Personal Details and Private Conversations

Personal Details

The posting of an individual's personal details is not permitted under most circumstances. This includes posting details of political figures, ISP staff, people that have wronged you, etc.

It is also inappropriate to post company contact details which aren't available publicly. Examples of this might be an employee's desk phone number, or details on a priority/escalation support line.

Details that have been previously published by the employee or the company may be acceptable to reproduce, however if the details were provided to you as a customer because you have an unusual or critical issue, it's inappropriate to post it in the forums.

In ambiguous cases, the moderator has the final say.

Private Conversations

The posting of private correspondence (text, emails, etc) or transcripts of private conversations (phone calls, face-to-face discussions) are not recommended, for two reasons:

1. There is no way to verify the validity of the text; and
2. There may be copyright implications arising from the publication of such private communication, in a public forum, without permission of both parties (see http://www.dcita.gov.au/ip/digital_rights_management,_and_digital_and_online_ip/copyright_reform_and_the_digital_agenda/digital_agenda_copyright_reforms_-_frequently_asked_questions).

Public announcements (such as ISP mass mail outs, etc) are considered already in public view, and are thus considered fair game for re-posting. In cases where such an announcement is made on a website, posting the URL is preferred to posting the complete text.

The posting of instant messaging/chat logs is not recommended, because there is no way to verify the validity of the logs, they may breach copyright, and they often contain content unsuitable for Catchgod(swearing, discussion of illegal or inappropriate content, etc).