Just signed up at bewolcome.org…unfortunately it seems a bit empty (& very HC-like…?)…

So, here is the original content, retrieved from Google cache:

Stealth
From the CouchSurfing Wiki, an informal workspace which anyone can edit.

There needs to be more information about stealthing members. We need to develop a way to deal with this.

* Information to “spammers”, check freeloaders
* Improve the coding
* A log on a user’s profile, for admins

Apparently there is almost nothing about stealth on CouchSurfing.com. Only one thread, that’s only available from Google’ cache.
Problems with the current system

* It is unclear who is stealthed
* Users who are stealthed are unaware of this
* There are no statistics on stealthed users
* There is no information available at all

Information needed

* How many users are stealthed?
* What is the average spam coming in?
* How many ordinary users are stealthed?

Possible solutions

* Information page on how Stealthing operates
* Automatic e-mail send to user when stealthed
* A possibility to object against that decision

@couplewang
You advice as a second step stealthing.
But stealthing is ALTERNATIVE to deletion. A stealthed member can’t write/receive messages/CouchRequests to/from other members.
He can just write in the Groups.

As far as we know, there isn’t any controlled stealthing or deletion process. All is in the powerful fingers of the MDST (Member Disputes and Safety Team).
You are right, next time is your or my turn. For whatever reason, even something you didn’t think was harmful at all. Or any simple mistake. And you won’t be notified before. Furthermore you won’t be granted any possibility to give your version of the facts or, even if you dare to write them back, you won’t be listened at all.

I’d probably open two new topics here on this blog, one about if stealthing and deleting profiles is overall good or bad, the other about how a “controlled process” of limiting deviant members should/could be and how it is now.

Thomas♥ ♥Gosewinkel♥(why?)
http://www.couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=1YV753P
fiona Zhou((why?)
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/zhouxiaohan
Maged(he is deserve it)
http://www.couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=2RSSAUU

but, this one still there, she have posted a lot ads for her apt
Su Meng
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/beautychina

my concern is, do we have a delete profile process regard member’s profile ?
otherwise
this time are them(the above three guys) turn
next is your turn or my turn ?

my suggestion for delete profile process is
First step
warning(from internal email or ambassdor or both)
the member make clarification, if failed, then go

second step
stealth
http://www.opencouchsurfing.org/2008/10/04/hidden-cs-features-stealthing-members/
and dispute team kick in

third step
resume profile to normal status or delete file

What is yours opinion?

Jim used to spend many hours unstealthing people. This became slightly better after the code became easier to understood so he was able to make the process easier for himself.

But well, when we started this website the stealthing was only one of the minor worries.

When I found out I was not receiving his e-mails I got really upset actually, and started e-mailing some people to fix this. I thought at first it was a bug. Then I learned he was blocked. After sending quite some e-mails he finally got unstealthed and now he is a very active member in CS community in Istanbul.

I already wrote some people (mainly admins) back then (two years ago) that if they want to keep this ‘feature’, they should let people make aware of it… It is pretty ridiculous that you are not even notified of this. It is also just another example of the lack of transparency to the users and the network as a whole.

Thanks for bringing this up!