RE: Personal Issues forum

mp3guy · 05-01-2009 3:59pm #1

Is it not possible for any moderator on the PI forum to compare IP addresses of unregistered posters to those of registered ones and thus figure out if the poster was a member of this site, and who they in fact are?

And if this is possible, how does anyone know that it's not going on?

kaimera · 05-01-2009 4:08pm

I would imagine that admins and possibly smods can but it's used to check suspected muppets/troll threads.

How do we know it's not done for ****s and giggles?

*shrug*

How do I know you don't kill kittens?

ntlbell · 05-01-2009 4:13pm

mp3guy wrote: »

Is it not possible for any moderator on the PI forum to compare IP addresses of unregistered posters to those of registered ones and thus figure out if the poster was a member of this site, and who they in fact are?

And if this is possible, how does anyone know that it's not going on?

One IP address's are mostly given out by DHCP and change a lot.

Secondly a huge amount of people post from work so for example in places I work there would be literally hundreds of users coming from the same IP address.

thirdly what's your suggestion? remove muppet check?

then the admins and employees could still see it?

if people are that worried they simply shouldn't post in it...

mp3guy · 05-01-2009 4:18pm

ntlbell wrote: »

thirdly what's your suggestion? remove muppet check?

I never asked for a suggestion. In fact the simplest answer to my inquiry is: 1. Yes and 2. They Don't.

cornbb · 05-01-2009 4:20pm

Posting anonymously still means you've gotta assume the smods/admins can find out which user you are if they want to, and you've gotta just cross your fingers and trust that they're not gonna do that just for sh*ts and giggles. No-one is ever 100% anonymous on the internet.

cornbb · 05-01-2009 4:22pm

mp3guy wrote: »

I never asked for a suggestion. In fact the simplest answer to my inquiry is: 1. Yes and 2. They Don't.

If you already know the answers then aren't your questions rhetorical ones? If you just want to point these facts out then go ahead and point them out. If these facts make you unhappy just say so

mp3guy · 05-01-2009 4:23pm

Nah, they're not making me unhappy. But there's the off chance there'd be a way to tell if someone was doing these PI forum cross references.

Beruthiel · 05-01-2009 4:26pm

mp3guy wrote: »

Is it not possible for any moderator on the PI forum to compare IP addresses of unregistered posters to those of registered ones and thus figure out if the poster was a member of this site, and who they in fact are?

Only Admins and Smods can do this.

And if this is possible, how does anyone know that it's not going on?

Cos our lives are so boring you actually think we have the time or interest to do this?

I have been mod of PI since 2003 and only once, due to the poster being a trouble maker, have I actually checked an unregged IP address.

Did you post unregged mp3guy and are now regretting it?

/Runs off to check mp3guy's IP against all the unregged posts.

Gordon · 05-01-2009 4:26pm

mp3guy wrote: »

Is it not possible for any moderator on the PI forum to compare IP addresses of unregistered posters to those of registered ones and thus figure out if the poster was a member of this site, and who they in fact are?

And if this is possible, how does anyone know that it's not going on?

1. Kinda, yeah
2. Yes
3. Trust. The mods on PI are chosen to be trustworthy and not look to see who is really who. It is possible but they are trusted not to look unless it is necessary, I trust that they hold this information private, I find them all trustworthy personally.

ntlbell · 05-01-2009 4:33pm

mp3guy wrote: »

I never asked for a suggestion. In fact the simplest answer to my inquiry is: 1. Yes and 2. They Don't.

Well the real answer is "it depends" and "no one knows" some might some might not but even they say they don't we don't really know..

ntlbell · 05-01-2009 4:33pm

cornbb wrote: »

Posting anonymously still means you've gotta assume the smods/admins can find out which user you are if they want to, and you've gotta just cross your fingers and trust that they're not gonna do that just for sh*ts and giggles. No-one is ever 100% anonymous on the internet.

you can be...

mp3guy · 05-01-2009 4:39pm

Beruthiel wrote: »

Cos our lives are so boring you actually think we have the time or interest to do this?

No, that's a fairly radical assumption you've made on my part.

I don't know any of the admins or smods, it's not a personal attack on any of them, just general curiosity.

6th · 05-01-2009 5:09pm

Ah lads no go easy! The guy just asked a question and people take it as a personal attack on their beloved site?

mp3guy, you asked a question and the answer is in the plies above ..... just ignore the rest of the crap.

ntlbell · 05-01-2009 5:22pm

Sabotage wrote: »

Ah lads no go easy! The guy just asked a question and people take it as a personal attack on their beloved site?

mp3guy, you asked a question and the answer is in the plies above ..... just ignore the rest of the crap.

no one took it as an attack his questions were answered?

godtabh · 05-01-2009 5:57pm

cornbb wrote: »

Posting anonymously

No such thing on the net

cornbb · 05-01-2009 6:00pm

kearnsr wrote: »

No such thing on the net

yep, thats what I said...

cornbb wrote: »

Posting anonymously still means you've gotta assume the smods/admins can find out which user you are if they want to, and you've gotta just cross your fingers and trust that they're not gonna do that just for sh*ts and giggles. No-one is ever 100% anonymous on the internet.

AckwelFoley · 05-01-2009 6:10pm

Im going to assume that the admins and sooper mods have much better things to do than compare ip's of unregged users to see who has the genital warts.
Even if they did, and they released the information among themselves and inturn it got out.., it would do alot of harm to what is a great forum and helps many people..

ntlbell · 05-01-2009 6:22pm

kearnsr wrote: »

No such thing on the net

of course there is to say there's not is just plain stupid.

javaboy · 05-01-2009 6:30pm

ntlbell wrote: »

of course there is to say there's not is just plain stupid.

Oh really? Name one person who has managed it then.

ntlbell · 05-01-2009 6:33pm

javaboy wrote: »

Oh really? Name one person who has managed it then.

lol

It would probably be a bit of hassel and not worth while but to say it's impossible is just down right retarded.

An open AP --> multiple SSH tunnels over various countries ----> TOR proxy---->random proxies---->more ssh tunnels---->

You can go on for ever...

Xiney · 05-01-2009 6:42pm

If you're really worried, go to a net cafe to post unregged.

ntlbell · 05-01-2009 6:43pm

Xiney wrote: »

If you're really worried, go to a net cafe to post unregged.

watch out for cctv cameras :cool:

Cuddlesworth · 05-01-2009 6:57pm

ntlbell wrote: »

lol

It would probably be a bit of hassel and not worth while but to say it's impossible is just down right retarded.

An open AP --> multiple SSH tunnels over various countries ----> TOR proxy---->random proxies---->more ssh tunnels---->

You can go on for ever...

True, but then you get to the main question. Do you really care?

mp3guy · 05-01-2009 7:00pm

I love how this has spiraled

Bobeagleburger · 05-01-2009 7:10pm

ntlbell wrote: »

watch out for cctv cameras :cool:

Damn them cctv cameras in internet cafes all over the country looking out for boardsies posting unregistered in PI forum !:D

Terry · 05-01-2009 8:14pm

ntlbell wrote: »

lol

It would probably be a bit of hassel and not worth while but to say it's impossible is just down right retarded.

An open AP --> multiple SSH tunnels over various countries ----> TOR proxy---->random proxies---->more ssh tunnels---->

You can go on for ever...

Yeah, people are going to go through all that hassle to poist on boards.

ntlbell · 05-01-2009 8:47pm

<3BeingIN6th wrote: »

Yeah, people are going to go through all that hassle to poist on boards.

if you read the post carefully I stated it was a hassel the point is it's not impossible and can be done with a lot less hassel than I said there.

also the user said "internet" you would be suprised what people do to go undected online.

thanks for pointing out the bleedin obvious tho

sceptre · 05-01-2009 9:24pm

mp3guy wrote: »

Is it not possible for any moderator on the PI forum to compare IP addresses of unregistered posters to those of registered ones and thus figure out if the poster was a member of this site, and who they in fact are?

Smods and admins definitely could try. But it's not the kind of thing we'd do, it's never even occurred to me to want to. Better things to be doing, plus people post unregged for a reason on the small number of forums that allow it.

Victor · 05-01-2009 9:51pm

mp3guy wrote: »

Is it not possible for any moderator on the PI forum to compare IP addresses of unregistered posters to those of registered ones and thus figure out if the poster was a member of this site

The only time anyone would really want to know the IP of an anonymous poster is when they are making a nuisance of themselves. However, if someone is making a nuisance of themselves via anonymous posting, all we do is not approve and delete the post.

Sure, some tracking could be done, but its not as much fun as a muppet hunt.

DeVore · 05-01-2009 10:01pm

ntlbell wrote: »

lol

It would probably be a bit of hassel and not worth while but to say it's impossible is just down right retarded.

An open AP --> multiple SSH tunnels over various countries ----> TOR proxy---->random proxies---->more ssh tunnels---->

You can go on for ever...

Thats not anonimity, thats just very very very hard to track.

The distinction is fine but its the same distinction between security and obscurity. Also you are presuming that IP is the only way to match people. Combine colour depth, browser type and version number, OS version etc etc and you can create a set of variables about as unique as DNA or finger-prints. Ok, I am being pedantic but, well, so were you because the number of people who can tunnel a connection like that is very few.

Anyway, we can and we generally dont unless someone is being a big pain in the bum!

DeV.

ntlbell · 05-01-2009 10:40pm

DeVore wrote: »

Thats not anonimity, thats just very very very hard to track.

The distinction is fine but its the same distinction between security and obscurity. Also you are presuming that IP is the only way to match people. Combine colour depth, browser type and version number, OS version etc etc and you can create a set of variables about as unique as DNA or finger-prints. Ok, I am being pedantic but, well, so were you because the number of people who can tunnel a connection like that is very few.

Anyway, we can and we generally dont unless someone is being a big pain in the bum!

DeV.

Impossible to track I'd say

Or you will be long long dead by the time they get to you

oh come on Dev OS/Browser version + colour depth = fingerprint?

what's the most common OS? Browser....+ colour depth? hardly DNA stuff now lol

Plus if they're smart enough to start hopping through a ton of ssh tunnels they're not going to be stupid enough I mean is sending a false agent to apache that difficult?

tracking someone's identitiy when you have nothing to start with based on an OS fingerprint and some IP in thailand that's bounced around the globe is going to be next to impossible the reality of it is to get away with in boards you could hop of one random proxy and no one's going to be botherd their hole tracing you back not even one hop

is someone going to do a lot that to post on boards? not a chance. but it's not impossible was the point.

RE: Personal Issues forum

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