so a user was banned /deleted w/o notice

EditConscript · 2019-12-06T00:11:19.000Z

solmaps 2 a newly joined member such as myself was banned recently for no notice. this user had made user diaries contribution to encourage and help them map. his changesets were all detailed and concise.

reading that board elections are soon to come up i shall even mix in this blatant censorship event to be highlighted and addressed if possible. will continue to read diaries and blogs on this website and hopefully continue to be active on all the OSM space to make it better. but that could not be the case if censorship strikes without notice and channel to explain… what are fellow OSM thoughts on this matter?

are newly joined members that are learning to place their energies and efforts to this open public space to be simply denied without reason?

sign,
concerned OSM member

*i shall post this message on boards that i feel the need to have visibility to raise and possibly escalate this to the right members to find redress for solmaps2 account

solmaps2 changesets
https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/752915563
https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/646189710#map=19/1.44796/103.77260
https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/749371641#map=18/1.44763/103.77535
https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/3987269571
https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/3987268112
https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/752921773

SomeoneElse · 2019-12-06T02:12:41.000Z

For info - I’m a DWG member and therefore do occasionally hide spam diary entries and report the accounts that created them to the admins. Usually these are selling various dubious services and have no connection to OSM.

Whilst hiding a couple of spam diary entries earlier today (5 December 2019 at around 13:50 UTC) I did notice the diary entry that the account that you refer to posted and did initially think that it was a bit spammy - it had no connection to OSM and linked to a site maintained by a search engine provider. However, I didn’t report it or hide it at that time. I did check the site edits, and noticed that https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/77977186 did actually seem plausible and commented on the changeset as someone was already wondering with the edit was legitimate or not.

I’m guessing that someone else looked at it and thought that it was spam, and the user was deleted shortly afterwards. That wouldn’t be too surprising - I had to check twice before I thought that it wasn’t worth hiding, and someone else may have come to a different decision.

If solmaps2 believes that there has been a mistake, I’d suggest you or they contact the admins to explain what has happened. The FAQ mentions a support address (see https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/FAQ#How_can_I_close_my_account.3F ). Another option would be to ask about it in #osm-dev on IRC, although that’s better suited to more general questions rather than specific individual account ones.

EditConscript · 2019-12-06T03:24:47.000Z

the e-mail returns undelivered and is not valid, any other suggestions forum members?

EditConscript · 2019-12-06T03:26:47.000Z

i am now informed that moderation tools are available on user diaries, if found to be ‘spammy’ to certain moderators they are within their rights to remove replies and comments from these user posted diaries

edit:would any other DWG member be filling in on responses that are in fact directed to be meaningful e.g encouragements, greetings, etc that is concisely translated with software and then posted on other new user diaries as comments be considered as ‘spammy’? hence leading to hiding of posts and eventual unannounced deletion of account?

woodpeck · 2019-12-06T10:16:36.000Z

EditConscript:

edit:would any other DWG member be filling in on responses that are in fact directed to be meaningful e.g encouragements, greetings, etc that is concisely translated with software and then posted on other new user diaries as comments be considered as ‘spammy’? hence leading to hiding of posts and eventual unannounced deletion of account?

I found your comments on other people’s diary entries - basically “hey mate keep up the good work” in whatever languages the machine translator(*) allowed - out of place and a bit silly but DWG would only act on them if someone complained, and would then probably politely ask you to turn it down a little.

Bye
Frederik

(*) surely you didn’t use Google translate for that, or did you?