pbm

Discussion in 'Feedback' started by indigo, Nov 13, 2002.

  1. indigo

    indigo Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the great forum.

    Is there a chance that this site could stop displaying ISP addresses for all to see?

    I understand keeping a "hidden" log for a variety of reasons including protection however making the addresses available to the casual, or not so casual viewer could result in some unpleasant reprecussions for some.

    The discussions are sensitive, to say the least and the subject matter presents, shall we say, a certain risk to posters.

    One could easily run a tracer route on each address and gather more info than I'm sure some users would be comfortable with. True, some will land you at AOL's massive clutch of dynamic addresses.. but others will trace to a far more specific target.

    Would your group consider removing them from the casual viewers eye?

    Regards,

    Indigo
     
  2. pbm

    pbm Administrator

    Hi indigo,

    We made it a point to display the IP addresses as a result of being plagued by individuals assuming multiple identities and disrupting the board on a daily basis. Displaying IP addresses has cut down on the troll and multiple-identity factor dramatically.

    We are therefore reluctant to reverse our policy. However, I promise to review the matter and to reconsider our approach.

    Sincerely,
    pbm
     
  3. indigo

    indigo Well-Known Member

    Hi pbm,

    Thanks for your kind answer.. btw, yes IP address.. my brain skipped a beat.. does that sometimes;)

    I understand your point 100% and it is a great way to cut down on the trolls. At the same time however it does make "good" posters quite vulnerable. I'm a reluctant veteran of a few y*hoo wars;) If the IP addresses were displayed on their message boards it would be a different forum altogether, if not, I suspect there would be more than one on trial for murder... yahoo used to be a bit more breakable to non-techies but they've even removed that work-around feature. (determining city of origin)

    Iâ??ve also seen companies subpoena y*hoo for posterâ??s IP addresses which y*hoo was all too willing to oblige with and interested companies followed with lawsuits against those posters.. for their negative opinions about a particular company.

    Itâ??s also a consideration when trying to keep the trolls at bay that when one posts from an ISP provider that uses dynamic IP addresses it's still easy, though not as, to get away with multiple ids, Though I'm not sure if most trolls are intelligent enough get that small detail. <g>

    ... not to mention using a roaming proxy service, which I do often to protect myself.. no not paranoid just been around a while. ;)

    My biggest concern is that some probably use work servers to post (lunch, after work, on the road) and given the nature of some of the posts it's a bit dangerous due to the fact that it would be very easy for anyone to determine the individualâ??s place of employment perhaps resulting in some fairly difficult consequences. Legal charges, firing, even stalking...

    At the very least the folks here should know that if anyone wants to avoid potential problems that they should never post from a work server or any other that does not use dynamic IP addresses. And that if anyone wanted to bring legal charges there is no such thing as â??safe postingâ?, (kinda like no safe s*x) anywhere.

    It's really quite rare for IP addresses to appear casually, maybe there is another way troublemakers and trolls can be ferreted out.. perhaps if the addresses were recorded but not visible (as yahoo does) multiple iders, etc. could be warned and booted.

    I appreciate your groupâ??s consideration. If I may ask again that your group seriously consider the potential damage to your good posters. I really appreciate this forum as it provides a great tool for folks to take charge of their credit health.

    Thanks so much.. this site is terrific!

    Kind regards,

    Indi
     
  4. indigo

    indigo Well-Known Member

    PBM,

    My apologies for being once redundant and many times repetitive in my follow-up post. Thanks again for your consideration and kind response.

    ... btw, I concur with member5, very strange stuff. For her sake I hope it's a joke.. but I think not.

    Kindest regards,

    Indi

    rearranging newbie cloaking device... see you on the other side;)
     
  5. indigo

    indigo Well-Known Member

    ah ha;) I knew I should have read back, of course this stuff was discussed before.

    Loved pyschdoc's stats from a year back--hehe, and this I quickly discovered..

    "P.S. The "Kinko's" reference made by superadman refers to where the IP address above his posts resolves. Basically superadman walked into a Kinko's in Ventura, California and registered the "superadman" Creditnet nickname there. Every subsequent post will reflect that IP address, however pbm has made clear (or maybe I've made clear, ahem, lol) that Creditnet has access to more complete logs which show the trail of IP addresses used by a Creditnet member as he or she moves from one computer to another."

    -psychdoc

    pbm.. mind if I email you?

    Indi
     

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