Images

[#1]

Fair enough, @Dan_the_Van , and yes you do, but the implementation of this is flawed - IMO. If anyone, either the OP in a topic, or someone trying to help, posts an image, we have to rely on SU's or mods spotting them and releasing them quickly, otherwise they are useless.

I'm currently around from 0700 to 2100ish, but I don't have the time, or patience these days, to be continually checking back on topics to see if an image has been released.

I'm not having a go at you, Dan, merely pointing out the current practice is flawed.

[#2]

@jab1 

From what I can see attachments are treated differently, I would imagine they are virus checked before being uploaded.

Recently an image included a broadband username so that was not released.

I do understand your frustration.

[#3]

As you say, Dan, attachments are treated differently, but this 'safety' net (as @James_B  refers to it), is nothing of the sort - it is the businesses response to the 'requirements' of the Online Safety Bill, but it does not work in a dynamic environment.

The problem with attachments is that they  have to be downloaded and viewed separately, which destroys their usefulness - there are usually words in the body of a post which they need to be viewed in conjunction with.

[#4]

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@Dan_the_Van wrote:

Being a Superuser I see all images so it is difficult for me to see it status, so I have to use another browser which is not logged in to the forum to check. I can post image without the need of approval.

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It is the same for the person who originally posts an image, in a logged in session the image appears as expected, but get the yellow triangles on the same post when viewing on another logged out browser.

It is hopeless needing to run two browsers just because @James_B  can't implement a working system !.

My criticisms expressed in this topic are NOT aimed at ANY of the Moderators or Superusers

I am NOT saying that the moderators or superusers are failing in any way, or are being too slow - I understand your position.

Expecting these volunteer's to do additional work, because of @James_B 's poorly thought out changes is unacceptable.

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[#5]

This is not @James_B ’s doing, but the business responding to Labour government policy.

If folks think this is all stupid, then write to your MP.  It is stupid and poorly thought through by this government … but this is now what is required of service providers.  They are obliged to ensure a number of requirements of on line “safety” are complied with.  Thankfully in this space there is no history of issues, but the same is not the case across the division.  Consequently strict governance is being applied for everyone’s “safety.  🎱 ⚽ 🏀 🏈

@James_B 

It might help if those who have the ability to approve images saw an alert on threads … in addition to just seeing the image (as though approved).

[#6]

@outcast 

Don't shoot the messenger. @James_B

[#7]

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@Townman wrote:

This is not @James_B ’s doing, but the business responding to Labour government policy.

If folks think this is all stupid, then write to your MP.  It is stupid and poorly thought through by this government … but this is now what is required of service providers.  They are obliged to ensure a number of requirements of on line “safety” are complied with.  Thankfully in this space there is no history of issues, but the same is not the case across the division.  Consequently strict governance is being applied for everyone’s “safety.  🎱 ⚽ 🏀 🏈

@James_B 

It might help if those who have the ability to approve images saw an alert on threads … in addition to just seeing the image (as though approved).

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Unfortunately, that point was not made in @James_B 's initial post on he 'announcements' board - maybe that message needs editing to provide clarity?

[#8]

@outcast @jab1 

Referring back to Message #5 of this thread, unless things have changed since then, it's possible to post images via HTML which appear instantly..

Yes, it's more of a faff, but as you're regular posters who are aware that the 'censor' will delay publication of your images via the normal method thus interrupting the flow, at least there's a workaround

[#9]

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@Townman wrote:

This is not @James_B ’s doing, but the business responding to Labour government policy.

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I disagree.

Whether or not the government's online safety act is stupid (yes it is), it is supposed to be about protecting children.

Firstly this forum, is not and will never be, a website that children frequent, and being a customer technical support site there is zero chance that a child will accidentally find hidden pornography or other pictures that might cause them harm, etc. and as such isn't subject to the online safety regulations.

The issue is that what Plusnet has done is implement a image moderation system THAT DOESN'T WORK !.

Whether or not this was hastily implemented in response to government policy is irrelevant.

In theory I don't have a problem with image moderation IF IT WORKED !

There is no reason that the moderation couldn't be done by AI in near real-time - and there wouldn't be a problem.

If Plusnet insist on doing human moderation, then the 'group' should employ a dedicated image moderator 24/7, and not rely on unpaid volunteer moderators to perform this task in their spare time.  Why should volunteer customers be expected to do a task which only exists to protect Plusnet from prosecution in the unlikely event that a child is harmed ?

The problem is that what they have done, is come up with a half-cocked solution, where those doing the moderation can't see whether images are visible or not, there appears to be no queue of new images that need approving, I'm assuming that the volunteer moderators don't get paid to do the additional work, users can't tell whether their image is still waiting for approval or has been forgotten, casual viewers see replies that look like half the content is missing without explanation, and worst of all on an interactive forum the image approval needs to be done in near real time - otherwise the back and forth interaction stops working - yet already I have images still waiting for approval from nearly a week ago !.

I don't care who is at fault, but it needs fixing urgently , and @James_B  AFAIK is the nominated spokesperson to address the criticisms and get something done.

If these points shouldn't be directed towards @James_B ,  then who needs to be TAGGED to get this broken implementation fixed ?

So far you are assuming that this new image moderation is a result of the recent government policy.

How then do you explain that the written text in posts isn't being pre-moderated as well ?.

Hypothetically if a person had the intention of deliberately posting something here that could harm a child,

or offensive to a target group of the community, then surely it would be easier to use harmful words than post a picture, and would be more widely seen as the text would appear in the results of search engines (whereas inappropriate images wouldn't) ?

At least be consistent, if we are to be censored, then either choose all or nothing, just restricting images is inadequate !

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[#10]

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@RobPN wrote:

...  unless things have changed since then, it's possible to post images via HTML which appear instantly...

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@RobPN 

Thanks for your non-critical reply. 🙂

Yes you are correct, and I don't disagree with you, both @jab1 and myself could easily do that.

However, we both tend to interact with non-technical customers with connection problems, who already struggle to post a screenshot of their modem stats etc, and attempting to get those people to reply via the HTML editor is just a step too far.

The image moderation system need to work for everyone (or be scrapped).

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[#11]

@outcast @Dan_the_Van @Townman 

BT/Plusnet seem to have decided that draconian manual pre-vetting of image content is required to comply with the 

Online Safety Act 2023.

AFAIK that is not a mandatory requirement of the Act - indeed its recognized that doing so would be unrealistic and disproportionate for user-driven platforms - such as this forum.

These days there are a plethora of AI image scanning tools available and BT/Plusnet has the capability and resources to implement such if it chose to.

Talking of AI I asked Co-pilot for its take on

Does the Plusnet Forum Need Pre-Approval of Images under the Online Safety Act 2023?

Short Answer

No. The Online Safety Act 2023 does not mandate blanket pre-approval of every image upload. It requires services hosting user-generated content to carry out risk assessments, put in place proportionate moderation controls, age assurance (for child safety), and swift removal of illegal content, but it does not prescribe a one-size-fits-all requirement for pre-moderation.

Core Duties under the Act

Carry out risk assessments for illegal and harmful content, documenting these steps.

Implement systems and processes to reduce the risk of illegal activity and to act on it swiftly.

Provide user reporting tools and timely takedown procedures for flagged content.

Use age assurance measures where there is a realistic possibility of children accessing harmful imagery.

Why Pre-Approval Isn’t Mandatory

The regulations are outcome-focused rather than process-prescriptive. Platforms can choose from a toolkit of moderation options:

Automated filters to detect priority illegal content (e.g. terrorism, CSAM).

Reactive moderation driven by user reports.

Targeted pre-moderation of high-risk categories (e.g. first-time image posters).

Random sampling or escalation procedures for suspected harmful content.

This flexibility lets smaller communities like Plusnet Forum deploy proportionate measures rather than full pre-moderation for every upload.

Small Forums and Exemptions

Platforms with limited scale and turnover may fall below Ofcom’s “Category 1” and “Category 2” thresholds. Exemptions or simplified duties can apply if:

They host fewer than a specified number of monthly active users.

Their global turnover is below the revenue threshold set by the regulator.

Even when exempt, best practice calls for clear terms of use, age-checks where relevant, and mechanisms for swift removal of illegal or harmful material.

Next Steps for Plusnet Forum

Review your current risk assessment and moderation policy.

Map out which types of image content pose the greatest illegal or child-safety risks.

Select a mix of automated checks and human oversight for those high-risk categories.

Ensure reporting and takedown workflows are documented and tested.

Taking these targeted, risk-based steps will bring Plusnet Forum into compliance without the overhead of pre-approving every image.

HTH

[#12]

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@jab1 wrote:

I almost feel like giving up after 13 years of trying to help.

I agree, I think I started helping on the original forum around 2007, along with the likes of "Anotherone" and "Jelv".

Back then there was an active collaboration between enthusiast customers, and the help team "Kelly" and the three "Chris's'", where we would share our professional skills to help each other out, sometimes through the night, and even optimise or debug Plusnet's systems together when everyone else had gone to sleep.

Fast forward from the good old days, the forum spontaneity got ruined in the re-write and move to the new platform,  now the poorly trained Plusnet 'online' staff go missing for days,  the remaining forum regulars who try to help are mainly ex-customers who are increasingly disillusioned by Plusnet's obvious demise,  and now possibly the final straw the forum is unnecessarily crippled by this flawed image censoring - which was obvious to anyone with technical skills was doomed to failure.

I simply don't understand what the censorship of this forum is supposed to achieve.

In nearly 20 years I don't remember any particular issues, as the moderators always took down anything unpleasant before many people saw it, and where there were persistent offenders, users would be banned from logging in.

Back in the Force9 days, the portal was "family friendly", and even had space games for kids to play - so there were some younger visitors to the site.

Now in 2025, there is nothing here that would interest 'younger people'.

It seems this forum has degenerated into customers either complaining that Plusnet have broken their email, or constant moaning about wanting to stay on PSTN phone lines as long as possible (rather than see the opportunity of embracing VoIP).

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@jab1 wrote:

I almost feel like giving up after 13 years of trying to help.

The amount of effort now needed to voluntarily give up ten minutes here and there to respond to other people asking for help on this forum, is now too much to be bothered even getting started.

What is the effing point when images are needlessly blocked, making it impossible to ask someone to post a screenshot.

I already nearly didn't bother posting again after getting a random three month ban with no warning or explanation -

Under the pathetic new censorship regime, the above triangle is hiding a screenshot of my recent login screen telling me that I was banned !

Let's see how long it takes @James_B  to ban me for criticising this latest Plusnet attempt to thoroughly pee-off the last vestiges of their once loyal forum contributors.

Why is it ONLY Plusnet that has implemented this censorship, when I can post whatever I like on the other tech forums where I contribute my thoughts and expertise ?

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[#13]

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@outcast wrote:

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@Townman wrote:

This is not @James_B ’s doing, but the business responding to Labour government policy.

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I disagree.

Whether or not the government's online safety act is stupid (yes it is), it is supposed to be about protecting children.

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I agree that is that it is supposed to be about, but in fact it is far more reaching.  Good that we agree on some points!

[#14]

The online safety act was passed into legilation in 2023 (under the Tory guvmint of the time. The legislation permitted a 2 year 'getting up to speed' period.

[#15]

The amount of effort now needed to voluntarily give up ten minutes here and there to respond to other people asking for help on this forum, is now too much to be bothered even getting started.

What is the effing point when images are needlessly blocked, making it impossible to ask someone to post a screenshot.

I have absolutely no idea, and quite honestly, if I wasn't quite as 'house-bound' as I am at the moment, I would be off here - I just don't see the logic in the action or implementation, and  as soon as I am able to regain sufficient mobility, unless things change drastically, that's it.