Do you think the report button should be removed? Do you think people aren't using it for the right reasons?

Question

I have had numerous questions deleted in regards to illegal immigration. I asked a question about Elive Arellano and if anyone thought she was wrongfully deported - that was removed.

I also asked a question about the most common excuse a pro-illegal immigration support uses to justify their illegal presence in the US - that was also deleted.

I'm starting to think that many people's accounts are being suspended and de-activated because a lot of people use the report button if their feelings were hurt or our beliefs differed.. And I am not so sure that Yahoo! moderators are actually reading the question to see if anything was violated in the TOS.

I have actually read the TOS and it doesn't say that your account can get deleted for having different beliefs or opinions.

What do you guys think?

Edit: Pro-illegal immigration supporter.

Answer 1

It shouldn't be removed, but it should be reformed. It incenses me that on youtube for isntance you can have the most raving, incredibly vitriolic racism on posts, and you can do nothing about it. But if your experiences are true and you didn't violate TOS then it should be reformed and upgraded. If innocent people are getting accounts suspended because of abuse from people of different political opinions then yahoo has a duty to sort it out.

Answer 2

I'm sure they don't read the reports or my reply that the deletion was in error or they wouldn't have deleted 10 accounts of mine. The problem is that if they remove the report button there is no way to make legitimate complaints. Wouldn't it be better if Yahoo fired everybody who currently works in Answers and hired all new people with instructions to actually read the reports and appeals and maybe look the situation over before automatically deleting an answer or suspending an account?

Answer 3

I think that it should not be removed. But I also think it is abused by people who use it simply because they disagree with a view point. For example, I know for example that this question was removed: "Are Bush and republicans planning to run out the clock in iraq"? This question was in politics, was apparently reported for yahoo said it was some sort of violation and they deleted it. Now I challenge anyone here in this thread to give me a reasonable explanation why such a question should be deleted. This is the kind of stuff that goes on. Conversely, I have seen the most obscenely racist statements and questions made, and I have reported them, and yet they are not deleted.

I can only conclude that yahoo censors either have an agenda that is biased conservative, or they are foreigners sitting in India or China with poor english language skills.
Yahoo should only remove clearly and undeniably racist and bigoted comments.

Answer 4

I think the report button is good for those who pose questions using offensive language or sexual wording/intent. I've personally reported 2 "questions" that fit into the sexual wording and sexual intent category (for example: one question was asking anyone to guess how big a certain part of his anatomy was, using a common slang word for the body part. totally inappropriate and objectionable). Yahoo questions should not be the forum used to locate sexual partners. But if your questions didn't involve anything like this, then I think this should be investigated and it would appear to me that whoever is reporting your questions is politically motivated against your question and opinion and duping Yahoo into removing your question. So, Yes, I think in that case people are using the report button for the wrong reasons. This does raise the question as to whether or not Yahoo moderators are actually reading the questions and if they're not, I hope people will start to complain. To begin with, how about posing a question asking if the community at large believes Yahoo is actually reading questions for content before deleting them just based on a "report".

Answer 5

I think that the report option is a good thing. But i also feel that anti illegal immigration positions ( which I don't share ) should not be reported. In my view the report button should be reserved for people who suport hitler,lynching,child rape,gay bashing etc ad they are hee unfortuneately. I also feel if someone ays they are depressed or need help with a real problem and some bum says go ahead kill urself that the responder had no buisness here at all. That said i do feel it was wrong for ur questions to be removed

Answer 6

Yes, I've gotten zapped on more than one occasion for my stance on illegal immigration/amnesty. In fact, over on the violations forum, one of our well-known posters from this forum showed up and demanded that Yahoo check out my Q & A's, stating that I'm a racist. I welcomed Yahoo to do that because nowhere would that show up.

My own father is Hispanic and American Indian, but that doesn't mean that I agree with the way our immigration situation is being handled. Legal, yes. Illegal, no. :)

Answer 7

I think it should be. One time I gotten a violation saying I did not use English. I challenged it by sending that email, but those are pointless. They sent one back saying they will look into it but never did and never got back to me. They obviously do not monitor these and anyone who doesn't like what someone has to say will report out of spite or anger usually. I can see people being reported for name calling, profanity and ACTUAL racist/sexist slurs. But beyond that it is all opinionated answers really.

Answer 8

I believe the report button should stay, but Y!A should have someone actually monitioring what is reported as abuse.....the racist terms and hate speech should be blocked as abusive but too many, particularly in Politics & Gov. seem to use it as their own personal little killfile. If you don't believe exactly like I do, plonk, you're reported for abuse. I think the powers that be at the TOS office should review who uses it and why. If a trend is noted, such as a particular user following questions by another user in any and all catagories and reporting them for abuse 'just for giggles' should have their account suspended.

Answer 9

No, it shouldn't be removed because every now and then someone will post something truly offensive just because they are immature and bored.

However, the report button *is* used to target those with whom some people disagree. They take your comments personally, which is *always* a bad thing.

Answer 10

yes, the report abuse button was meant to be for real abuse, not for disagreeing on an opinion. I've said it before, that Yahoo needs to fix this website, because they know that many forums are more opinion and discussion based, than the other more factual Q&A.