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Should moderators be able to see who flags an item?

I'm a moderator over at Math.SE and I've been getting some annoying flags.

For example, a month or so ago, someone flagged several of my questions with what appears to be out of malice. There have been other cases where a user constantly flags content that I don't see the point of deleting. I would like to know who these users are so I can tell them to cut it out. But rude/offensive and some other categories of flags are anonymous (as far as I can tell) so I can't even identify them.

Why are these flags anonymous, even when I am a moderator of the site?

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  • Are you talking about comment flags?
    – Adam Lear StaffMod
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 4:48
  • No, I'm also talking about spam / offensive flags on questions, which I think are also anonymous.
    – Qiaochu Yuan
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 4:54
  • @Qiaochu Ah yes, they are.
    – Adam Lear StaffMod
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 4:57
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    If the user is just spam flagging your questions, it's not actionable anyway. Just dismiss the flags as invalid and move on. If the user keeps doing it, their flag weight will eventually get so low that their flags will no longer appear in the mod queue.
    – user102937
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 5:52
  • @Robert: AFAIK spam/offensive flags can't be dismissed as invalid.
    – Qiaochu Yuan
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 16:48
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    The "Dismiss Flags on This Post" dialog is under the "No Further Action..." button of the flagged post in the moderator queue. The dialog has a Valid and an Invalid button. It works for spam flags.
    – user102937
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 18:49

1 Answer 1

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They're anonymous to prevent moderators from getting revenge on users. However, if you have a real problem, I suggest you email [email protected] and ask them to look into it privately. They probably won't release the usernames to you (for the same reason), but a Community Coordinator might do something on your behalf.

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    He's an intern. Maybe he can just yell over the cubicle wall instead. :-)
    – Rick Sladkey
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 5:32
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    To prevent moderators from getting revenge on users? I really doubt that.
    – user102937
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 5:41
  • @Robert I'm fairly certain that was the reason given two years ago, but it could have changed since then.
    – waiwai933
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 5:47
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    Hm. Well, if malice ever plays even the smallest part in one of my mod decisions, that's the day I will resign as a moderator. "Moderator revenge" should be an oxymoron.
    – user102937
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 5:50
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    How about insulation from potential accusations of bias?
    – Rick Sladkey
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 5:55
  • That makes more sense; plausible deniability. Not sure why spam flags get special treatment, though. A flag is a flag.
    – user102937
    Commented Jun 25, 2011 at 5:55

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