Patebin Big Brother?

[deepstrasz]

So, I've been seeing this for some time now, P.M. pastebin links being accessed by someone/something.

Example:

Spoiler

My question is, are moderators/administrators sifting through P.M.s? Definitely the person I've sent that didn't download the first picture 20 times and the second 19.
Or, somehow external bots get through? Internal ones maybe?

Is it him?
Hive Workshop

 

[Shar Dundred]

Pretty sure that every time someone vists either the pastebin or a page where the images have been used
(i. e. the conversations where you linked the images) counts as a "view".

 

[IcemanBo]

A view is not the same as a download. Someone can just open the link, look at the image and the view counter increases. Maybe there's some IP-check, or session check or something, so it would not increase each time if you close/open the pastebin link 10x in a row... but a view is definitely affected by just looking, and not by actively downloading.

 

[deepstrasz]

Right, thanks guys. I'll run some tests, logging in and out. Will ask that person to help me with this too to see if it's indeed how it works.

EDIT: it seems to be this, that if we access the conversation, the view count for those images in the pastebin link increase. Note, I've embedded the pictures in a post in the conversation via the link image option. However, the view number is not immediately updated but after a certain period of time.

Strange thing is, why does the site access the pastebin that way if we're not even on the page where the pictures were linked?

 

[deepstrasz]

See the edit in the post above.

However, this does not explain the difference in views for each image. They should be the same. Now the difference is more than 1. The first image has 3 views in addition.

 

[Ralle]

If you share links outside of Hive at least, I know they are scanned by services such as Skype. Possibly also Discord, but I don't know.

Source:
Is Microsoft reading your Skype instant messages? | ZDNet

Technically, I can snoop on pastebin entries and private messages, but there is no reason for me to do so. Neither do I have time or interest. I have done it on very few occasions to solve problems conflicts or validate claims.

If you want to ensure that nobody can snoop on you, I would recommend the following services:
Instant messaging: Signal
File sharing: Sync.com, Syncthing, Nextcloud

Most other services allow for employees to snoop on you. But this is topic for another thread.

 

[deepstrasz]

If you share links outside of Hive at least, I know they are scanned by services such as Skype. Possibly also Discord, but I don't know.

Nope. It's all on the site, the example I've given.

 

[Ralle]

The Hive Workshop user certainly isn't a bot. Have you tried sort of googling for your pastebin entry to see if it's somehow found?

 

[deepstrasz]

Have you tried sort of googling for your pastebin entry to see if it's somehow found?

No. What to write, the pastebin link?
Why would it be accessed? I mean, doesn't the site have some sort of password/security code? That way, even my account might be accessed.

Writing the link with or without the https and hiveworkshop (just the letters and numbers) doesn't bring any results.
Writing the file names, doesn't either except if I put a space between the two fused words but then I get something totally unrelated.

If I search by image I get some similar, let's say, results but not the same. I mean it shows Muradin and Arthas near the Frostmourne pedestal but the text is in Chinese and interestingly, one actually is almost one of the images I have in that pastebin although I've edited them after creating them via print screen of an YouTube video. So, what, the ones in pastebin might be accessed through Google because they are very similar? That's a bit, worrying since these images are in a "private" pastebin I've only shared in a conversation (p.m.). It's true I've embedded the pictures in a post there.

The Hive Workshop user certainly isn't a bot.

I was joking about that since the "user" hasn't logged in for months.

 

[Ralle]

Well, I did what I could. I am not sure what else to say.