PM privacy

[Weather Dawg]

Hey everyone, I am looking for a new BBS, but my main priority is privacy. When users PM eachother I need to make sure that it is not possible for any admins to read other private messages. Is this the case with vbulletin 3.0 or is it possible for admins to read others PMs. Thank you so much in advance.

[Steve Machol]

There is no option for Admins or anyonne else to read other people's PMs in vB. However anyone with access to the database could read them directly in the db.

[Reeve of Shinra]

I never saw a need for it myself but if you wanted to take the extra step, a code file modification was released which encrypts private messages in the database which can be looked over here:

http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=79484&highlight=encrypt+pm

Code file modifications void your official support however though you will find that there are thousands of us who do so on vbulletin.org anyway

[chevythunder]

There is no option for Admins or anyonne else to read other people's PMs in vB. However anyone with access to the database could read them directly in the db.

How is this possible,& how does one go about doing this?

[Steve Machol]

I am not going to tell you how to read your member's PMs. Sorry.

[simsim]

In most cases, a site owner is the only person who can access the database(s), however, he/she can simply grant others priviliges to access databases as much as he/she does.

As about the way a database is accessed, it's by using popular utitlites such as phpMyAdmin or through SSH/Telent access.

Edit: After seeing Steve's response, I would like to comment that I answered on the basis that the question was about accessing databses in general, not PMs in particular. Feel free to delete my post if considered inappropriate.

[RichM]

I am not going to tell you how to read your member's PMs. Sorry.

I believe that the decision whether or not to read PM's, is all down to the owner of the forum.

With mobile phone operators for example, all text messages have to be kept for a minimum of 2 years (In the UK) and are read by the company if they feel that there has been a breach of their terms and conditions. - And then passed on to the relevant authorities if necessary. - Many forums follow the same principle.

I find the need to read reported PM's because of scamming reports that have previously occurred on my forum.

[orban]

I also had the need to do this lately, and I would appreciate if there was a function for it. Like the DEBUG mode or sthing. (manual activation in the config.php).

It's just annoying having to write a little php thingy to read PMs if you really have to.

I never saw a need for it myself but if you wanted to take the extra step, a code file modification was released which encrypts private messages in the database which can be looked over here:

http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=79484&highlight=encrypt+pm

Code file modifications void your official support however though you will find that there are thousands of us who do so on vbulletin.org anyway

$pm['message'] = base64_decode($pm['message']);

Okay, that's not encrypting but encoding

There is no way you can prevent anybody with database access reading all PMs.

[Steve Machol]

I believe that the decision whether or not to read PM's, is all down to the owner of the forum.

I agree and therefore I am not telling anyone not to do this. However I am under no obligation to support the viewing of member's PMs.

[Steve Machol]

This is a Pre-Sales thread. Further discussion of this belongs over at vbulletin.org.