Quora – Enforcing Policies

I have a question but first come the facts.

Consider the following question asked on Quora.com:

“What’s your solution to solve global warming?”

Here is how I answered the question:

“I’m not so arrogant to believe that the human race can actually control mother nature’s cyclical cycle of global warming so a human “solution” seems like a huge stretch to me.”

For some reason Quora flagged my answer as violating their policies.

I appealed their moderation choice specifically telling them that I did not believe my answer violated Quora policies, and I specifically asked them what policy I violated and how I violated that policy, also asked them if they actually read my answer. This is the only response to my appeal that I received…

Here are the Quora policies directly from their website (https://www.quora.com/about/acceptable_use)…

Acceptable Use Policy
Last updated: December 18, 2017

Quora is a place that empowers people to share and grow the world’s knowledge. We believe if people don’t feel safe they can’t contribute to knowledge or listen to another person’s point of view. The following rules help everyone on Quora have a safe experience

Be Nice, Be Respectful

Follow Quora’s Be Nice, Be Respectful policy (“BNBR”), which includes the following:

Engage with Others in a Constructive Way
Assume everyone on Quora is here to make the platform a great resource with diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and opinions. It is OK to disagree, but please be civil, respectful, and considerate to other posters.

No Hate Speech
Quora is a place for civil discourse and does not tolerate content that attacks or disparages an individual or group based on race, gender, religion, nationality, ethnicity, political group, sexual orientation or another similar characteristic. Any generalizations about these topics should be phrased as neutrally as possible.

No Harassment and Bullying
Abusive behavior directed towards private individuals is not allowed. Repeated and unwanted contact constitutes a form of harassment. Content should not make threats against others or advocate violence, including self-harm.

Respect the Rights of Others

Identity and Deceptive Activity
Your Quora profile should use your real name or legally incorporated business name and use accurate and truthful credentials. Do not use Quora to impersonate another person, act as another entity without authorization, or create multiple accounts.

Intellectual Property and Personal Rights
Do not post content that infringes any intellectual property or personal right of another party. Writing taken from another source should be properly attributed and block quoted. Learn More.

Respect the Quora Platform

No Spam
Do not use Quora to post or attract spam. Learn More

No Malicious or Illegal Activity
Do not contribute viruses, malware, and other malicious programs or engage in activity that harms or interferes with the operation of Quora or seeks to circumvent security or authentication measures. Do not use Quora to engage in unlawful or fraudulent activity, or to promote illegal acts.
 
Abide by Other Quora Policies
Follow Quora’s other policies, which Quora may add or change from time to time. Learn more

Reporting Problems
If you see something on Quora that you believe violates our guidelines or policies, please report it to us using the in-product reporting tool, or via our contact form.
 
Violating the Acceptable Use Policy may result in the removal of content, or in the limitation or termination of a user’s access to Quora. Learn More

Then we get into the “Be Nice, Be Respectful” policies that are referred to in the acceptable use policies above:

What is Quora’s “Be Nice, Be Respectful” policy?
A core Quora principle, “Be Nice, Be Respectful” (or “BNBR”), requires that people treat other people on the site with civility, respect, and consideration. Respect opposing or differing opinions, beliefs and conclusions. Try to listen to and understand others you may disagree with. Encourage others on the site to also be welcoming and respectful.

No hate speech
Quora is a place for civil discourse and does not tolerate content that attacks or disparages an individual or group based on race, gender, religion, nationality, ethnicity, political group, sexual orientation or another similar characteristic. Any generalizations about these topics should be phrased as neutrally as possible.

Using any of the words on Wikipedia’s list of ethnic slurs is not allowed, unless the purpose is to ask a sincere question about the usage/background of the word.

No glorifying or advocating violence
Quora does not allow content that glorifies violence. Images, videos, and descriptions of violence should not be added with the intent to traumatize others or make them uncomfortable. Content involving violence is permitted if it raises awareness about particular issues, memorializes historical events, or is educational in nature.

Threats are not tolerated on Quora. Content should not make threats against others or advocate violence, including self-harm, even in a joking manner. Questions that seek advice about how to commit acts of violence or self-harm will be removed.

Quora may also ban and remove all content from any user who is a confirmed and/or declared member of any group on the U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, or is a confirmed participant in acts of mass violence or hate crimes.

No harassment or bullying
Abusive behavior is not allowed on Quora. Repeated and unwanted contact constitutes a form of harassment. Using sexually explicit or flirtatious language toward another person, if such language would likely make the person uncomfortable, also constitutes harassment.

Be respectful of other people’s content. Assume other people that you interact with on Quora are acting sincerely and in good faith; don’t insult questions, answers, or other content.

Participating constructively in comment threads
In general, comment threads on Quora are interactions among strangers. Given that another person on the site may be new to Quora and/or doesn’t know you, we require a higher level of politeness than other interactive platforms where users know one another and/or where more adversarial social norms are established and tolerated. A key goal of the Be Nice, Be Respectful policy is to help ensure that comments do not stifle helpful discussion and debate.

Thoughtful discourse, including debate, is encouraged on Quora. It is OK to disagree as long as your comments are civil, respectful, and polite, and as long as you give the impression of assuming good will on the part of the person you are disagreeing with. A good way of framing this test is: “If I am new to Quora and / or don’t know you, would it be reasonable for me to perceive your comment as hostile or disrespectful toward me or what I’ve written?” The answer should be no.

In multi-comment threads where there is significant disagreement among people, a person should stop commenting on the thread before creating the reasonable impression that they are harassing, attacking, and/or bullying another person.

Criticism and diversity of opinions
Quora is a place for diverse people with diverse views and experiences. There will be times when content may express a negative point of view, or one that does not agree with your own.

Quora won’t take down content solely for expressing a negative or unfavorable viewpoint if the content appears to be helpful in fostering debate or serving the public interest. Quora’s BNBR policy is not intended to prevent criticism on matters of public interest, public figures, or organizations.

When expressing a negative viewpoint, people should ensure their criticism is relevant to the point at hand, and does not contain unfounded or absurd accusations. When answering a question, do your best to see the world from the perspective of the person who posted the question. It is usually not helpful to criticize or challenge the fundamental beliefs of other posters on Quora in a response to other content, and doing so may be considered a BNBR violation. For example, in responding to the question “Is it OK to only go to church on Easter?”, the following answer would be considered disrespectful and is not allowed: “There is no God and religious rituals are a waste of time.”

What to do if you see content that violates this policy
It is never OK to violate the Be Nice, Be Respectful policy, even in response to another person who has violated the policy. If you think that someone has violated this policy, please report the content using our in-product reporting tools. If you’re being harassed by another user, you can also block them.

Quora may remove content and take actions against the accounts of users who violate these policies.

That’s the end of the facts.

Also take this into consideration; I have a cyber stalker on Quora that is stalking all my comments relating to climate change and reporting them because he said I’m a climate change denier (which I have proven false beyond any doubt) and he says that all climate change deniers are posting false information and that’s against Quora policies.

Even after I’ve asked, Quora did not tell me what policy I violated or how I violated their policies.

My question: Without extrapolating Quora policies to absurdity, please tell me how I violated Quora’s policies? I just don’t get it.

Featured Photo: I bastardized this photo I found online and added WTF?