

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   Website Examinerposted 13 years ago

   Yes, making such threats could be a crime. Yes, the poster's IP address has been logged with HP, which may aid in the police investigation. Yes, HP will be obliged to offer the authorities any assistance that they may reasonably request.

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   Uninvited Writerposted 13 years ago

   When you get a threat, report it to Hubpages. I doubt they will contact authorities in India though... Since you don't know the person and they don't know you or how to find you in person I would assume it's just some anonymous troll.
   
   You should also know that non Hubbers can post comments on hubs.
   
   You could contact the person who wrote the hub and ask them to delete the comment.

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   Bill Manningposted 13 years ago

   I'm sorry if this sounds cold, but threats are made hundreds of thousands of times a day on the net every day. If your going to leave comments on sensitive subjects you should expect stuff like this.
   
   Forget it and move on, it happens to everyone. I'm not saying what he did was right, it was not. Just saying it's so common you should not let it bother you.
   
   However like others said, report it to HP if it does bother you that much. Then,,,, forget it and move on.

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   mdlawyerposted 13 years ago

   @VENUGOPAL SIVANA.  It is an eminently fit case for criminal proceedings under the cyber law in India.  You can very well proceed.  The IP address is tractable.  You can proceed having collected the evidence for a prima facie case.  Approach the cyber cell of your place.  The perpetrator will be booked at once.  He (how can we say with any surety that it is a 'he', if we apply the proper legal mind?)or she might have thought that writing such threatening language on a US site under fictious identity is quite safe for him/her in India or elsewhere.
   
   You cannot blame Hubpages.  Thousands of hubs are published every day.  They cannot monitor all at the threshold itself. Later, if found, they may take action.  Maximum what they can do is to ban his/her account.  They cannot initiate criminal proceedings because of many reasons including jurisdiction.

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   VENUGOPAL SIVAGNAposted 13 years ago

   I never blame HP, even when my Indian-oriented hubs were not taken. They are doing a good job. I doubt, when my hub-comments were throroughly analysed, why not a death threat be analysed and action taken? I am not afraid of these cheap and low-class persons. (low class in their hearts.) All these herds do not want to know the real position about politics and the leaders. They should first read the history of Tamilnadu and India. They will find all my comments are based on history only and not on personal preferences and fancies.

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      Rosie2010posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      going off topic here.. did you delete all your hubs?  It is showing zero hubs in your profle.

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         VENUGOPAL SIVAGNAposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Dear Rosie, I am not going to write any hubs for the present. I am planning to that end..... but dont know when it will come out.  I did not delete all my hubs... they are all there with "needs moderations", etc.  As an Indian, I am inclined to highlight the Indian historical and cultural past and how they still rule the society in India till now.  If the moderators are magnanimous, they will allow when I choose them to be republished.

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    mdlawyerposted 13 years ago

    If you point out the facts to Hubpages team, they may look into the matter.

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    PaulaHenry1posted 13 years ago

    I am so sorry for the anger that you,yourself, must feel. NO ONE should feel as if it's okay to threaten anyone.

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    SandyMcCollumposted 13 years ago

    Bill said it best. Try to move on, it's just one of thousands of threatening comments online. They can say all the hate they want, but chances are they are not in your locale and cannot find you in the public. Be the 'bigger' person and let it roll off.

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       Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I disagree.

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          Randy Godwinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          And so do I, WE!  It's best to report it and let HP take care of it. 

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             brakel2posted 13 years agoin reply to this

             I agree. Report it to the staff and, some anger leaves the mind. Anger is a natural reaction to a threat. It is better to do something rather than nothing.

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                Lisa HWposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                I agree with everyone who has said "report it". 
                
                There are two separate issues involved in whether a person ignores it and moves on, and/or whether he reports it.  One issue is how seriously he ought to take the threat, personally.  As others have said, it's the Internet, and chances are he doesn't have to worry a whole lot about what some moron said to him. 
                
                The other issue, though, is whether making death threats to someone on the Internet is something that could be a police matter; and I can't see just ignoring threats (even if the person, himself, actually isn't all that worried).   I don't think it has anything to do with who is sensitive or worried.  It has to do with whether anyone should ever get away with making threats (especially like the one the OP described) and just have people "let it go".
                
                I just think he ought to report it and let the right people figure out whether it's a credible threat or not (at least ideally - what happens beyond his reporting it is out of his hands).

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    Ghost32posted 13 years ago

    I agree with other who've commented here to the effect that it's best not to take direct threats lightly.  When madman Jared Loughner gunned down our Congressional Representative (Gabrielle Giffords) and many others, one of my Hubs supporting her opponent in the PREVIOUS election came under withering fire from all around our nation.
    
    Before long, I deleted that Hub--but not because of the threats. Rather, as a sign of respect for Gabrielle and the other fallen. 
    
    However, before I did so, there were many threats left in the Comments section and several via email.  Some were merely expressing certainty that I would go to Hell, but quite a few were promising to help send me there.
    
    One of the most fascinating things was that most of these people had never even HEARD of Gabrielle Giffords before the shooting. 
    
    This is only being mentioned as background for the following point:  Any time one is involved in political writing, physical attacks are a real possibility.  I don't get personally angry about that fact of life, but I do watch my back.
    
    Here's hoping you take care, beware, and continue to share.

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    sofsposted 13 years ago

    Yeah, as a person knowing the politics of the place, the threating profile has the icon of a political party and the hubs there are more like the political assertion and ideology  of the party. I would not take those threats lightly.  Tread softly and carefully.

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       VENUGOPAL SIVAGNAposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Sofs,  how can a death threat be the ideology or political assertion of a political party?  How can they be termed "icons"?  Just like terrorists in Pakistan or Afganistan.

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          sofsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          That is politics for you!

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    AEvansposted 13 years ago

    Report to team@hubpages.com forward it on to them. They do not take kindly at all to those types of e-mails.

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    mdlawyerposted 13 years ago

    Better avoid contentious and disputed topics at Hubpages.  It is not such debate forum for hate speeches and it is against the policies of Hubpages and Google as well.

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    mdlawyerposted 13 years ago

    @VENUGOPAL SIVANGA.  If you have any apprehension that Hubpages has not allowed your Indian-oriented hubs, I'd like to state that the site has been found to be one of the extremely very few most transparent, democratic and cosmopolitan writing sites on the Net and hence there is no room for any such apprehension. If any writing is found healthy from every relevant angle, it will be allowed.

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       VENUGOPAL SIVAGNAposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Mdlawyer, I have no apprehension about HP. They are always right. I would conclude that my hub were not appropriate or have sufficient stuff for HP. I will take time and come back to publish them. My only draw-back is to avoid giving enough time to issues like these.

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    Website Examinerposted 13 years ago

    Well said, Lisa HW, reading your post felt almost like you can read my mind.

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    mdlawyerposted 13 years ago

    @VENUGOPAL SIVANGA.  Thank you for your good sense in appreciating things in their proper perspective. There are many Indian Hubbers and Indian-related hubs on Hubpages. There are some successful Indian Hubbers also. The site has a good culture. Unless the Hubber substantailly and irrepairably violates the TOS, they will not ban.  They will only remove the impugned hubs. The hubber can again write hubs conforming to the content policies of the site and those of Google. You may please go through the policies of Hubpages and Google and come back again.

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       VENUGOPAL SIVAGNAposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I think I am in HP since mid-2008. I have seen several logical and illogical comments. Some use very very foul language, to the extent to which I cant climb down. So, I will keep quiet if some derogatory remarks about me are received. 
       What  my worry is , the moderators are not sincere enough to filter unhealthy comments on anyone.

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    Website Examinerposted 13 years ago

    The OP seems to be slow to understand or appreciate that Hubbers, not HubPages, are the moderators of comments. Unless someone has been excluded as a spammer - as a result of being reported by Hubbers previously - there is nothing they can do.
    
    Hubbers have the power to prevent comments from appearing before they have been approved. We also have the power to report inappropriate comments, and to delete them. What more could we reasonably want? The current system may have its disadvantages, but it is the best one conceivable. The alternative would be that the team at HubPages would become co-moderators of comments, meaning that Hubbers would be surrendering control over contents that they own and publish.

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    mdlawyerposted 13 years ago

    That is it.  We can prevent unhealthy comments on our hubs through many ways.

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    VENUGOPAL SIVAGNAposted 13 years ago

    I can appreciate if unhealthy comments are prevented and deleted. In the hub titled "TN Assembly electios, 2011" you can see how many vulgar and unpopular and unparliamentary words are used. A great Tamil leader, who is also Tamilnadu's Chief Minister, has been branded "fucker". And the HP is allowing these things. In that one or two hubs by 'bigfather' alone, you can see at least hundred foul things. Alongwith the CM, the commentator has put me in the same bag. I, an old man of 63,leading a quiet family life with grown up children, do not appreciate these things.
    
    Here in Tamilnadu, one party is headed by an octagenarian, having 70 years of experience in politics, who have interacted with grand old leaders from Nehruji, Indira, and Kamaraj. He knows all the grammer of politics. But the other party's 'disciples' always use foul language.

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    Uninvited Writerposted 13 years ago

    The person responsible for comments is the person whose hub it is.
    People are entitled to their opinions.

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       VENUGOPAL SIVAGNAposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       ....... By just posting a hub, can you use it for showering filthy languages on others?  This is 100% not acceptable.  Opinion should be harmless and nice. If it is not, it hurts the good name earned by HP.
       
       People normally express their opinion on the basis of their stuff, culture and decency.  Indecent, stuffless and un-cultured persons' hubs are bad for HP.

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    mdlawyerposted 13 years ago

    In the Internet improper and sometimes obscene comments may appear for contentious issues.  Better ignore them.

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    Dame Scribeposted 13 years ago

    Ven if it is YOUR hub - YOU are responsible to delete or allow comments NOBODY but YOU.
    
    Look at the comments box - while in EDIT mode - you can set your comments to be MODERATED - you will see comments FIRST and choose whether to ALLOW it to be posted or NOT. hope that helps.

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