Why aren't 'private comments' private?

You can read your own comment to a person whether or not you marked it personal. You see comments from other people that were not marked as private.

In my experience, you can only read the comments that people have not marked as private. Like you say, there is a checked box, and some people choose not to check it.

It depends on if you check the box. Sometimes people uncheck the box so that their comment can be read by everyone.

If the box is checked, those comments cannot be seen by third parties. It is the comments that were un-checked private (set to be public) that you can see. It is private by default which personally I kind of think is ass-backward…

Sorry…that is an answer that I hadn’t considered. Thanks for setting me straight.

The comments can only be seen if the users clicks on the box provided, except the mods can see them.

I have been wondering if the comments can be found by Google? I have found comments from other sources by using Google that people apparently thought were private.

[mod says] Note: Not all mods can see private messages. Only the founders and the community manager (me) can see them. And we only look if there is a problem, not for our general amusement.

@augustlan I was going to add that – probably only when you receive a complaint

Do they go to the Google search?

When I saw the title of this question I assumed it was in relation to the very rare but extremely uncool pasting of the contents from a private PM into a public quip or question. I am glad that it had not been the case because that is multiwrong. Just sayin’

@YARNLADY I don’t know if they show up in Google. I certainly hope not!