Should posters include a disclaimer and verification?

cepheus

I notice articles from quality publications such as The Conversation often have disclaimers. In view of the large number of people on this forum which must have connections with the financial industry, would it also be a good idea for posters on MSE?

...does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.

perhaps an exception would have to be made for collective investment vehicles, since I doubt if anyone knows exactly what they have!

in addition I think it would be useful for posters to optionally supply a 'verification status' such as a CV to MSE to disclose exactly who they are.

jamesd

That would be far more work than the MSE staff can do and also a massive privacy invasion for posters. If a poster chooses to make outrageous claims, other posters can correct them and a few biased posters will be overwhelmed by the majority with no involvement. MSE would also have substantial Data Protection Act issues both in justifying the need and in properly handling the large quantities of personally identifiable information being provided.

It happens that some MSE staff do know where I work and what I do and did, though that's just because I've in the past offered my help to them in that area.

Former_MSE_Andrea

Hi cepheus, we ask e.g. mortgage brokers, travel companies to use our standard signature.

The best description of that is in our Forum guidelines.

cepheus

jamesd wrote: »

That would be far more work than the MSE staff can do and also a massive privacy invasion for posters. If a poster chooses to make outrageous claims, other posters can correct them and a few biased posters will be overwhelmed by the majority with no involvement.

The reality is rather more complex than that. I tend to find certain groups attempt to take control of a thread frightening of others with different points of view. I think this happens because people tend to try to be popular and choose threads in which they will get 'Likes'.

Also, although the subscribers of MSE might be diverse I'm not convinced the posts represent the wider population. To demonstrate this I've compared MSE polls with official pollsters asking the same question.

I was quite shocked on one occasion where I participated in a thread which provided a very rosy picture of the banking industry, completely at odds with Martins views and just about everyone else I know. The critic who started it was quickly frightened off.

MSE was originally set up to help the public with unbiased financial information relevant to their interests. Examining some threads it seems to represent the interests of those who have exploited the public.