Quote:vorticity wrote:The data backup, I'm interpreting as another posterior cover. Basically, they're disclaiming any responsibility for any and all potential dataloss on their end. How to implement backups without falling afoul of the scraping prohibition means it's up to individual posters to save their posts in some sort of offline format.
Quote:CrowdGather User Terms and Conditions wrote:So we're not allowed to scrape the site and can be deleted for doing so... except we also have the sole responsibility to backup data in ALLCAPS. Welp.
(k) Other Prohibited Activities. You agree not to use the Site (or assist or encourage others to use the Site) in order to:14. Attempt to harvest, scrape, copy or otherwise collect
information, User Generated Content or Content from the Site, to
retrieve or index any portion of the Site or collect information about
Company users for any purpose not expressly authorized by Company,
including, without limitation, republishing the same on a third party
website, either manually or through any engine, software, tool, agent,
or other device or mechanism (including without limitation browsers,
spiders, robots, avatars, site search/retrieval application,
intelligent agents or other device);19. Use “ad blocking” software or similar built-in web browser options
designed to hide, block or prevent the proper display of online
advertising (if any) while using the Sites;
Any violation of this section may subject you to civil and/or
criminal liability. Additionally, if you commit any of the above,
Company may, in its sole discretion, and without limiting any of their
other remedies, terminate your password, account or ability to use the
Site, and remove and discard any User Generated Content within the Site.
10. Data Back-up. We are not responsible for backing
up your data or any User Generated Content or other type of data
attributed to your participation in forums or use of the Site. YOU
EXPRESSLY AGREE TO ASSUME THE SOLE RISK OF BACKING UP ALL USER GENERATED
CONTENT THAT YOU CONTRIBUTE TO THE SITE AND EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT WE
WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO LOST USER GENERATED CONTENT,
WHETHER YOUR OWN OR THAT BELONGING TO THIRD PARTIES.
I'd also like to see using an ad blocker opening one to civil or criminal liability, somehow. Hey Yuku, I'm using an ad blocker right now! Go ahead and file a lawsuit against me. I'd be happy to share that story with HN.
But really, if we need it, I'd be happy to have a face-to-face with these people. Calabasas is pretty close to me.
I do agree there is, on paper, a conflict, but I'm betting they would just say, if pressed, "well, it just means you lost it. We're not responsible." Because, well, how would you restore it?
Definitely sliding into territory that it really is ceasing to matter if we can move the content or not, moving to a system controlled completely by Bob (praise Bob!) will have nothing but benefits. This is the third place the forum's effectively been, and Bob hasn't even actually moved it himself, the provider's been bought out twice now, and Yuku had multiple issues with changing the ad system, and the ads (linked words in posts) leaking in when there were paid pageviews set up to avoid ads in the first place, to say nothing of the server issues currently.
(As an aside, I wonder if those sorts of issues go away if people ask for their board to be migrated to the new owner's own system? Something to ponder, and none of the outcomes are good.)
--
"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor