Examines you.

[Reinheart]

I have no idea why examining a persons level and equipment could be considered rude, but people took offense to it so to prevent angsty bitching it's probably for the best that you can't tell who examines you.

Post from Zenaku & Nix's post is the answer to why it was removed.
Just like spamming emotes on someone, some noobs out there used /check spam on people to a point they complained.
It's difference in culture also, for JP players in XI you had to ask them "Hey, can I check your gear out first?" If you didn't ask that and just /check some took it as rude... don't know why they take stuff like that so seriously but they did. I am glad in XIV they took the damn message out since now you don't need to ask for permission first lol.

[Morticous]

It's difference in culture also, for JP players in XI you had to ask them "Hey, can I check your gear out first?" If you didn't ask that and just /check some took it as rude...

its weird you say its different by culture and reference JP especially since they are the culture that built and designed the game... no?

[Reinheart]

its weird you say its different by culture and reference JP especially since they are the culture that built and designed the game... no?

Developers has experience from other foreign MMO's. XI was influenced by developers playing Everquest.
Now for most of the JP players, Final Fantasy XI was their first MMORPG to ever play. There was a large group of them that jumped in on the MMORPG wagon that they created their own etiquette rules how MMO should be played when most other foreign MMO's never really bothered.

It was made by developers in Japan, yes, but those developers most likely were OK with it, while majority of the JP community wasn't. There are so many weird JP rules players came up with and some of them make you go 'WTF!?' This /examine stuff was one of them for me.