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that is what I was afraid of. Meaning you can't create a content sharing platform being a one dev team, can you? In between writing and maintaining code, make s

by atum47 4y ago

that is what I was afraid of. Meaning you can't create a content sharing platform being a one dev team, can you? In between writing and maintaining code, make sure the platform is deployed and available and on top of that moderating content and spam... seems infeasible.

LinuxBender 4y ago
I suppose it depends on how the site is implemented. One mitigating control that can make moderation easier is to have role based access controls. Forums referred to this as "ranks". When a person is new and has only posted {x} posts and received only {n} upvotes assuming one implements votes then if their post contains binary content it can be flagged for moderator approval meaning only they and the moderators can see their post until a moderator clicks a button on their post. The forum software phpBB has this ability for example. After the person gains some time+votes then they could be automagically up-ranked to not require moderator approval of their binary content. People will game this system by "warming up" an account and then posting illegal content. That is why moderators are still required. Beyond this concept you are totally right in that moderators are required to keep the site alive. Small sites must research which VPS providers, server providers, CDN providers and DNS registrars are the most tolerant of user-content-driven sites. In my opinion it is best to create a business account with each and have a unique contract that stipulates what actions both sides are obligated to rather than being subject to the boiler-plate acceptable use policies.
- atum47 4y ago
  for the sake of this conversation, lets assume I'm creating a blog platform. you create an account and you get a space where you can share text, images and videos (youtube links, for instance). No upvotes, maybe comments. Do I need to check out all my users content to make sure they are not infringing the law or even worse, having Metallica suing me because one user of my platform linked to a unforgiven video on their post?
  - LinuxBender 4y ago
    Do I need to check out all my users content to make sure they are not infringing the law or even worse, having Metallica suing me I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. At a very minimum you would want to have a way for people to report illegally shared content and your moderation team must respond to those reports in a timely manor, meaning you have moderators that are awake in every daylight timezone. That said, if you have illegal content on your site for a long time because nobody felt it should be reported you would still be at risk. Pirate sites may have content up for weeks, months or years because their primary audience are the people that intentionally share illegal content. When they get busted the number of illegal things will be a factor in the penalty / sentencing phase. Some law enforcement agencies will let the site run for a long time to see how many items they can go after the site operators for. It makes them look good to their superiors and makes for good headlines. If the site is taking in money they may wait even longer so that the bank account seizures have even more funds.
    - atum47 4y ago
      > When they get busted the number of illegal things will be a factor in the penalty / sentencing phase. Jesus! As I can gather for the replies here it is impossible to create a content sharing platform without a team.
      - LinuxBender 4y ago
        Not impossible, just not wise. I've seen people try to run user-content-driven sites with one or two people. The site will quickly see comments like "Mods are asleep!" and the site will not last long. There are trolls that will intentionally upload illegal content, then screenshot their own uploads, then report their own uploads to get the site taken offline. And by trolls I mean the site operators and members of competing sites. If the site is expected to last then a reliable team is required around the clock.

by atum47 4y ago

LinuxBender 4y ago

I suppose it depends on how the site is implemented. One mitigating control that can make moderation easier is to have role based access controls. Forums referred to this as "ranks". When a person is new and has only posted {x} posts and received only {n} upvotes assuming one implements votes then if their post contains binary content it can be flagged for moderator approval meaning only they and the moderators can see their post until a moderator clicks a button on their post. The forum software phpBB has this ability for example. After the person gains some time+votes then they could be automagically up-ranked to not require moderator approval of their binary content. People will game this system by "warming up" an account and then posting illegal content. That is why moderators are still required. Beyond this concept you are totally right in that moderators are required to keep the site alive. Small sites must research which VPS providers, server providers, CDN providers and DNS registrars are the most tolerant of user-content-driven sites. In my opinion it is best to create a business account with each and have a unique contract that stipulates what actions both sides are obligated to rather than being subject to the boiler-plate acceptable use policies.

atum47 4y ago
for the sake of this conversation, lets assume I'm creating a blog platform. you create an account and you get a space where you can share text, images and videos (youtube links, for instance). No upvotes, maybe comments. Do I need to check out all my users content to make sure they are not infringing the law or even worse, having Metallica suing me because one user of my platform linked to a unforgiven video on their post?
- LinuxBender 4y ago
  Do I need to check out all my users content to make sure they are not infringing the law or even worse, having Metallica suing me I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. At a very minimum you would want to have a way for people to report illegally shared content and your moderation team must respond to those reports in a timely manor, meaning you have moderators that are awake in every daylight timezone. That said, if you have illegal content on your site for a long time because nobody felt it should be reported you would still be at risk. Pirate sites may have content up for weeks, months or years because their primary audience are the people that intentionally share illegal content. When they get busted the number of illegal things will be a factor in the penalty / sentencing phase. Some law enforcement agencies will let the site run for a long time to see how many items they can go after the site operators for. It makes them look good to their superiors and makes for good headlines. If the site is taking in money they may wait even longer so that the bank account seizures have even more funds.
  - atum47 4y ago
    > When they get busted the number of illegal things will be a factor in the penalty / sentencing phase. Jesus! As I can gather for the replies here it is impossible to create a content sharing platform without a team.
    - LinuxBender 4y ago
      Not impossible, just not wise. I've seen people try to run user-content-driven sites with one or two people. The site will quickly see comments like "Mods are asleep!" and the site will not last long. There are trolls that will intentionally upload illegal content, then screenshot their own uploads, then report their own uploads to get the site taken offline. And by trolls I mean the site operators and members of competing sites. If the site is expected to last then a reliable team is required around the clock.