False accusations of cheating/scamming - a proposal

[miajag]

Does anyone else think this should be a ban-worthy offense? Accusing another poster of being a scammer or a cheater is serious business, and a couple of incidents lately have shown that many people seem to be pretty loose with throwing around these accusations (see: ActionJeff thread, and Bicycles_Biatch thread in B&M).

Dids brought up the very good point that banning for this would place the burden of deciding whether the accusation is true or false on 2+2. I propose that bans only be given out when it is blatantly obvious that the false accuser is either a) malicious or b) very very obviously just being a moron, as the consensus seems to be in the two threads I mentioned. In a case where the accusation has actual factual grounds/evidence, but eventually turns out to be false, no ban would be given.

Someone else brought up another good point, which is that bans for this are unnecessary because the community here tends to dish out its own "street justice" by making fun of the accuser, etc. This is definitely true, but I think the threat of a ban would provide an additional deterrent against frivolous accusations.

I'm not as serious a player as a lot of you guys, but I still consider calling someone a cheater/scammer to be a very, very serious accusation, especially on these forums, and it really puts me on tilt to see those accusations falsely made against respected posters here. Perhaps I am overreacting. So what do you think, am I way off base here?

[Gildwulf]

I would like to go on record that I think Action Jeff is a big douchebag for making that thread.

I don't think we can really regulate it though as we run the risk of becoming King Solomons and start arbitrating user disputes. I certainly don't want that responsibility.

I also agree with the street justice comment. Look what happened to Zee Justin.

[adanthar]

Well, if we're not banning or even giving custom titles to people that *actually* scammed somebody, surely we can't do anything to false accusers, either.

FWIW, I'm not a big fan of either policy on a 'poster' level, but it may be in 2+2's best interest.

[miajag]

adanthar,

The difference is that the actual scamming is something that happens outside 2+2 (and I completely agree with the policy that we shouldn't ban for stuff that happens outside of the forums). What I'm talking about, however, by definition occurs IN the forums. I see it as akin to blatantly flaming or trolling someone, both of which are banworthy offenses in extreme cases.

[*TT*]

guys: I am temp-banning Gabbbbyyyy until we decide what to do. If he was a better poster who wasn't banned in the past I would have discussed it here first but his history as a troll is atrocious.

[Dids]

gabby should be perma banned. I can see giving a troll who has been banned for a while a second chance, but he went right back to straight trolling.

[StellarWind]

[ QUOTE ]
While using 2+2 website, you may not post or transmit any unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, profane, or otherwise objectionable information of any kind; including without limitation any transmissions constituting or encouraging conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any local, state, national or international laws.

[/ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't have the slightest doubt about enforcing this rule if it came up in my forum. Bad faith cheating accusations are a gross abuse of the forum.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
gabby should be perma banned. I can see giving a troll who has been banned for a while a second chance, but he went right back to straight trolling.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with you Dids, but I'd prefer to hear from others before pulling the trigger. This situation is borderline, but generally he is as bad a poster as it gets.

[Leader]

From what I've seen, he routinely makes stuff up that cause people a lot of bother. He should go.

Also SWisright.

[miajag]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
While using 2+2 website, you may not post or transmit any unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, profane, or otherwise objectionable information of any kind; including without limitation any transmissions constituting or encouraging conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any local, state, national or international laws.

[/ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't have the slightest doubt about enforcing this rule if it came up in my forum. Bad faith cheating accusations are a gross abuse of the forum.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you for pointing this out, I definitely should have done so in my OP.