I tried to add a tag and received an error message telling me that tags are now capped at 1000. While the limit makes me sad, at least now there hard limit and LiveJournal won't be suspending users for accidentally exceeding some secret limit.

My account was suspended without warning because I had too many tags. I was told that I needed to bring the number of tags I had under 1000. I've deleted over half my tags and at this point and hope that is enough that I won't be resuspended. (They didn't directly unsuspended me – instead they responded with a link that would unsuspended my account, which I was to press after I'd "fixed" my tags.)

I was given no warning that my account was going to be suspended. I was never informed that there was a limit on how many tags I could have. I wasn't even sent an email telling me why my account was suspended so that I could correct the problem in a timely manner. I only found out when I tried to view my friends page.

To their credit, I was given a $15 gift certificate for LiveJournal services. The gift certificate is a nice gesture, but it has limited use to me as i have a permanent account and the secret tag limit issue is still a problem.

I will be taking a break from LiveJournal. I waste too much time here anyway. I don't know whether or not I'll be back. I leave that open at this point, but I have many other options — from hosting my own journal to starting up with another service to leaving blogging entirely. The future will hold what the future holds.

Good bye for now.

Someone from the abuse team responded to my support request. As typical with the abuse team, they picked out a couple key words in my message and sent an inappropriate form response.

Dear LiveJournal user, In order to investigate this matter, we will need for you to go to http://www.livejournal.com/abuse/report.bml and follow the procedure described in http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=105. In particular, we will need specific links to the items you believe to be in violation of the Terms of Service. A brief summary of a situation, or a cut and paste of some of the content in question, is not enough for us to begin an investigation. Regards, Theresa LiveJournal Abuse Team

I replied:

This is not intended to be an abuse report. I am pointing out a security hole and suggesting that it be fixed. I brought this up in the suggestions community, but I was told by the mod to bring it up here instead. If you want a link, try http://www.livejournal.com/users/yaai3 (if you are running internet explorer it may crash your computer, otherwise it will just annoy you).

Abuse of <meta http-equiv="REFRESH"> is becoming more rampant, 4 days ago I submitted a suggestion to suggestions about banning the tag. However the moderator told me to bring up the issue with support. Seeing as the redirecting pages have a potential to cause much more problem than they currently do if they become more wide spread or become used for more malicious purposes than trolling. Seeing as all a user has to do to fall prey is to click on the journal in question, it's a big security hole, and it amazes me that LiveJournal hasn't done anything about the it already, seeing that they obviously know about it. With little confidence that it will actually be fixed until abuse is more wide spread, I entered the following support request anyway (clicking on the journals listed could crash your computer):

Journals like yaai3 and pok_cmap are abusing the tag, <meta http-equiv="REFRESH">. It is only a matter of time before spammers begin using this tag as well to redirect users to porn sites and/or sites containing adware and other malicious programs. This tag needs to be banned.

fireuzer33's profile effectively demonstrates how lj abuse is utterly useless currently and why LiveJournal needs to go back to the system of invite codes. On their profile this troll has created proudly displays the long list off accounts they have created (and gotten suspended with). I will copy the list here, as I'm sure they will be moving along to a new username in the near future.

( the list )

Dear LiveJournal user neitherday, Thank you for your report. We will require that the icon be set as non-default, and that the inappropriate image be removed from the userinfo. Please note that both of these images are allowable on LiveJournal; they are inappropriate only in certain locations, such as the userinfo page, or set as a default icon. Regards, Ruth LiveJournal Abuse Team

At least this is something. Not much, but something. I have no more energy to devote to this issue.

A response. Someone actually read what I said, and responded!

Although we cannot, for confidentiality reasons, explain in detail any case involving the "antirape" community, it is not permissible for a community to serve as a place to promote, incite, or organize illegal activities. We are aware that many users find the "rapists_unite" community to be crass, tasteless, inappropriate, and, most certainly, expressing an utter disregard for the rights of others, the community does not to our knowledge promote, incite, or organize illegal activities. Stating that one wishes to be a rapist or wishes to rape someone, however, is not comparable to the promotion, incitement, or organization of such an act.

Apparently a community that states it is for rapists and that glorifies rape and belittles victims doesn't incite rape. Interesting. Without knowing the details of the abuse correspondences about antirape, it seems impossible to effectively dispute their judgment on either issue. A new angle is needed.

Conveniently enough, glamourcide just provided that new angle: the recently updated community profile of rapists_unite. That new profile might do them in. Considering very recent precedents set, I think the update may be enough to get them suspended. I really don't see how abuse can't act now, although I won't be too surprised if they still don't.

Taking this new angle, I have submitted a new report.

The profile of rapists_unite has recently been updated. The new icon for rapists_unite depicts a woman being threatened with a gun. A picture in the profile depicts someone bound and the wording on the graphic image makes it clear they are about to be raped.

Surprise, surprise. I got the form response that everyone else who mentioned rapists_unite has gotten. This is starting to feel like déjà vu.

Dear LiveJournal user neitherday, While we understand and appreciate the frustration you feel, please allow us to briefly explain our position in this matter. In order for us to take any action against this community, the content would need to be instructional material clearly designed to facilitate the promotion of illegal activities. While the material is distasteful, we cannot take any action. The content falls within the realm of material protected by free speech. LiveJournal attempts to preserve as much free speech as possible for its users, as long as that speech does not cross the line into invading another's privacy, violating local or federal law, or directly inciting violence or hatred against any specific, identifiable group regardless of whether that group is explicitly named in our Terms of Service. The content of the community in question does not meet that criteria at this time. We do appreciate your concern in this matter and we apologize that we are unable to assist you further. Please do feel free to contact us should you have any additional questions or concerns. Regards, LiveJournal Abuse Team

My reply was simple and to the point.

You didn't address what I said at all. Please read it this time. I wanted to know exactly why users in antirape were told that they cannot even imply that they would like to take revenge on their rapists, but uses in rapists_unite can out right say they'd like to rape people.

I submitted the following question to LiveJournal abuse. I wonder how they will answer.

I would like to know exactly why users in antirape were told that they cannot even imply that they would like to take revenge on their rapists, but uses in rapists_unite can out right say they'd like to rape people.

I anticipate that they will not actually read it, and instead simply send me a form response. I felt I did have to say something to them however.

I thought pro-ana communities like 0_thinspiration were bad enough. But at least those communities only advocate members harming themselves. Apparently now LiveJournal abuse sees no problems with pro-rape communities. I am pissed off beyond, well beyond. I can't believe that that community is allowed on LiveJournal. The LiveJournal abuse team (and maybe SixApart itself) must bear a portion of the responsibility for any violence that is perpetrated as a result of, under the advise of, or encouraged by that community.

Where is Hothead when you need her?

LJ Abuse actually did something about something I brought up. They deleted the hundred or so communities that the troll had created. I think there needs to be a way to avoid this sort of problem getting out of hand. I have a couple ideas I'm tempted to post in suggestions; however, I'm afraid doing so will just encourage others and cause the problem to spread. If it just dies out quietly, it may never become a real issue.

-----

The report I filed a month ago about 0_thinspiration went nowhere. All I got back form replies that didn't address the issues I brought up at all. I eventually just gave up trying.

I just submitted the following abuse report:

A new breed of troll is creating a very large number of communities with the sole intention of appearing a obscene number of times on interest searches. Search for the interests "play-doh", "teddy bears", or "taint" and you'll see what I mean. This sort of trolling is simply annoying at this point, but if it becomes widespread, it has the potential to render the search feature completely unusable. Is there anything that can be done about it?

The Abuse team obviously didn't read my report, instead just noted that it was about a pro-ana community and sent me the following form letter as a reply:

Thank you for your report. In order for us to properly investigate this situation, we will need for you to provide specific links to the entry or entries which you believe to be in violation of the LiveJournal Terms of Service. The Abuse Team is unable to search any journal for violations. LiveJournal's status as a "common carrier" united United States telecommunication law prohibits controlling or policing content posted via its service. In general, we do not typically intervene in cases such as this. While we understand and appreciate your concerns about such communities, please let us state our position. Our experience thus far has been that communities such as these, dedicated to discussing destructive behavior, actually do far more good than harm. They allow open and meaningful communication among people suffering from various eating disorders, and allow users to provide support for each other in their recovery. We realize that these disorders can be harmful to the health of those suffering from them, but we must also recognize that the activities being discussed are not illegal. We fully recognize that anorexia is harmful and that these communities are dedicated to maintaining a lifestyle that has the potential to cause harm. Speaking strictly from a safety and protective stance, we would of course prefer it if none of our users participated in any way in potentially harmful and dangerous activities, and if those communities had no reason to exist. However, we still believe that, apart from being protected as free speech, it is the lesser harm to permit them all. Suspending pro-anorexia communities will not make anyone suffering from the disorder become healthy again. Allowing them to exist, however, has several benefits. It reassures those who join them that they are not alone in the way they feel about their bodies. It increases the chance that the friends and loved ones of the individuals in the community will discover their disorders and assist them in seeking professional help. It makes it more likely that we will be contacted if a post by a community member is of the kind where we would contact an Internet Service Provider and the local authorities to stop a suicide attempt, as we have done in the past. It provides a supportive environment that will, hopefully, lead others on the road to recovery. Ultimately, these communities are, much like other communities within LiveJournal, protected by the ideal of freedom of expression, something we here at LiveJournal are particularly loathe to interfere with, as long as that free speech does not violate our Terms of Service or the law. We truly feel that offering an open forum for meaningful discussion is far more productive and helpful than shutting the communities down and attempting to silence their members. If you feel that any entries in this community have crossed the line to the point where they are actively encouraging others to harm themselves, please let us know by opening a new request following the instructions given in http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=105. We will evaluate the links you provide, and determine if the posts do in fact cross the line of what we permit on our service. However, we will not suspend the community as a whole simply because it is devoted to talking about an eating disorder. We understand that a great many people find such communities extremely disturbing; we frequently receive requests to shut them down. What we would recommend, with the greatest respect, is that those users simply avoid all contact with communities of this nature. We thank you for your concern and appreciate your taking the time to write to us about this very sensitive matter. Regards, Noah LiveJournal Abuse Team

Seeing the disconnect of the response from my report, I submitted the following in responce:

If you feel that any entries in this community have crossed the line to the point where they are actively encouraging others to harm themselves, please let us know by opening a new request following the instructions given in http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=105. We will evaluate the links you provide, and determine if the posts do in fact cross the line of what we permit on our service. However, we will not suspend the community as a whole simply because it is devoted to talking about an eating disorder. In my original report, I stated that in the profile of the community is stated they are holding a contest (with prizes) to see who can drop the most pounds the quickest. That is actively encouraging self destructive behaviour. The participants in the contest are already often severely underweight, and the competition could very well encourage some of them to lose more, with possibly fatal results.

I hope they actually read it this time.

I just filed my first abuse report:

Deadly Contests 0_thinspiration holds contests in which the anorexic participants try to lose the most weight possible in a short amount of time. This is a potentially deadly contest, and I would hate to see lj share in that liability. The information about the contest is listed on their profile. from the profile of 0_thinspiration: Competition [06.20.05 - 07.20.05] This is a little weight loss competition that is just meant to keep people on their goals. It runs for a month and members compete to lose the most doing whatever they want (fasting, binge & purge, excersize, pills). We put their starting weight & height in a special entry, and we announce the winner at the end.

Some of you will note that this is different than my old attitude towards pro-ana communities. While I never much cared for the communities, I thought they should be left up for two reasons: 1) free speech issues 2) attacking the communities was in effect attacking the victims of anorexia and not the root causes (the marketing, entertainment, news, fashion, and beauty industries).

The first point has always been shakey in my view, as LiveJournal is a privately run forum, and therefore has every right to monitor the content on it's servers. LiveJournal has always censored content. There would need to be no new precedent set about the pro-ana communities.

As far as the second point goes, my views on the root causes has not changed. I still firmly believe something must be done about the problem. However, pro-ana communities (especially ones that hold contests or rate users) promote, spread, and worsen eating disorders. I don't believe people should go into these communities and tell the people in them off. Harassment will help no one, further victimizes victims of corporate culture, and causes members to become insular and separated from those who could help them. Shutting them down, especially when they cross some very fine lines, is more appropriate.