Minecraft Uni-Ban is a new service for server administrators that will allow you to report users of your server that break certain rules. This will but their name into a universal ban list. Every week, the list will be officially published, server admins can download the file and put it in their server file, and it will replace the current "banned-players" file. Hopefully, the list will get big over time and more people will use it, making it hard for griefers to get on a good server.
How is it different from MCbans?
Uni-Bans is a weekly download (might even upgrade to software that automatically updates your file) that you place in your server file. This means you do not need a Bukkit server to use it.
How do I get it?
Go to www.uni-bans.tk and download (It is brand new so the download is not out yet, but you can still report people). Then just replace the "banned-players.txt" file with your current one and you are good to go!
What's the protection/dispute system for this if someone gets added wrongly?
When you are banned, you are put on the "Ban List". In order to dispute, you must find your file the Ban List and add a reply with ALL your arguments which will be reviewed by an officer. However, banning is not taken lightly, so someone needs pretty solid evidence including screenshots and possibly BigBrother logs (if available) in order to be banned. Also, you will not be banned right away. The Ban List (that is distributed to the server admins) is released once per week, so you have that long to dispute it plus the time it takes to review the report. Meaning, you might never actually get banned from any of the other servers.
When you are banned, you are put on the "Ban List". In order to dispute, you must find your file the Ban List and add a reply with ALL your arguments which will be reviewed by an officer. However, banning is not taken lightly, so someone needs pretty solid evidence including screenshots and possibly BigBrother logs (if available) in order to be banned. Also, you will not be banned right away. The Ban List (that is distributed to the server admins) is released once per week, so you have that long to dispute it plus the time it takes to review the report. Meaning, you might never actually get banned from any of the other servers.
Though I would like to see the merit to this, I cannot help but think this is being widely-deployed (by numerous, independently-operating admins) is likely to not only be abused, but simply to be ineffective. Hopefully I can elaborate my reasons in a way considered constructive.
First off, (and assuming I understand your model correctly), you can contest a ban which will be reviewed by an officer. Is this officer position filled by the same people who banned in the first place (i.e., admins on that server)? If so, this is like appealing to the same jury to reconsider their decision--you're unlikely to get any different of an answer.
If there is a third-party set of officers (unrelated to the server who contributed the ban), then isn't the criteria too strict to expect a useful ban list? Screenshots of the assailant in action, bigbrother showing something is malice rather than regular deconstruction?
You say you will not be banned right away--that you simply get put on a ban list that gets released weekly. This raises two more concerns:
1) If the banlist is released every Tuesday, and an infraction is allegedly committed on Monday, does that user have less opportunity than one doing committing the infraction on Wednesday? Or if this edge case is given an extra week, is Sunday given only two days?
2) This may be clear to any using the plugin, though unclear using no information outside this thread, but then is there really *two* (or *three*) ban lists employed? First banlist = user banned on the server he committed the infraction on--as in 'blocked-players.txt'. He has to be banned somewhere, in order for him to know he did something wrong that he needs to appeal.
Second banlist = When you are banned, you are put on the "Ban List" ("Also, you will not be banned right away"). I conceptually see this as a banlist that exists that differentiates between the one widely distributed (third) which is 'proven' and the one 'blocked-players.txt' which is 'tentative' (or at least, server-confirmed) and then this second one, which is 'the people waiting pending appeals or still have till the end of the week'
Also, how much of this work is the responsibility of the admin? If all admins are too lazy to do anything, will the ban stay local?
If, by doing nothing, will servers communicate uncontested bans to other Uniban users?
Another issue is whether or not those who contribute to the universal ban list (e.g., admins using this) have the integrity to ban appropriately. If i hate one person on my server, I can--without contest--add him to a banlist. Unless you have a centralized place storing all the information possible to ensure a proper ban, I can flood this banlist with people I hate (and especially so by griefing things myself and then submitting logs edited with find/replace)
Other admins who use this plugin accept this banlist blindly to my fraud.
Let me know if I ask any of these questions in vain, being answered elsewhere.
Though I would like to see the merit to this, I cannot help but think this is being widely-deployed (by numerous, independently-operating admins) is likely to not only be abused, but simply to be ineffective. Hopefully I can elaborate my reasons in a way considered constructive.
First off, (and assuming I understand your model correctly), you can contest a ban which will be reviewed by an officer. Is this officer position filled by the same people who banned in the first place (i.e., admins on that server)? If so, this is like appealing to the same jury to reconsider their decision--you're unlikely to get any different of an answer.
If there is a third-party set of officers (unrelated to the server who contributed the ban), then isn't the criteria too strict to expect a useful ban list? Screenshots of the assailant in action, bigbrother showing something is malice rather than regular deconstruction?
You say you will not be banned right away--that you simply get put on a ban list that gets released weekly. This raises two more concerns:
1) If the banlist is released every Tuesday, and an infraction is allegedly committed on Monday, does that user have less opportunity than one doing committing the infraction on Wednesday? Or if this edge case is given an extra week, is Sunday given only two days?
2) This may be clear to any using the plugin, though unclear using no information outside this thread, but then is there really *two* (or *three*) ban lists employed? First banlist = user banned on the server he committed the infraction on--as in 'blocked-players.txt'. He has to be banned somewhere, in order for him to know he did something wrong that he needs to appeal.
Second banlist = When you are banned, you are put on the "Ban List" ("Also, you will not be banned right away"). I conceptually see this as a banlist that exists that differentiates between the one widely distributed (third) which is 'proven' and the one 'blocked-players.txt' which is 'tentative' (or at least, server-confirmed) and then this second one, which is 'the people waiting pending appeals or still have till the end of the week'
Also, how much of this work is the responsibility of the admin? If all admins are too lazy to do anything, will the ban stay local?
If, by doing nothing, will servers communicate uncontested bans to other Uniban users?
Another issue is whether or not those who contribute to the universal ban list (e.g., admins using this) have the integrity to ban appropriately. If i hate one person on my server, I can--without contest--add him to a banlist. Unless you have a centralized place storing all the information possible to ensure a proper ban, I can flood this banlist with people I hate (and especially so by griefing things myself and then submitting logs edited with find/replace)
Other admins who use this plugin accept this banlist blindly to my fraud.
Let me know if I ask any of these questions in vain, being answered elsewhere.
To answer your first point, the officer position would be filled by a qualified volunteer of Uni-Ban. The must undergo the application process and be given the position only if they qualify. The term Officer is more so meant to be a Judge. This person is not affiliated with the server that reported the ban.
To answer your next set of questions;
Just to correct you quickly, the person is put on the ban list when they are "convicted" of the offence. Their name only appears in the report at first. If they commit the offence on a Monday, assuming the list is released on a Tuesday, they are likely to wait a full week until their name appears on the list. As I have said before, this is all taken very seriously. We will not rush to put you on a list but closely investigate your case first. Once we are certain that you have committed the offence. In the case that you do appear on the list with little time to appeal, you will be removed from the list as soon as the next one is released (which could be sooner if there are a few wrong bans), but the max you would have to wait is 1 week.
If you were banned from a server (for example), then you try to join another server, and a message appears that you are banned from that one as well, you would naturally ask an admin or moderator on that server why you are banned. We encourage all admins or moderators to redirect all banned players to www.uni-ban.tk. This way, they can see that they are banned and appeal it if they wish. We hope that all admins and mods would assist in this considering the banned player may not have even committed an offence on their server. The ban list is Universal. The purpose is; If you are a griefer and you are banned, you will also be banned from any other servers using Uni-Ban. Server admins would chose to use this (Uni-Ban) because they do not want a griefer that was banned on one server, to come to their server and grief their server.
It is up to the admins or mods whether or not they are "lazy" and want to act against a player. A player will not be added to Uni-Ban's official ban list unless they are reported (and "convicted").
And finally, Mods and Admins are the people who can report players to Uni-Ban. Nobody can ADD anyone to the ban list unless they are an officer, "employed" by Uni-Ban. Of course they could ban them from their own server but they MUST report them in order for the case to be reviewed.
Bottom line: Think of it as the legal system. The server admins or mods (police officers) issues the charges. Keep in mind, everybody is innocent until proven guilty. Next you go to court (the reports being reviewed by UNI-BAN Officers). Then if you are found guilty, you serve your prison sentence (on the ban list).
I hope I have answered all the questions you had. If you have any more, please feel free to ask them on this post.
REMEMBER! If you don't like something that was stated above, you can post in the Site Suggestions of our forums!
And finally, Mods and Admins are the people who can report players to Uni-Ban. Nobody can ADD anyone to the ban list unless they are an officer, "employed" by Uni-Ban. Of course they could ban them from their own server but they MUST report them in order for the case to be reviewed.
Bottom line: Think of it as the legal system. The server admins or mods (police officers) issues the charges. Keep in mind, everybody is innocent until proven guilty. Next you go to court (the reports being reviewed by UNI-BAN Officers). Then if you are found guilty, you serve your prison sentence (on the ban list).
My main concern is how possible it is to protect people from misuse, as in my example with my own submissions. I am not under the impression that I could, just at a whim, add people to the Uni-Ban banlist, but moreso that I could go through the 'proper channels' with illegitimate information. In other words, as a Uni-ban user, I could do griefing on my own server with Bigbrother, edit the logs to criminalize a player and submit them to the officersas a 'legitimate' submission.
Now, if I do in fact succeed, those using Uni-ban will accept the ban-list as gospel and believe that person is irrefutably guilty and doesn't deserve a chance. Think of this as the 'once a criminal, always a criminal' mentality. But in this case, about people who either are fully innocent (in my extreme case) or not guilty enough to warrant a widescale ban (circumstantial misunderstanding/one time only offender)
The bottom line is:
a ) requiring screenshots is too difficult to get (catching a griefer red-handed is hard)
B ) accepting logs as irrefutable proof is too easy to manipulate
If you require log AND screenshots, I'd be stopped in my tracks, but at the same time, real griefers would also get away, because real admins can't get both every time they need it.
"Every week, the list will be officially published, server admins can download the file and put it in their server file"
This means that they release a list of people that hacked on a certain server. Which means its still up to the servers admin to ban someone or not.
The file is specifically produced by Uni-Ban for server admins. Every server that uses Uni-Ban may report a player and can download the file. The file is the exact same as the one in your server now but filled with the names of known "Minecraft Criminals". So as an admin, you report a player to us, and if he/she is found guilty, he/she will be added to the weekly list which is downloaded by any server who uses Uni-Ban. This way, the criminal will be banned from all "Uni-Ban servers".
My main concern is how possible it is to protect people from misuse, as in my example with my own submissions. I am not under the impression that I could, just at a whim, add people to the Uni-Ban banlist, but moreso that I could go through the 'proper channels' with illegitimate information. In other words, as a Uni-ban user, I could do griefing on my own server with Bigbrother, edit the logs to criminalize a player and submit them to the officersas a 'legitimate' submission.
Now, if I do in fact succeed, those using Uni-ban will accept the ban-list as gospel and believe that person is irrefutably guilty and doesn't deserve a chance. Think of this as the 'once a criminal, always a criminal' mentality. But in this case, about people who either are fully innocent (in my extreme case) or not guilty enough to warrant a widescale ban (circumstantial misunderstanding/one time only offender)
The bottom line is:
a ) requiring screenshots is too difficult to get (catching a griefer red-handed is hard)
B ) accepting logs as irrefutable proof is too easy to manipulate
If you require log AND screenshots, I'd be stopped in my tracks, but at the same time, real griefers would also get away, because real admins can't get both every time they need it.
As I have said before, it is like the legal system. You provide as much evidence as you possibly can, we review it and make our decisions accordingly. Therefor, you do not need BOTH screenshot and logs but whatever you can get. Additionally, once you have submitted your report, you can ask to add witnesses. You will be given the case number, and all the witnesses will submit a separate report (with the case number in the subject line). You might say, the witnesses could be faking too, but its all evidence and that will be taken into account as well.
The person would not be added without reason. In some cases, we might even need to do Skype interviews with some of the accused players and accusers (only in extreme cases like yours --- rare, and if the case can not be solved with the current evidence)
You can submit anything you can think of. the logs and screenshot are just guidelines.
As a side note, altering evidence is against the rules as well (obviously), so if you were ever caught (maybe there are distinguishing features that suggest the evidence has been altered slightly), you could be banned.
I suppose the last way I think I'm capable of illustrating my point is:
Those who may be innocent can be reported by a fraudulent admin with doctored logs who also provide witnesses submitting fraudulent testimony.
Knowing this is a hypothetical situation, you reassure me that each case will be handled by competent officers who will leave the burden of proof onto the reporting admins. To me, however, I see this to be the most an admin can submit in realistic circumstances: logs and witnesses.
If this massive mound of doctored evidence is insufficient to convict, how can we be reassured that legitimate requests for banning can possibly make it through this legal system? Put another way, an honest admin probably cannot catch the griefer red-handed and get a irrefutable, criminalizing screenshot. An honest admin may also not have big brother logs available. How could he expect his case to possibly get a favorable outcome, with less evidence than a fraudulent one?
And that doesn't even address the issue of how impossible it will be to get the accused available for a Skype-chat--given their IP address and their Minecraft handle is far from enough to be able to contact them.
I suppose the last way I think I'm capable of illustrating my point is:
Those who may be innocent can be reported by a fraudulent admin with doctored logs who also provide witnesses submitting fraudulent testimony.
Knowing this is a hypothetical situation, you reassure me that each case will be handled by competent officers who will leave the burden of proof onto the reporting admins. To me, however, I see this to be the most an admin can submit in realistic circumstances: logs and witnesses.
If this massive mound of doctored evidence is insufficient to convict, how can we be reassured that legitimate requests for banning can possibly make it through this legal system? Put another way, an honest admin probably cannot catch the griefer red-handed and get a irrefutable, criminalizing screenshot. An honest admin may also not have big brother logs available. How could he expect his case to possibly get a favorable outcome, with less evidence than a fraudulent one?
And that doesn't even address the issue of how impossible it will be to get the accused available for a Skype-chat--given their IP address and their Minecraft handle is far from enough to be able to contact them.
so going with what hexparrot said.... i've made up my own logs to implicate someone i dislike and passed it to you, i can also ask my friends who also dislike this person to act as witness's?
its getting easier to get someone banned
(note that i wouldn't do anything like that myself)
All of our officers will be taught to identify an edited photo done by an amateur (if I was to edit a photo in Photoshop, but I am not a "pro"). This will eliminate the threat of the average person altering photos. Honestly, I would have to say, in your situation (if the person does not dispute within the week), they would probably get banned. However, keep in mine, Uni-Ban will not be used on every server. They probably wouldn't even notice for a while that they have been banned by Uni-Ban. When they do notice, as stated before, they would naturally ask an admin why they are banned from a server (that they have probably never played on before) and the admin would appoint them to our website.
Once they dispute, the ban will be lifted temporarily (due to the fact that we may have a false report), and the case would be re-opened. If the person has a good case, they will be removed from the ban list. If not, but the case still has an undetermined outcome, the player can not be added back on the ban list until the case is closed. Therefor, he would be allowed to play on Uni-Ban servers until the case is closed and he is convicted, or a new case is opened against him with more sufficient evidence.
We also use software to store the records of anyone involved in a case at all. If a person is proven to falsely report another player, their name will appear in the system and they will not be able to report any player again. In every report, before any consideration are made, everyone's name (involved in the case) is run through the system to see if they have a history of good reporting, or bad reporting. If the accused is a previous griefer or not. This is all also taken into consideration before the case evidence is reviewed.
As a side note, to remove any questions involving the waiting period for the time of review, it has been made mandatory that all possible banned players MUST be given AT LEAST one (1) FULL week before they can be banned. This means that some people will in face get longer than others but they will all have a minimum of 1 week to dispute.
I don't know you, I don't trust you, so why would I let you control my server?
Why should people who make a mistake in a GAME be punished so heavily?
In my opinion, it would be better to just display a warning when a person joins the server. Send a message to all online admins saying this person has been banned this many times, for these reasons.
Then server owners can make a choice.
Once we actually start Uni-Ban, we will convert it to a .com or .net name. .tk is just temporary
I don't know you, I don't trust you, so why would I let you control my server?
Why should people who make a mistake in a GAME be punished so heavily?
In my opinion, it would be better to just display a warning when a person joins the server. Send a message to all online admins saying this person has been banned this many times, for these reasons.
Then server owners can make a choice.
You would get an email or something when there is a suspicious or previously convicted player. Then we provide you with the evidence and you can add them to your own list
In my opinion, it would be better to just display a warning when a person joins the server. Send a message to all online admins saying this person has been banned this many times, for these reasons.
Then server owners can make a choice.
This is a great compromise between 'not doing anything' and 'having some sort of preventative measure.'
The idea that no banning occurs whatsoever, but that maybe the admins could get an alert that an ALLEGED <infractioner> joined the server. In other words, if the offense was mild, it'd report 'troller' or 'petty thief' or 'cyberbully' (haaa). But the point is it is a sharing of information about the infraction rather than 'you did SOMETHING, and for that YOURE BANNED EVERYWHERE UNI-BAN IS USED'
But now by making it this sort of alert system, it's better within the admin's capabilities to deal with the user on their server. How would sample scenarios go?
The user is alleged to grief structures:
The admin can read this and think: oh well I have grief protection mods, do your best. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt to establish a respectable reputation on my server.
I don't have grief protection mods, I'm going to watch over him and/or be suspicious of him. It may result in a ban to protect himself, but it was not blindly done (downloading some file) and it only was relevant for him having done routine administrative work.
The user is alleged to use flying hacks:
The admin can read this and think: I dont care OR I do care, let me ban him.
So you then might ask 'whats to keep this cycle from repeating infinitely'--well, as the plugin (not just some text file) would suggest: these are all alleged, unproven infractions. Your 'legal system' would do its most to add to their 'permanent record', so to speak. Even the most incriminating proof provided to uni-ban officials would mean only as much as administrative warnings to other uni-ban users. Some admins will be more forgiving, some will be less. But its about the information shared and a decision reached by the admin, rather than a phantom set of officials.
Quite frankly, I see the whole officials business completely removed and instead somebody should employ a global reputation plugin. Some servers' populace would downvote, some would upvote...one way or the other, its not about banning completely.
You would get an email or something when there is a suspicious or previously convicted player. Then we provide you with the evidence and you can add them to your own list
I don't get it. Is Uni-ban simply the 'legal system' and the banlist, or is there now a plugin that would be triggered 'when there is a suspicious or previously convicted player'
What is the nature of this Uni-ban? Completely outside Minecraft (e.g., forums + due process) or integrated (plugin that does checks with a centralized server?
Also, does that mean that any admins will start getting emails containing evidence of transgressions committed elsewhere? Where are these emails for the admins acquired and why would this be more necessary than say, a plugin making an alert ingame or as a text file placed on the server.
Lastly, how much of this is actually ready to use, versus ideas youre coming up with--I'm very confused about the progress of this project and its end-goal for use with Minecraft.
How is it different from MCbans?
Uni-Bans is a weekly download (might even upgrade to software that automatically updates your file) that you place in your server file. This means you do not need a Bukkit server to use it.
How do I get it?
Go to www.uni-bans.tk and download (It is brand new so the download is not out yet, but you can still report people). Then just replace the "banned-players.txt" file with your current one and you are good to go!
Go to www.uni-ban.tk NOW!
When you are banned, you are put on the "Ban List". In order to dispute, you must find your file the Ban List and add a reply with ALL your arguments which will be reviewed by an officer. However, banning is not taken lightly, so someone needs pretty solid evidence including screenshots and possibly BigBrother logs (if available) in order to be banned. Also, you will not be banned right away. The Ban List (that is distributed to the server admins) is released once per week, so you have that long to dispute it plus the time it takes to review the report. Meaning, you might never actually get banned from any of the other servers.
Though I would like to see the merit to this, I cannot help but think this is being widely-deployed (by numerous, independently-operating admins) is likely to not only be abused, but simply to be ineffective. Hopefully I can elaborate my reasons in a way considered constructive.
Also, how much of this work is the responsibility of the admin? If all admins are too lazy to do anything, will the ban stay local?
If, by doing nothing, will servers communicate uncontested bans to other Uniban users?
Another issue is whether or not those who contribute to the universal ban list (e.g., admins using this) have the integrity to ban appropriately. If i hate one person on my server, I can--without contest--add him to a banlist. Unless you have a centralized place storing all the information possible to ensure a proper ban, I can flood this banlist with people I hate (and especially so by griefing things myself and then submitting logs edited with find/replace)
Other admins who use this plugin accept this banlist blindly to my fraud.
Let me know if I ask any of these questions in vain, being answered elsewhere.
To answer your first point, the officer position would be filled by a qualified volunteer of Uni-Ban. The must undergo the application process and be given the position only if they qualify. The term Officer is more so meant to be a Judge. This person is not affiliated with the server that reported the ban.
To answer your next set of questions;
Bottom line: Think of it as the legal system. The server admins or mods (police officers) issues the charges. Keep in mind, everybody is innocent until proven guilty. Next you go to court (the reports being reviewed by UNI-BAN Officers). Then if you are found guilty, you serve your prison sentence (on the ban list).
I hope I have answered all the questions you had. If you have any more, please feel free to ask them on this post.
REMEMBER! If you don't like something that was stated above, you can post in the Site Suggestions of our forums!
www.uni-ban.tk
My main concern is how possible it is to protect people from misuse, as in my example with my own submissions. I am not under the impression that I could, just at a whim, add people to the Uni-Ban banlist, but moreso that I could go through the 'proper channels' with illegitimate information. In other words, as a Uni-ban user, I could do griefing on my own server with Bigbrother, edit the logs to criminalize a player and submit them to the officersas a 'legitimate' submission.
Now, if I do in fact succeed, those using Uni-ban will accept the ban-list as gospel and believe that person is irrefutably guilty and doesn't deserve a chance. Think of this as the 'once a criminal, always a criminal' mentality. But in this case, about people who either are fully innocent (in my extreme case) or not guilty enough to warrant a widescale ban (circumstantial misunderstanding/one time only offender)
The bottom line is:
a ) requiring screenshots is too difficult to get (catching a griefer red-handed is hard)
B ) accepting logs as irrefutable proof is too easy to manipulate
If you require log AND screenshots, I'd be stopped in my tracks, but at the same time, real griefers would also get away, because real admins can't get both every time they need it.
"Every week, the list will be officially published, server admins can download the file and put it in their server file"
This means that they release a list of people that hacked on a certain server. Which means its still up to the servers admin to ban someone or not.
The file is specifically produced by Uni-Ban for server admins. Every server that uses Uni-Ban may report a player and can download the file. The file is the exact same as the one in your server now but filled with the names of known "Minecraft Criminals". So as an admin, you report a player to us, and if he/she is found guilty, he/she will be added to the weekly list which is downloaded by any server who uses Uni-Ban. This way, the criminal will be banned from all "Uni-Ban servers".
As I have said before, it is like the legal system. You provide as much evidence as you possibly can, we review it and make our decisions accordingly. Therefor, you do not need BOTH screenshot and logs but whatever you can get. Additionally, once you have submitted your report, you can ask to add witnesses. You will be given the case number, and all the witnesses will submit a separate report (with the case number in the subject line). You might say, the witnesses could be faking too, but its all evidence and that will be taken into account as well.
The person would not be added without reason. In some cases, we might even need to do Skype interviews with some of the accused players and accusers (only in extreme cases like yours --- rare, and if the case can not be solved with the current evidence)
You can submit anything you can think of. the logs and screenshot are just guidelines.
As a side note, altering evidence is against the rules as well (obviously), so if you were ever caught (maybe there are distinguishing features that suggest the evidence has been altered slightly), you could be banned.
Those who may be innocent can be reported by a fraudulent admin with doctored logs who also provide witnesses submitting fraudulent testimony.
Knowing this is a hypothetical situation, you reassure me that each case will be handled by competent officers who will leave the burden of proof onto the reporting admins. To me, however, I see this to be the most an admin can submit in realistic circumstances: logs and witnesses.
If this massive mound of doctored evidence is insufficient to convict, how can we be reassured that legitimate requests for banning can possibly make it through this legal system? Put another way, an honest admin probably cannot catch the griefer red-handed and get a irrefutable, criminalizing screenshot. An honest admin may also not have big brother logs available. How could he expect his case to possibly get a favorable outcome, with less evidence than a fraudulent one?
And that doesn't even address the issue of how impossible it will be to get the accused available for a Skype-chat--given their IP address and their Minecraft handle is far from enough to be able to contact them.
All of our officers will be taught to identify an edited photo done by an amateur (if I was to edit a photo in Photoshop, but I am not a "pro"). This will eliminate the threat of the average person altering photos. Honestly, I would have to say, in your situation (if the person does not dispute within the week), they would probably get banned. However, keep in mine, Uni-Ban will not be used on every server. They probably wouldn't even notice for a while that they have been banned by Uni-Ban. When they do notice, as stated before, they would naturally ask an admin why they are banned from a server (that they have probably never played on before) and the admin would appoint them to our website.
Once they dispute, the ban will be lifted temporarily (due to the fact that we may have a false report), and the case would be re-opened. If the person has a good case, they will be removed from the ban list. If not, but the case still has an undetermined outcome, the player can not be added back on the ban list until the case is closed. Therefor, he would be allowed to play on Uni-Ban servers until the case is closed and he is convicted, or a new case is opened against him with more sufficient evidence.
We also use software to store the records of anyone involved in a case at all. If a person is proven to falsely report another player, their name will appear in the system and they will not be able to report any player again. In every report, before any consideration are made, everyone's name (involved in the case) is run through the system to see if they have a history of good reporting, or bad reporting. If the accused is a previous griefer or not. This is all also taken into consideration before the case evidence is reviewed.
Once we actually start Uni-Ban, we will convert it to a .com or .net name. .tk is just temporary
You would get an email or something when there is a suspicious or previously convicted player. Then we provide you with the evidence and you can add them to your own list
This is a great compromise between 'not doing anything' and 'having some sort of preventative measure.'
The idea that no banning occurs whatsoever, but that maybe the admins could get an alert that an ALLEGED <infractioner> joined the server. In other words, if the offense was mild, it'd report 'troller' or 'petty thief' or 'cyberbully' (haaa). But the point is it is a sharing of information about the infraction rather than 'you did SOMETHING, and for that YOURE BANNED EVERYWHERE UNI-BAN IS USED'
But now by making it this sort of alert system, it's better within the admin's capabilities to deal with the user on their server. How would sample scenarios go?
The user is alleged to grief structures:
The admin can read this and think: oh well I have grief protection mods, do your best. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt to establish a respectable reputation on my server.
I don't have grief protection mods, I'm going to watch over him and/or be suspicious of him. It may result in a ban to protect himself, but it was not blindly done (downloading some file) and it only was relevant for him having done routine administrative work.
The user is alleged to use flying hacks:
The admin can read this and think: I dont care OR I do care, let me ban him.
So you then might ask 'whats to keep this cycle from repeating infinitely'--well, as the plugin (not just some text file) would suggest: these are all alleged, unproven infractions. Your 'legal system' would do its most to add to their 'permanent record', so to speak. Even the most incriminating proof provided to uni-ban officials would mean only as much as administrative warnings to other uni-ban users. Some admins will be more forgiving, some will be less. But its about the information shared and a decision reached by the admin, rather than a phantom set of officials.
Quite frankly, I see the whole officials business completely removed and instead somebody should employ a global reputation plugin. Some servers' populace would downvote, some would upvote...one way or the other, its not about banning completely.
I don't get it. Is Uni-ban simply the 'legal system' and the banlist, or is there now a plugin that would be triggered 'when there is a suspicious or previously convicted player'
What is the nature of this Uni-ban? Completely outside Minecraft (e.g., forums + due process) or integrated (plugin that does checks with a centralized server?
Also, does that mean that any admins will start getting emails containing evidence of transgressions committed elsewhere? Where are these emails for the admins acquired and why would this be more necessary than say, a plugin making an alert ingame or as a text file placed on the server.
Lastly, how much of this is actually ready to use, versus ideas youre coming up with--I'm very confused about the progress of this project and its end-goal for use with Minecraft.