Lying on WP

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Do people get warned or banned for lying or misrepresenting their identity on the forum?

I’m not accusing anyone. I’m just curious how that works if someone is found to be disingenuous.

I know the line could be blurred if they lie but they aren’t a puppet, or their intent isn’t to troll. Maybe they are just habitual liars or they do it for some personal need, like attention.

If this became obvious or was demonstrable would they be banned?

I don’t see it in the rules so I thought I’d ask.

The rules forbid impersonating someone or using multiple accounts. These would result with a ban.
Other forms of lying - only harmful instances would launch any investigations and possible moderational action. In general, we can tell nearly nothing about weather anything posted online is true - of course, unless someone claims something physically impossible.

Thanks. That's kind of what I thought.
I wasn't trying to suggest it should be a rule, or that it shouldn't.
It was just a grey area which I realised hadn't been addressed.

The examples I was thinking were more like, if someone said they were female and befriended another woman but they were really a man trying to get her personal information, or things like that. That's just a made-up example; I don't believe this has happened, but big things like that could.

When the rule says we can't impersonate someone does that just mean an existing member?
Or, that I can't pretend I'm someone basic that I'm really not?

Again, just curious.
It's more of a query about how internet morality works, than a comment on anything I've seen here.

Trying to get personal information by impersonating someone is very harmful and if detected, it would have been an instant ban.


The latter, if the impersonated person could be identified. Like, you can't impersonate other members nor start an account claiming you are Britney Spears or my brother (if you're not him).
People all the time create various fantasies about themselves - as long as it's abstract and harmless, we tolerate it on WP.

Darn!

I was hoping to be your brother! / jk

Actually, Britney Spears would be fun too.

We once had Rosie Langley grace us with her presence.

In all my centuries as Galactic Emperor, I have never heard of such a thing.

^yeah

There's a difference between blatantly lying and taking advantage of well meaning people and living in an absolute fantasy world with no real malicious intent.

Well I live in a fantasy world 24/7 and I think I'm harmless

I find it odd that people would lie about themselves on a forum. What could a person gain from that?

Unless they were trying to get money out of someone, or trying to con someone in some way?

I suppose there is lying and LYING. We are all lying in some ways because my real name is not KitLily. Big shock eh! I am deliberately vague about where I live, my family details etc. because I don't want to invite trolls and abusers into my life.

People often fantasize to boost their egos and/or to minimize their faults and weaknesses - the latter is often unconcious.
Selective choosing of how much truth you reveal about yourself is not even fantasising - it's a reasonable safety measure. Today even small children are trained at early education (at least here in Poland) never to reveal their true names or home adress to strangers online.

Same here

I am sorry to ask here in this thread but, err your polish government has horrible abortion laws and such, do you have any thoughts on the band Behemoth from poland that through their music and art imply they are not fond of the polish government. Idk seems like they keep evading any charges they get which are mostly for blasphemy so idk you're a polish person who posts here so just wondering if you are aware of behemoth or what you think of them.

Start a thread?
It's just way too offtopic to answer here

Yes it is common sense isn't it.

When I first joined the online world in about 2009 I think, I used my full name and a clear photo of myself. BIG mistake. I got all sorts of abuse. I soon learned to be very vague about myself.

I think not revealing a persons true name online is more difficult these days, with social media and such things.

But I totally understand the privacy concerns of such nature.

Also, I would say the "selective choosing of how much truth you reveal about yourself" is, like you say a reasonable safety measure. I wouldn't consider that to be lying either. Omitting details of ones life isn't the same as fabricating false details (which would be considered lying).