# Do mods actually tell posters who reported them?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [August 21, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556 "2011-08-21T19:00:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/1 "2011-08-21T19:00:10Z")
In a recent thread \*\*YaraMateo \*\*[posted the following](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14162920&postcount=42):
> [@Is "Dyke" derogatory?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-dyke-derogatory/593108/42):
>
> Don’t be a LIAR. Your post happened a few hours after mine did. I’m not stupid. I know I sparked the thread and a mod told me you (via PM) you reported me in the same thread that sparked that.
I had always assumed that when you report a post your identity is kept confidential, and would be discussed only among the mods and admins. Do the mods actually tell people “So-and-so reported your post to us”? If so, this seems like a really bad idea to me.
---
### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/2 "2011-08-21T19:02:50Z")
> [@Lamia](#):
>
> In a recent thread \*\*YaraMateo \*\*[posted the following](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14162920&postcount=42):
> I had always assumed that when you report a post your identity is kept confidential, and would be discussed only among the mods and admins. Do the mods actually tell people “So-and-so reported your post to us”? If so, this seems like a really bad idea to me.
Nah, she was bluffing (to the best of my knowledge)
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/3 "2011-08-21T19:23:37Z")
No, I don’t, certainly, and I see no reason why any other mod would.
I might, on occasion, if warranted, tell someone _that_ a post was reported, but I would never say by whom.
**twickster** , MPSIMS and Cafe Society moderator
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/4 "2011-08-21T19:28:11Z")
OTOH, “did you report it?” is a pretty common question from a mod when someone complains about a post.
[QUOTE=twickster]
I might, on occasion, if warranted, tell someone that a post was reported, but I would never say by whom.
[/QUOTE]
**tomndebb** has, I believe, mentioned publicly who reported a post.
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/5 "2011-08-21T19:51:16Z")
> [@Shodan](#):
>
> **tomndebb** has, I believe, mentioned publicly who reported a post.
I can’t imagine that happening in normal circumstances. I’ve seen it disclosed that the post was reported or even that there were multiple reports on a single post but that’s as far as it goes.
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### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/6 "2011-08-21T20:21:43Z")
Hell, when i report a post, i often say so in the thread. If something is serious enough for me to report, i don’t care who knows it was me.
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### Author:  [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/7 "2011-08-21T20:31:09Z")
I’ve been told via PM before who made a complaint against me.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/8 "2011-08-21T20:48:37Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> Nah, she was bluffing (to the best of my knowledge)
He/she was having a meltdown. The post was reported, but not by **Jragon**.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/9 "2011-08-22T17:33:29Z")
> [@Cub\_Mistress](#):
>
> I’ve been told via PM before who made a complaint against me.
Hmmm,
Well that certainly doesnt inspire confidence or respect for this boards modding as far as I am concerned.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/10 "2011-08-22T17:45:31Z")
> [@Cacumma](#):
>
> I think, that you commit an error. I can defend the position. Write to me in PM, we will talk.
Which poster are you talking to, and what position are you defending?
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/11 "2011-08-22T17:47:13Z")
> [@Shodan](#):
>
> **tomndebb** has, I believe, mentioned publicly who reported a post.
> Regards,
> Shodan
Jesus…thats even worse.
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### Author:  [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/12 "2011-08-22T17:48:37Z")
It appears that some posters favor the “anonymous tip line” model over the “right to face your accuser” one.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/13 "2011-08-22T17:56:25Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#):
>
> It appears that some posters favor the “anonymous tip line” model over the “right to face your accuser” one.
Well, personally I can live with either one. But it should obviously be one or the other. If I anonymously report somebody I’d be pretty pissed if my name was mentioned in public. And mentioned in a PM (likely without me being told about the PM) is even worse in some ways.
Or as another poster mentioned up thread, they tell everyone that they are reporting a post/poster. Which IMO is fine as it is their choice.
But I’d like to hear the reasoning for an anonymous reporter being “outed” by the mods so to speak. Yeah, it might be rare but IMO it shouldn’t even happen.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/14 "2011-08-22T18:02:00Z")
> [@billfish678](#):
>
> But I’d like to hear the reasoning for an anonymous reporter being “outed” by the mods so to speak. Yeah, it might be rare but IMO it shouldn’t even happen.
Wouldn’t you like to see evidence that it happened, first?
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/15 "2011-08-22T18:04:03Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#):
>
> It appears that some posters favor the “anonymous tip line” model over the “right to face your accuser” one.
Not that I’m defending a mod that would tell the accused who reported them, but you could always email the mod from a non-related email account if you wanted to be really sure they didn’t know who you were.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/16 "2011-08-22T18:06:43Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> Wouldn’t you like to see evidence that it happened, first?
Take that up with post number 4 and post number 7.
Maybe they are both lying or both misremembering.
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### Author:  [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/17 "2011-08-22T18:14:53Z")
Because the person didn’t say “I’m reporting this anonymously” or “I’d rather nobody no I was the one who reported this”?
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/18 "2011-08-22T18:22:50Z")
> [@Shodan](#):
>
> OTOH, “did you report it?” is a pretty common question from a mod when someone complains about a post.
>
> **tomndebb** has, I believe, mentioned publicly who reported a post.
> Regards,
> Shodan
Can you link to the post where that happened? I’m having a hard time believing that he would do that, and that if he did it wouldn’t lead to a ten thread shitstorm in several fora.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/19 "2011-08-22T18:30:22Z")
> [@billfish678](#):
>
> Take that up with post number 4 and post number 7.
>
> Maybe they are both lying or both misremembering.
But _you_ are the poster that asks someone(presumably a moderator) to justify an action that hasn’t been shown to happen yet:
> [@billfish678](#):
>
> But I’d like to hear the reasoning for an anonymous reporter being “outed” by the mods so to speak. Yeah, it might be rare but IMO it shouldn’t even happen.
. How can anyone justify an incident that hasn’t even been brought forward yet?
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### Author:  [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-mods-actually-tell-posters-who-reported-them/593556/20 "2011-08-22T18:40:28Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> How can anyone justify an incident that hasn’t even been brought forward yet?
Curious that you’re unwilling to deny it as a matter of policy, though. Very curious.
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