Well now this is more like it

[agt_spooky]

Here's the latest post from LJ news:

As promised below we have reviewed the journals that have been suspended and are now in the midst of unsuspended about half of them.
The class of suspensions that are being reversed are;
1. All Fandom journals
2. All fiction journals
3. All journals who that had problems in their profile only

Are large number of journals that are clear violations of our policies will remain suspended.

I will write a post in more detail soon but I wanted to get this up now as promised.
We are truly sorry for the mess, we have more work yet to do.

It's about damn time they said this, so that we in fandom can start breathing easier again and start unlocking posts. Like my own fic!

But shame on LJ for having deleted these journals in the first place before even investigating the content.

Comments

[purelyironic.livejournal.com]

At the moment I'm just relieved that they are admitting their mistakes and trying to fix it. I'm still angry, but I feel a bit more hopeful for fandom on Livejournal.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I'm angry about the way they handled it, too. I'm all for ridding LJ of child predators, but they jumped the gun too many times.

but I feel a bit more hopeful for fandom on Livejournal.

As do I. :-)

[dairwendan.livejournal.com]

Ah ha! I wonder if it's from all the complaints or if a bunch of people started deleting their own accounts and they realized they were about the be left a virtual ghost town?

Idiots. Do they honestly think that the REAL sick monster predators put "incest" and "rape" and "underage sex" in their interests? Don't be stupid! They list interests that are going to attract their prey! Get a grip LJ, live in the real world! If it was that simple don't you think the police would have been trolling LJ way before you ever caught on?

Way to screw your subscribers, take six seconds and think next time.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Ah ha! I wonder if it's from all the complaints or if a bunch of people started deleting their own accounts

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a bit of both.

Idiots. Do they honestly think that the REAL sick monster predators put "incest" and "rape" and "underage sex

I was thinking the same thing!

Way to screw your subscribers, take six seconds and think next time

I've said this before, but I'm all for purging LJ of sick child predators and applaud LJ for attempting to do so, but the way they went about it was all wrong - too quick and too harsh. I think there could've been a better, slower, systematic way of going about this.

[(Anonymous)]

Exactly! I mean what WAS the freakin' HURRY? They thought they'd get rid of all the bad people in one day? Give me a break! They should have taged all of the journals with questionable content INTERNALLY, as in within the company, and had employees start going through them! Which is what they have to do now anyway! What adult person in unaware that there is no 'quick and easy' way to fight internet abuse? Like they thought they'd solve it all in one easy step? Come on! Who is that stupid?

Of course they should be keeping their sites free of criminal activity, but how stupid did they have to be to think this was the way to do it? Or that they were the first ones to ever think of this? Like I said Yahell does this all the time, which may be why you see fewer and fewer YahooGroups and Yahoo websites and more LJs. Who wants to put months or years of work into a website and then have it deleted in a second? Who wants to get a large group of people together and keep all of the little misunderstandings and personality conflicts undercontrol for years just to have the entire group deleted for no real reason? I think that's why SO MUCH fanfiction has moved to LJ. You lose your entire archive in Yahoogroups in one of their purges. Or you could lose fic library site with pages and pages of fic in the same way.

People thought they were safe on LJ. Way to let them know that they aren't.

Sorry, that's me!

[dairwendan.livejournal.com]

I thought I was signed in!

Damn LJ!n *LOL*

[m-lasha.livejournal.com]

I am still not renewing my paid account. And Six Apart has not reinstated the Lolita discussion Spanish-speaking community - as of 5 minutes ago (when I checked). I call that censorship. While the fandom accounts are being unsuspended, many other accounts are not.

For me the apology is too little too late. I have posted my protests on news, page 12. *g*

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about my paid account yet. It doesn't come due until next February.

I didn't know about some of the fannish/literature comms still not being reinstated. Any change on that front yet? I mean, if they put the HP fic comms back, why not one for Lolita? That would indeed be censorship.

I tried to go and read what you wrote in the News comm, but it keeps telling me the database is down. Yeah, I bet it is! But I have no doubt you were your well-spoken self. :-)

[taynney.livejournal.com]

you know what, I agree with you that it is time they appologise to the fandom/fiction writers, but they did get a lot of REAL pedophile and incest and rapist communities and journals, along with rape support networks and survivors of incest rape and things like that. They'll put things back to normal, and reinstate a lot of the good communities and fandom communities. But I think it was worth finding all of them first then looking at the ones they got and seeing which ones are good, which ones are bad. I mean, I really understand what they are dealing with, and it's a LOT easier to find things with a common denominatior (incest, rape, pedophilia) and then checking them. They have over 3 million accounts (or had anyway) and to check each one as they go through the first time would have been hectic because "Have we checked this one?" "I don't know. Suspend it because I think it was the one with the kissing cousins" it's just them taking responsibility for what is posted on their server, and I commend them for it. And I believe it was suspension of an account, and not deletion. Just to point that out.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

but they did get a lot of REAL pedophile and incest and rapist communities and journals

And I'm extremely glad they did. They absolutely had the right intentions, and I applaud them for trying to rid LJ of child predators. I just take issue with the way they did it. I just think that they could've gone about it in a slower, more methodical way instead of a massive bombshell all in one day. Because that seems to have backfired on them. And I guess I wonder why LJ wasn't policing themselves all along, instead of waiting until some group came in and ignited a firestorm.

Anyway, that's just my opinion on the subject. I'm just glad that some sick bastards have been caught and that fandom can start getting back to normal.

[khek.livejournal.com]

I'm glad things are getting back to normal, because it was a weird few days.

I understand that people are angry, and I also think that LJ were a little quick on the trigger, but honestly? I'm not sure what else they could have done. Yes, they could have reviewed all the journals with the specific keywords in the interests, but that would have taken time, and to the general public--it would have made LJ like they didn't care about catching pedophiles. Offend 98% of the world who reads the news, or offend several thousand paying customers? I'm not sure I wouldn't have made the same decision in their place.

As for their apology...they've admitted they were wrong. It's a very hard thing to do. It may not have been worded quite as apologetically as some people would have liked, but other than throwing themselves on the floor and licking peoples' feet, I'm not sure that they could have satisfied everyone.

I'm just glad it's looking like all the fandom stuff is being reinstated. And honestly? Maybe we, as a community, should think twice about having specific trigger phrases out there for the (deliberately) misunderstanding non-fannish hate-mongers to find.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I'm glad things are getting back to normal, because it was a weird few days

Geez, you can say that again.

but that would have taken time, and to the general public--it would have made LJ like they didn't care about catching pedophiles.

My biggest problem with this whole situation is - why wasn't LJ policing themselves all along? Why did it take some group to come in to ignite a firestorm and suddenly LJ has 3 million journals to go through in a single day.

And I'm fine with their apology. Actually surprised that they said anything, honestly.

Maybe we, as a community, should think twice about having specific trigger phrases out there

Very good point, and I'm glad that I never did get around to listing anything in my Interest page, and now I never will, just to be on the safe side.