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    Please take a moment to read this post reminding you all of the importance of Account Security.
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Notice of New User Verification System Testing and Evaluation.

Nexus

Site Support
Administrator
Moderator
Professional
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
Good evening Stratics users,

We've been continually working to try and make Stratics a friendly place for our users. However there are certain individuals who continually find themselves incapable of following our RoC to the detriment of the rest of the community. These users typically find themselves at some point banned from Stratics and unfortunately technology today has created a digital arms race as individuals look for means to circumvent their bans. Additionally SPAM bots are being created that are ever more proficient in bypassing registration restrictions. One of the major tools in their arsenal are VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) such as HideMyIP, Anonymizing browsers such as TOR as well as various proxy networks.

These services allow individuals to hide behind a different IP than the one assigned by their ISP, often one that changes regularly to avoid or make being blocked ineffective and/or to appear as someone different than who they actually are. While we respect the desire for privacy, a few bad apples have regretfully led us to make a decision which we have continually put off for the past year.

If we are incapable of enforcing suspensions and bans they become impotent; the risk of receiving one has no ability to influence user behavior towards the desired state of civility. It has reached a point where we've actually had community members who received short term or permanent suspensions taunting us claiming, "I'll just get around it and evade". This creates a difficult position for us and an undesirable community atmosphere when staff or community members strongly suspect a given account of being a ban evader, but we are unable to verify.

Today we installed a plugin to Xenforo that will automatically and regularly update a "block" list of known common anonymizing networks, browsers, and other suspect VPNs preventing users of them from accessing Stratics. Our intent is not to exclude individuals wishing to be productive members of the community, but to prevent those who consistently and shockingly often seem to find enjoyment in causing arguments, belittling other community members, and disrupting others from being able to easily circumvent or dismiss any of the rules and safeguards we have in place for the welfare of the entire community.

We will be monitoring and evaluating this strategy, and appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we continue to work towards and uphold the high community standards for which we strive. We will also as always explore to improve the Stratics experience.
 

Revenant

Visitor
Have you considered switching the http site to a simple redirect to https? The http site still existing and pretending to allow logins has been a big source of login problems to me and guildmates, and I'm sure we're not the only ones. And I assume allowing only https connections would better allow you to enforce bans.
 
Agreed 20 years for Stratics, is amazing. Well done to Stratics & the Community that have supported it all of those years.
I have been a lurker for many years without creating an account.
Am logging in using the User Verification system which I am finding annoying.
I would like to see a way, to turn it off if logins are from the same computer.
Is that possible?
 

Sara D

Adventurer
I can really post here and not be kicked off the next time I want to post something which has been happening for ages now? Ive had to log in then next time I had trouble logging in because the name or password was wrong. So for the longest time I didn't or couldn't post on anything.
 

Jarnhound

Adventurer
Stratics Veteran
I can understand the need for security, but I have now been ip-banned twice and have in no way been doing any misconduct or messing around with VPN's. If its just me having problems, then its not really a big issue: But consider if other users also gets hit by this? Not everyone would bother to sending emails to be allowed into a forum again in where you already are registered.

Most digital services are clamoring to get users to return...here it seems to be opposite......contrarian to put it mildly... Anyways: Congratz with 20 years!!!
 
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