Large Overhaul of the Visibility of Threads on LSPD Website (METAGAME AHOY!)

[Parade]

I will make this short and to the point.

I want to be able to transfer my firearm to someone, but it requires me to publicly post my character's:
 

• Date of brith
• Phone number
• Address of my place of residence
• Fact that I have a PF and known to carry/own firearms
• The transferee's date of birth
• Tranferee's phone number
• Transferee's address of their place of residence
• The guns that they will soon possess

 

This is just under firearm transfers.

 

There is also the fact that anyone who makes an account has the ability to be able to see, publicly:
 

• Criminal records request
• Tint Exemptions
• Criminal reports
• People who have lost or stolen firearms

 

Why do these matter?

Metagame.

 

"Oh, it's metagame and powergame to use this information ICly."

So?

Will that stop people? No. It will not.

 

How am I supposed to prove that I was just recently targeted for a robbery out of nowhere soon after I put my address up on the forums for everyone to see?

 

One of my characters works for a place that got a tint exemption recently and the amount of armed robberies and grand theft autos that have occured since that exemption was acquired has spiked 300% since that thread was put up.

 

Coincidence? Maybe.

I suspect metagame.

I do not want to be robbed due to some "honor rule" system that you guys have for the LSPD website. Please hide all private information on there from public users. If this makes it hard to post to the same thread, for example, the gun transfer thread. Make a new system where one person posts both people's applications and then you contact them on discord or in game to confirm.


Not sure what other websites have this similar problem, but I suggest fixing those too.
 

Check out all these people who I know where they live OOCly.

Edited April 25, 2023 by Parade

[Neszy]

Totally agree, disclaimers are not going to prevent people from utilising this information if they want to and it's far too easy to lie about this stuff ("I've been following them for ages!") or feign ignorance, claiming random chance led you to a place of residence.

 

Additional GTAW sites with a mass of public-facing information:

• gov.gta.world - business registrations, job applications
• sagov.gta.world - OLMS processed applications
• lspd.gta.world - everything in the front desk (press passes, commendations and complaints, ride along requests...), employment/transfer applications
• lssd.gta.world - employment applications
• phmc.gta.world - appointments, medical record requests

... and that's just to name a few. At a glance, LSFD, JSA, SAAA and DMEC forums also contain a wealth of information such as names, address, phone numbers, etc. In short, if you've posted anything on any of these core websites - websites that many players will be required to divulge information on at some point - you cannot, with certainty, rule out that your information won't be metagamed from there. Yes, the same could be said for a lot of things (admin-only information, MDC...) but that stuff has checks, balances, and logs. This doesn't.

 

An alternative solution here would simply be an opt-in "put my application in a private forum" type thing, which would be more labour in the long-run but works as a quick and easy fix. Mass forum permission changes, on the other hand, are annoying but aren't particularly difficult.

 

[Jeroen]

ULSA actually has forum sections where you're only able to see your own thread, or if you've got permission to view all threads.

 

Not sure which phpbb plugin they use, but it's possible.

[Bauer]

I feel like the PF stuff can be transferred onto the FLD panel. Crime Reports are actually supposed to be PM'd to the Crime Coordinator, but people just post the topics... for some reason. 

[stringer]

46 minutes ago, Bauer said:

I feel like the PF stuff can be transferred onto the FLD panel. Crime Reports are actually supposed to be PM'd to the Crime Coordinator, but people just post the topics... for some reason. 

https://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/extension/readotherstopics/

[Varyegar]

While a lot of work, I totally agree with getting this implemented. As of right now, there is too much data which is easy to metagame, where it is hard to punish for such.

[Lomadias]

All of that needs to fixed, that's a HUGE oversight and issue in my opinion.

 

Good luck proving MG when it's claimed it's "just pot luck" with the house choice. I wouldn't be surprised if this was already used.

 

Forget "trust" when it comes to MG, remove it entirely and don't fall back on "punish if it happens".

[Br0ke]

I agree with Lomadias, it is a huge issue and oversight. It needs to be fixed. 
 

We're expected to fill such and such out for them, but in doing so run the risk of people MG'ing information. 
 

Needs to at least be made private to self and staff rather than all eyes seeing. 

[F34]

Making 

On 4/27/2023 at 8:12 PM, Neszy said:

Totally agree, disclaimers are not going to prevent people from utilising this information if they want to and it's far too easy to lie about this stuff ("I've been following them for ages!") or feign ignorance, claiming random chance led you to a place of residence.

 

Additional GTAW sites with a mass of public-facing information:

• gov.gta.world - business registrations, job applications
• sagov.gta.world - OLMS processed applications
• lspd.gta.world - everything in the front desk (press passes, commendations and complaints, ride along requests...), employment/transfer applications
• lssd.gta.world - employment applications
• phmc.gta.world - appointments, medical record requests

... and that's just to name a few. At a glance, LSFD, JSA, SAAA and DMEC forums also contain a wealth of information such as names, address, phone numbers, etc. In short, if you've posted anything on any of these core websites - websites that many players will be required to divulge information on at some point - you cannot, with certainty, rule out that your information won't be metagamed from there. Yes, the same could be said for a lot of things (admin-only information, MDC...) but that stuff has checks, balances, and logs. This doesn't.

 

An alternative solution here would simply be an opt-in "put my application in a private forum" type thing, which would be more labour in the long-run but works as a quick and easy fix. Mass forum permission changes, on the other hand, are annoying but aren't particularly difficult.

 

 

I completely agree with this. All this information about characters is public for all to see and can create huge metagaming issues that are difficult to prove. It all needs to be private and only visible to people who need to see it. 

[Mitch]

In the coming week(s) I plan on testing and implementing a filter so only applicants can view their own application for the FD forums, thanks for the heads up 

 

@Parade