The often dreaded but never spoken about fear of one's flagging footprint on ats.

a reply to: Alien Abduct

I almost want to have sex with what you just said, I can't pick the sarcasm from the truth, it was delivered in such a way that is wonderful. ^ star that =D

a reply to: mmshelt

It's kind of sad we need to think twice before flagging or posting anything for fear of alarm bells going off on a keyword on some remote server somewhere and suddenly you're marked as a Person of Interest. I mean seriously, it's rather stupid because if I were REALLY skeevy and up to no good, I wouldn't be posting anything anywhere because we know we're being watched. Would I really make it that easy? I guess the paranoia is that high.
I like to think I'm an interesting person but not in a Person of Interest way. I read a lot of things and have opinions but I'm lazy and harmless.

a reply to: mmshelt

Simply because you flag a thread does not automatically mean that you "agree" with the contents of the thread OP. - Flagging, as defined by ATS, is primarily undertaken by a member who thinks that the wider ATS community should see the thread. As most here know, once a thread gains "X" number of flags, it stays on the live page for 17 hours and also becomes present on the home page (and "top" page too).

Be proud of your flagging history and don't shy away from flagging through fear of reprisals that the state may kidnap you and torture you due to the threads you flagged on ATS.

originally posted by: Quantum12
a reply to: Alien Abduct

Lol, I think he means he has two accounts and gives 2'flags lol

You explaind an obvious(the only obvious) part. And flagging twice with two accounts is redundant. Isn't that against T&C?

What about the part where he said " my girl bill" and "sandyhook" ...

a reply to: Sublimecraft

I only flag your threads because I love your bald avatar =D I am jealous of his smoke lol

a reply to: Alien Abduct

That is against T&C. The other part must be drinking lol

Not flagging because of fear is giving in and letting them win. Them in this case is whoever you believe is monitoring your history.

If you believe that your S&F history is being monitored thats all the more reason to do it.
If hundreds of people S&F taboo topics or posts it lets "them" know that people are onto "them" and makes it hard to either censor or suicide dozens of people instead of a few.

Think of your Stars and Flags for Taboo, controversial or unPC topics as a massive finger to "them".... whoever "them" is

a reply to: Quantum12

stars. You have almost 2.5 million

Good point, i read some were there was a glitch in the system some time back that enabled people to stack-up their stars, karma and cups.

originally posted by: tommo39
a reply to: Quantum12

stars. You have almost 2.5 million

Good point, i read some were there was a glitch in the system some time back that enabled people to stack-up their stars, karma and cups.

Yeah apparently it is a not fixable glitch on ats for people that had registered before a certain time and some other criteria, there are star millionaires that did not earn them around here.

originally posted by: xuenchen
Flags are used per topic to rank the Top Topics

I rarely flag your threads, since the are usually awful, but I have.

originally posted by: Sublimecraft
a reply to: mmshelt

Simply because you flag a thread does not automatically mean that you "agree" with the contents of the thread OP. - Flagging, as defined by ATS, is primarily undertaken by a member who thinks that the wider ATS community should see the thread. As most here know, once a thread gains "X" number of flags, it stays on the live page for 17 hours and also becomes present on the home page (and "top" page too).

Be proud of your flagging history and don't shy away from flagging through fear of reprisals that the state may kidnap you and torture you due to the threads you flagged on ATS.

Exactly.

originally posted by: peppycat
a reply to: mmshelt I think it is safe to flag controversial threads..
I just don't think flags are tracked and noted on who is giving them... only the ones received.

If that were the case and flagging or stars were anonymous, then you could generate multiple flags on each thread and multiple stars on each post by yourself. On ATS you can only have one flag per thread and one star per post. A logging system is necessary to prevent users from doing anything else. So, are all your flags and stars logged to your account? Logic and an understanding of programming surely dictates that they are. Could they be used against you? I expect they could but that depends on where the board owners allegiances lay and physical proximity of the servers.

ETA: or flags and stars could be logged with your account designator to threads and posts. This would be an easier method, but all that would be required is a dynamic database of all the threads to establish who flagged or stared what.

Cheers - Dave

If someone is really concerned about what you are doing on the internet , then you are either really paraniod or there is a serious concern and they're interest in you.
The mod's can easily see ALL of your actions on this site. I have been behind the scene of a forum as a mod before.
They can see it all !

originally posted by: peppycat
a reply to: mmshelt I think it is safe to flag controversial threads..
I just don't think flags are tracked and noted on who is giving them... only the ones received.

The flagging functionality on this page is a component that when loaded can have 3 possible states:

Waiting to be flagged - if you haven't flagged the thread, then any page you visit within it will show the number of flags the thread has received and just the outline of a flag.

Flagged - when you give the thread a flag, you change the state of the component. Now when you visit another page in the thread or refresh the browser, the image of the flag remains solid.

Unflagged - flags can be taken away as well and again you're changing the state of the component because now you can no longer flag the thread.

How do you reckon the site manages which state to load without already having a record of whether or not you've flagged the thread?

a reply to: Brotherman

Thanks, my poetic side is warming up, beginning to show, getting close to a release, saving it for marr...the short story contest.

originally posted by: xuenchen
Flags are used per topic to rank the Top Topics

I think I've flagged more of your posts than anyone else's. Absolutely love your threads. And your humor is spot on. Keep up the strong work.

originally posted by: Quantum12
a reply to: violet

Ok can we talk about stars. You have almost 2.5 million, you must have amazing threads and posts. Lol

I believe my count was a glitch. I suddenly went way up one day and the staff or somebody said it was a glitch that happened to a few of us. I don't think I've posted anything amazing.

originally posted by: Brotherman

originally posted by: tommo39
a reply to: Quantum12

stars. You have almost 2.5 million

Good point, i read some were there was a glitch in the system some time back that enabled people to stack-up their stars, karma and cups.

Yeah apparently it is a not fixable glitch on ats for people that had registered before a certain time and some other criteria, there are star millionaires that did not earn them around here.

Yes I think that's what happened to my star / karma count.

originally posted by: violet
Forgot to add, I really don't care who's keeping track. I'm not going to be afraid to express my opinion

That is what i think, and i guess this is the right way, otherwise bigbrother has won.

But on the other hand, there is a real risk now that nazi governments get their hands on the surveillance systems, lunatics like Trump, Clinton or all that wannabe nazis in France, UK, Austria, maybe in (eastern)germany again and the whole eastern of europe(does that mean "let´s go east" means nowadays "let´s go germany 1933"?).

If such racists and "Herrenmenschen" get their hands on that spying and profiling system, many people will be doomed. All the people that aren´t needed by such governments, for examples as willing slaves. All the people that don´t fit in the concept of that Führers, foreign people, other skin colors, "wrong" political opinions...

And these opinions were maybe written down ten or twenty years before in any comment sections, in any forums, when the internet still was "free". Guess what a GeStaPo would have done for the informations about their citizens like they are available today?
E V E R Y T H I N G !!!

So i really don´t know if it is the best for our future to think what we think now, to act like we act now, because we think this is the right thing to do. But that doesn´t make me stop to say what i think, nowhere and never. Even if i have to go to a gas chamber for that, in the future.
If i still will think, on my way to the showers, that it was a good idea to live my life as i did it?
We will see...

Yes, I'm aware that flags can be tracked and someone could go through and see what you have flagged and infer your political or other leanings based on that.

Seriously, though, it doesn't bother me. I give more information googling something than I do on this site!

- AB