LDStech forums and information not password protected

Hello all,
Should the LDSTech forums be password protected?

I have noticed that the forums and other information on this website are available for public viewing. Some of the information discussed here seems to be of a sensitive nature, and I am not sure that we would want everyone to gain access to it. It could be extremely easy for someone with antagonistic views to abuse this information.

An example of protecting sensitive information is like church HB 1, it covers information that needs to be used properly and inst available to the public. Some material and discussions on this website also covers similar sensitive information.

david.fox2 wrote:I have noticed that the forums and other information on this website are available for public viewing.

That is correct. It was that way from it's inception years ago. Presumably any permissions needed was dealt with at that time.

david.fox2 wrote:An example of protecting sensitive information is like church HB 1, it covers information that needs to be used properly and inst available to the public.

Which is why we don't allow quoting Handbook 1, but references are acceptable. We also edit/remove items when people inadvertently post live data from their wards.

The Code of Conduct lists the rules all posters to the Forum must follow. The moderators and administrators continually monitor every post to ensure those rules are followed. We encourage Forum users to read the Code of Conduct, abide by it, and help us moderate the Forum by reporting possible infractions. You can help us moderate the Forum by reporting a post that does not appear to follow the Forum rules or the LDSTech Terms of Use. This is done by clicking the "Report this post" icon (upside down triangle with exclamation point) found on the top right side of every post.

There are five Forum rules that address security and sensitive information concerns.

You may not post any of the following:

• Methods for circumventing Church policies or security mechanisms.
• Security information or passwords
• Actual membership, financial, statistical, or other data from Church records. The use of fictitious data is generally allowed.
• Direct quotes from any official documents that the Church has not made public (such as Handbook 1 or official letters), although you may provide references to chapter, page or section numbers.
• Any sensitive policy matters, which are best discussed with local priesthood leaders.

At the bottom right of each Forum page are links to the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, & Code of Conduct for quick access and reference.

I expect that most of the people who have visited or posted on the forum through its existence have gotten here by searching Google for answers to problems or questions. If the forum is hidden behind a login, Google won't be able to index it – it will no longer show in search results, and conversations here will only be able to benefit a small subset of people. I'm grateful that everything here is publicly accessible, and also that it has been well-moderated over the years, which has kept it safe, useful, and welcoming.