[OSM-dev] Sending messages to users

[John F. Eldredge]

Does the MapRoulette program itself log into the API with an ID? If so, it should be possible to have a category of "user IDs" that have the privilege of sending it through the API, without opening the door to just anyone to send messages.


On May 5, 2014 8:52:43 AM CDT, Serge Wroclawski <emacsen at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey all,
> 
> MapRoulette has made a choice to try to collect as little data from
> our users as possible. We don't require a separate login other than
> from osm.org, we don't collect email addresses or anything else.
> 
> This is good for MapRoulette users, and I think good for OSM in
> general that we don't have lots of separate systems.
> 
> The problem is that we are needing to send messages to users. Ideally,
> those messages would go through osm.org.
> 
> Otherwise, we have to build our own messaging system, or start
> collecting user information (email address, etc.).
> 
> 
> The reason I've been told that we don't allow for an API to messaging
> is that we don't want spam, but:
> 
> 1. This is a legitimate issue, of needing to message users, both in
> this context and in other contexts (DWG comes to mind of a place where
> we would benefit from this).
> 
> 2. We already have spam issues on osm.org. I clean up spam not
> infrequently in the form of notes, which can be anonymous, but we also
> get spam from signed in users, as well as profiles, etc.
> 
> 3. I'm not arguing that we need to make this feature available to
> every single user, but it might be a nice thing to allow for some use
> cases as above.
> 
> 
> What do others think?
> 
> - Serge
> 
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-- 
John F. Eldredge -- john at jfeldredge.com
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.