Hi PMC,

We typically avoid discussing sensitive situations publicly, but the recent case between an off-site group and member has understandably caused significant confusion, frustration, and disappointment regarding the incident itself and how it was handled by all parties involved. Given the timing and complexity of the case, careful consideration was necessary to investigate and determine the appropriate response. While I genuinely empathize with everyone involved, I am also disappointed with how the situation was managed.

Brief of the incident
Late last week, a private situation became public when a targeted member posted about a group of members investigating them for various serious allegations. The targeted member views themselves as the victim, while some members of the group also see themselves as victims. The group was on a third party platform and investigation conducted in private there. When information from this group leaked, the target decided to post about it publicly on our platform. Understandably, this has left many members feeling confused, frustrated, and upset having heard one side of the story. In addition, we were blamed for not doing more.

Could it be prevented?
In general, our policy is to consider but not moderate based on unverifiable third-party activities. This can be frustrating for both the reporter and us. We always review and consider the evidence, but we must remember that things can be taken out of context, manipulated, or even fabricated. In these cases, we recommend reporting the activity to the third-party platform where it can be verified and necessary actions taken. If we can correlate or link the reported activity to what is happening on our platform, we will consider taking further action here. However, if there's nothing to support the activity on our platform, it is difficult to justify taking action. In this particular case, while we could verify that a group existed on a third-party platform, we were unable to see their discussions, and it didn't feel right to assume it was malicious rather than existing for valid reasons. Ultimately, what they discussed in private was beyond our control.

What can we do to help prevent similar situations from happening?
This is a one of a kind incident for us in the past 14 years and we'll learn from it. This incident has been challenging for everyone involved, highlighting the need for more information on how to properly report, prevent and address conflicts within our community. While we stand by our policy of not moderating based on unverifiable third-party activities, we recognize that more can be done to support all parties involved and to maintain trust within the community.

Moving forward, we are committed to improving our guidelines, support systems, and moderation practices to ensure that incidents like this are handled more effectively. We are always open to suggestions on how to improve. We deeply regret the confusion, frustration, and disappointment that this situation has caused, and we appreciate the community's patience as we work to learn from this experience and make necessary changes. Our goal is to create a safe, supportive environment for everyone, and we are dedicated to doing better in the future.

We concluded our own investigation on information available and have taken actions that we deem to be appropriate at this time.

I know it's tempting but whatever you do, don't press any of the moderation buttons that show up on resource pages! It won't be until Tuesday that we'll be back in the office to look at any of this :(