On Stack Overflow Chat we've had a couple of repeat trolls in the lobby; this probably wasn't as much a problem historically when chat couldn't be accessed by 1-rep users. These users are often kicked ,resulting in at least an hour "ban" from the lobby, and some of their messages are flagged, resulting in a cumulative 30-minute suspension from chat for each flag. As a moderator I can, and have, provided longer chat suspensions.
Unfortunately it's been discovered by these users that the suspension is quite easy to circumvent by deleting their accounts and recreating them. This deletes their entire chat history, even for us moderators, and allows them immediate access to the lobby again. As such, the only option has been for the moderators to provide them with site suspensions for ban evasions. At least then, if they delete their account they are resuspended.
This, admittedly, isn't perfect and puts the room owners in the lobby in a powerless position against such users; the only available "solution" is to ping a mod for support and requesting a site ban, which works but when all the malicious actions of such users are in Chat, that doesn't feel as ideal.
I've raised the issue here as it could affect other rooms and sites, making it a wider problem than just the SO Lobby. I'm unsure if the SE Chat server itself would be impacted differently, given that it uses the user's SE account rather than their main site account. If MSE had a lobby, this would've affected it.
Truthfully, it would be ideal if a user's Chat suspension (among other things) was reapplied, along with the history, like it would be on the main site. Even if restoring the chat history takes longer, applying the suspension on account recreation would be the immediate and most desired fix.
To give an example of what can (more or less did) happen (assume all on Stack Overflow):
- User creates an account and enters the Stack Overflow Lobby (SOL).
- User does something to get kicked. History of this will show in mod admin pages. User cannot enter chat for 1 hour.
- User deletes their account and recreates it. They can return to SOL in under an hour. No history of kick in mod admin pages is shown on their chat profile.
- User returns and messages get flagged as rude/abusive/spam. User is banned from chat for cumulative 30 minutes for each flag. (i.e. 90 minutes). Details of flags and bans ore shown on the user's chat profile page to mods.
- User deletes their account and recreates it. They can return to SOL immediately. All history of bans/flags are lost on their chat profile.
- User returns to SOL and has a longer ban on their chat account (30 days) applied with notes by a moderator. They are sent a mod message on the main site, and suspended for 7 days from the main site.
- User deletes their account and recreates it. Remaining main site ban is applied, and history of mod message retained.
- User attempts to access chat, remaining site ban applied (i.e. <7 days) is applied to chat.
- User can access chat before their original 30 day chat ban would have expired. Still no notes, at all, about the history of the user in the chat side of the user's account.
Note that even if a mod were to access the user's old URL for their chat profile we can't see their history; this gives us a "Page not found" error like a normal user.
