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Asking Questions is NOT a Crime – My Experience on the MacRumors forum

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  Asking Questions is NOT a Crime – My Experience on the MacRumors forum "David B." <BD@hotmail.co.uk> - 2025-07-24 15:55 +0100
    Re: Asking Questions is NOT a Crime – My Experience o n the MacRumors forum (was: Asking Questions is NOT a Crime – My Experience o n the MacRumors forum) Tyrone <none@none.none> - 2025-07-24 23:21 +0000
      Re: Asking Questions is NOT a Crime – My Experience o n the MacRumors forum "David B." <BD@hotmail.co.uk> - 2025-07-25 08:20 +0100

#181443 — Asking Questions is NOT a Crime – My Experience on the MacRumors forum

Subject: 🧠 Asking Questions Isn’t a Crime – My Experience on MacRumors


Hello folks!

I want to share something that recently happened on the MacRumors forums 
— and why it matters to anyone who values open technical discussion.

I posted in a thread about EtreCheckPro 
(https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/etrecheckpro-process-redacted.2291964) 
under the name BRAWDY14 — a nod to my flying days at RNAS Brawdy in 
Wales, where I did my advanced fast-jet training.

In that thread, I raised some genuinely polite and technical concerns:

     Why does EtreCheckPro redact some process data from its own reports?

     What kind of data does it collect, and where does it go?

     Why is developer support nonexistent, even for paying users?

     Should we blindly trust endorsements — even from respected voices 
like Howard Oakley?

I didn’t insult anyone. I wasn’t trolling. I just asked questions that 
anyone concerned with software transparency would ask.

And I was banned.

Apparently, on MacRumors, it’s acceptable to discuss what EtreCheck 
detects — but not acceptable to discuss EtreCheck itself.

The irony? EtreCheck is sold as a diagnostic tool to bring hidden 
problems to light. But when you try to shed light on the tool itself — 
silence. Censorship. Ejection.

That’s not how we do things on ACW. Here, we ask questions. We dig. 
We’re allowed to be skeptical — even encouraged to be.

So I say to you all:

     Question the tools you use.

     Don’t be swayed by community groupthink.

     And if asking questions gets you banned — you’re probably onto 
something.

Let’s keep Usenet the open ground it’s always been.

-- 
David Brooks
(BoaterDave, a.k.a. BRAWDY14)
RNAS Brawdy, back then. ACW, right now!

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#181457 — Re: Asking Questions is NOT a Crime – My Experience o n the MacRumors forum (was: Asking Questions is NOT a Crime – My Experience o n the MacRumors forum)

On Jul 24, 2025 at 10:55:23 AM EDT, ""David B."" <BD@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:

> Subject: 🧠 Asking Questions Isn’t a Crime – My Experience on MacRumors
> 
> 
> Hello folks!
> 
> I want to share something that recently happened on the MacRumors forums
> — and why it matters to anyone who values open technical discussion.
> 
> I posted in a thread about EtreCheckPro
> (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/etrecheckpro-process-redacted.2291964)
> under the name BRAWDY14 — a nod to my flying days at RNAS Brawdy in
> Wales, where I did my advanced fast-jet training.
> 
> In that thread, I raised some genuinely polite and technical concerns:
> 
>      Why does EtreCheckPro redact some process data from its own reports?
> 
>      What kind of data does it collect, and where does it go?
> 
>      Why is developer support nonexistent, even for paying users?
> 
>      Should we blindly trust endorsements — even from respected voices
> like Howard Oakley?
> 
> I didn’t insult anyone. I wasn’t trolling. I just asked questions that
> anyone concerned with software transparency would ask.
> 
> And I was banned.

Because, dipshit, EVERYONE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE.  "Oh look.  Its The Stalker
again". Boom, you are gone again.

Maybe if you got past this nonsense and start asking different questions. Or
MAYBE JUST KEEP YOUR YAP SHUT. 

Because no one wants to dance with you any longer. Because you ruin any forum
you infest.  Because you have been told many times by many people - even from
respected voices like Howard Oakley - and yet you STILL don't listen to any of
it.

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#181465 — Re: Asking Questions is NOT a Crime – My Experience o n the MacRumors forum

On 25/07/2025 00:21, Tyrone wrote:
> On Jul 24, 2025 at 10:55:23 AM EDT, ""David B."" <BD@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:
> 
>> Subject: 🧠 Asking Questions Isn’t a Crime – My Experience on MacRumors
>>
>>
>> Hello folks!
>>
>> I want to share something that recently happened on the MacRumors forums
>> — and why it matters to anyone who values open technical discussion.
>>
>> I posted in a thread about EtreCheckPro
>> (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/etrecheckpro-process-redacted.2291964)
>> under the name BRAWDY14 — a nod to my flying days at RNAS Brawdy in
>> Wales, where I did my advanced fast-jet training.
>>
>> In that thread, I raised some genuinely polite and technical concerns:
>>
>>       Why does EtreCheckPro redact some process data from its own reports?
>>
>>       What kind of data does it collect, and where does it go?
>>
>>       Why is developer support nonexistent, even for paying users?
>>
>>       Should we blindly trust endorsements — even from respected voices
>> like Howard Oakley?
>>
>> I didn’t insult anyone. I wasn’t trolling. I just asked questions that
>> anyone concerned with software transparency would ask.
>>
>> And I was banned.
> 
> Because, dipshit, EVERYONE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE.  "Oh look.  Its The Stalker
> again". Boom, you are gone again.
> 
> Maybe if you got past this nonsense and start asking different questions. Or
> MAYBE JUST KEEP YOUR YAP SHUT.
> 
> Because no one wants to dance with you any longer. Because you ruin any forum
> you infest.  Because you have been told many times by many people - even from
> respected voices like Howard Oakley - and yet you STILL don't listen to any of
> it.


Tyrone,

Thank you for confirming exactly the problem I described. I asked clear, 
fair, and technical questions — and was met with insults and bans.

The fact that you responded not with facts, but with personal abuse and 
name-calling, only reinforces my point:

Some people don't want the questions asked — not because they’re 
invalid, but because they’re uncomfortable.

For those interested in transparency, user rights, and software 
accountability, the questions remain:

     Why does EtreCheck redact its own output?

     What user data is collected and where is it sent?

     Why is paid support often non-existent?

     Why are some developers above scrutiny in certain forums?

I won’t apologise for raising those points. And I won’t be shouted down 
by people who prefer personal attacks over discussion.

-- Best,
David B.
(BRAWDY14)

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