Forum Announcement

lollipopsarah

so i've trawled through all the pages and still don't understand why I need to update ,my e.mail address as I get en email every week.
sorry but I don't have the knowledge or patience to use a fancy 'phone either.

Former_MSE_Tine

lollipopsarah wrote: »

so i've trawled through all the pages and still don't understand why I need to update ,my e.mail address as I get en email every week.
sorry but I don't have the knowledge or patience to use a fancy 'phone either.

Hi lollipopsarah

The email address used to send you the weekly MSE Newsletter is in no way connected to your Forum account.

So long as your email address in your control panel on the forum is correct there is no need to change anything. If this email address is not correct and you are not able to access then you will not be able to access your account on the forums after we move as on the first log in you need to use your email address to reset your password as these will not be migrated for security reasons.

Hope this helps.

Former_MSE_Tine

Onebrokelady wrote: »

I hope we don't lose our diaries 😟

We are migrating over all the posts... including diaries :money:

Former_MSE_Tine

suki1964 wrote: »

Did anyone who applied get accepted to trial the new system?

Everyone who filled out the full survey were included in the user test group

ChrisK....._3

I quite like the existing mobile web page except some of the buttons never worked so why did you pay for it???
Another thing it needs is method of SHARING pictures and webpages from mobiles in a single click instead of taking 45 minutes to do the same

sarah1972

MSE_Tine wrote: »

Everyone who filled out the full survey were included in the user test group

I wasn't and I filled out the survey

ripplyuk

I keep getting a banner coming up asking me to ‘update my email address’. I’ve already done it. Why am I still getting this message?

J_B

MSE_Tine wrote: »

Everyone who filled out the full survey were included in the user test group

sarah1972 wrote: »

I wasn't and I filled out the survey

Without being anti american I would have to say that I also filled *in* the initial questionnaire and since then I've had two very basic surveys to fill *in* - one on 25/10/2019 and one on 18/12/2019
Most of the questions in these surveys seemed irrelevant to the way which I use the forum.

jamesd

PollySouthend wrote: »

Posts aren't private data, they belong to moneysupermarket so not a gdpr thing.

You made three assertions there and all were wrong:

1. Posts can contain private data, whether linked solely to an account name or to a more traditional name. Whether something is private can change over time as well.

2. The poster owns the posts. MSE has a licence to reproduce and distribute them, which it requires to let people read them. The forum terms are absolutely clear about this.

3. The forum operates in the UK and all law applicable to the UK applies to it, including the "General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as it applies in the UK, tailored by the Data Protection Act 2018". Those rights for individuals include "rights of access, rectification, erasure or restriction, and to not be subject to automated decision-making."

Considering the last of those, it seems that MSE may be considering breaking the law by subjecting users to automated decision-making based on whether MSE's email system will send to their email address (it blocks some) and whether the receiving system can process whatever they send. In general some way of circumventing such things is needed. "Our old forum login is here, please log in there and send us the key code we sent to you there by private message and the new email address you want to use".

Similarly, the right of rectification applies and if it turns out that MSE has and tries to use a wrong or outdated email address as part of the forum migration, individuals have the right to request that MSE correct their information. In light of the forum move this right may soon be used a bit.

Further, the right to data portability seems to apply. So does the right of access, "Dear MSE, per this subject access request please provide me with a copy of all electronic communication connected with MSE that mentions me (this is an example, I am not making thus request)". And the right of erasure. And the right to object, which includes "An individual can object to the processing of their personal data for direct marketing at any time. This includes any profiling of data that is related to direct marketing. This is an absolute right and there are no exemptions or grounds for you to refuse".

jamesd

MSE_Tine wrote: »

So long as your email address in your control panel on the forum is correct there is no need to change anything.

There are addresses that are entirely valid that the forum software and/or MSE's mail server refuse to send emails to. A correct email address isn't sufficient, a prudent user should also do something to verify that MSE will successfully use it. Trying to change email address to the existing one can give a clue about whether it's one that MSE has decided it doesn't want to use but actually sending an email is a better test.

MSE_Tine wrote: »

"If this email address is not correct and you are not able to access then you will not be able to access your account on the forums after we move as on the first log in you need to use your email address to reset your password as these will not be migrated for security reasons.

If followed, that policy appears to be an illegal breach of the GDPR right to rectification which seems to require that MSE accept requests to correct inaccurate or non-working emails.

Best to try to avoid getting to that point, though. How about sending an email with a secret code now to all accounts that:

1. Have made at least one post (maybe in the last n, say two, years) and
2. Have logged in during the last n (say six) months.

Then announce that the emails have been sent and ask anyone who didn't get one to get in touch and/or do some more automated checks, say after trying another email address.

Meanwhile, those who get the email and code can demonstrate that they are likely to be the account holder so can be let in somehow even if there is email trouble after the move.

Hopefully that will catch the most recent active users and get problems fixed before the move when they are easier to solve because at least forum PM's will be available for communication even if nothing else is.