05-18-2020, 08:41 PM
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#8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snowgyre
Thanks for your reply, Rich. I would like clarification on posts that point out illegal activity, however. In the past I have replied to classifieds postings that were selling animals illegal to that state (such as snakes native to Georgia, box turtles in many eastern states, etc.). I wouldn't personally consider that a BOI-style post because it is actually a law violation, but moving forward will you still allow these posts to occur?
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My belief is that the proper action would be to contact the authorities responsible for enforcing such laws and let them handle it. Fact of the matter is that they would likely not be all that keen about the evidence posted here being deleted anyway if we were to take any such action. I have stated before that we are not equipped nor inclined to be involved in law enforcement or act as an investigative agency. I have no intention of trying to be cognizant of every animal related law on the planet. Which means I also have no intention of trying to determine if any such accusation towards another person is valid or not. I could not rule out the possibility that someone might post such an accusation in a malicious manner, so the possibility exists that such posting could possibly be a problem for the poster.
So with that in mind, perhaps this can be answered with a question. Will someone, by making the claim that someone is violating the law, in any way possible be labeling such person as being potentially a bad guy?
Honestly, if you are not inclined to contact relevant authorities about the issue, perhaps it would be best to contact the seller him or her self PRIVATELY in case they are not aware of what they are doing might be illegal and let them decide on how to proceed. If they decide to treat it as a mistake on YOUR part, or otherwise just infer that you just mind your own business, then perhaps it would be best to let law enforcement take over from there. If law enforcement chooses to do nothing about it, then why should anyone else be concerned?
Of course, there could be legal issues involved that I am not aware of, but if such things come to light, I will change whatever I have to in order to comply.
Quote:
Originally Posted by snowgyre
Also, are "In the News" type posts that discuss the true bad apples that have been caught smuggling and are currently going through the legal system considered BOI-style posts? Not naming names, but we had a serious problem here in south Georgia a couple of years ago with a certain someone intentionally releasing illegally imported animals into a neighborhood to avoid getting caught by authorities (he was caught, btw). Would these types of discussions be allowed if they're already being discussed in mainstream media?
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Sounds like this will be one of those "gray area" things. But without a lot of deep thought on the matter, I am inclined to think that if such "news" posts are simply cut and pastes or links from current public knowledge, then the person making such posts (if without personal comments about the person mentioned) is not violating the rules here. Of course, there is the possibility that followup replies could push the thread itself in the the BOI zone and subject it to being removed. So there are no guarantees concerning which way any particular thread might go. As for resulting infractions, I would not expect the original poster to have to deal with any, but replies could possibly be subject to them. Sounds like a gray area thin ice sort of thing to me.
Oh, just to make something clear, the above does NOT include threads nor posts made on other sites that are not clear cut legitimate news style sites. For instance a thread or post about someone on a Facebook page or group does not apply in this situation.
Does that help clarify things or just make them muddier?
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