Should critical questions be closed

Question

I am a bit concerned that some readers may use this site to get visa or legal advise instead of consulting the correct authorities.

Should we allow questions like "How do I find out which visa I need to travel from X to Y", but close questions like "Which visa do I need to travel from X to Y". They are temporally localised - and the accepted answer may be incorrect.

Similarly questions like "Can I carry a knife in Z", might be better closed - with the recommendation that the questioner rephrase along the lines of "How can I find out about weapons laws in Z"

Answer 1

To complement what Marcel says, we are adults here. We are supposed to check facts and opinions and not blindly trust random people on the internet. If I ask a question about a legal issue on the internet, I should be expecting that it might not be completely true, or it could be potentially harmful. Fact-checking is left as an exercise for the reader. If one needs to receive an expert opinion on a legal topic, there are people who will happily accept your generous compensation for their time -- that's their job, after all.

None of us is a lawyer (or at least, not your, or OP's lawyer), so the IANAL disclaimer should be implied. I don't think it's necessary to do more than that.

The topic of obsolete questions and answers is valid, however. If you notice an answer that might have been true when the OP asked, but due to changed circumstances is not any longer, please take a moment and at least flag it for mod attention, or edit it with a note saying that it's no longer valid.

Answer 2

This is a good question, and I share your concern! However, I am in favour of a more liberal approach. There can't be a rule for everything and sometimes people have to take their responsibilities. The internet is not a substitute for critical thought.

If someone asks a question on such a topic and the moderators wave it through, so be it then! However, personally I would ask such a questions on sites like this one. Nor would I trust the answers. But everybody should be responsible for his actions. If I ask advice such as "Which visa do I need to travel from X to Y" and I accept an answer, then it it my responsibility that I have to assume.

Anyway, there was a time not so long ago, questions related to immigration were more or less systematically rejected. One of the arguments being (if I recall correctly) that this site is not a site for legal advice. Questions on Schengen visas are nevertheless happily accepted and answered. This might not be very consistent, but if that's the editorial line, you have to live with it. I don't believe that this is particularly difficult. There are other more important theaters of war.