Forum Moderation Question

[Ryan]

I couldn't find anything specifically in the FAQ or rules, but if I my posts were to be placed on moderation (reviewed before posting, number of posts per day) would it be against the forum rules to simply create a new screen name to circumvent moderation?

Just curious.

Thanks!
Ryan

[webmaster]

There is no rule to cover that but I would probably not be pleased.

[BroadHopper]

Seems like there is a number of folks, I notice that do that. You can tell by their static IP address of their computer, or by their grammar. What tick me off is that they don't generally contribute to the forum but troll specific subjects. That should be a violation of common sense use of the forum.

[RLW]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Seems like there is a number of folks, I notice that do that. You can tell by their static IP address of their computer, or by their grammar. What tick me off is that they don't generally contribute to the forum but troll specific subjects. That should be a violation of common sense use of the forum.

That is not always true. I have 4 family members/friends that use one computer and all use different sign in names.

[tis]

Can we see the "static IP address" somewhere?

[RI Swamp Yankee]

Originally Posted by tis

Can we see the "static IP address" somewhere?

Only if you log on as Don

[tis]

Originally Posted by RI Swamp Yankee

Only if you log on as Don

Thank you Risy. That's what I thought, but Broadhopper sounded like he could see it. Just wonderin'

[BroadHopper]

I don't have the software, but I am aware that IT folks at large corporations, LEOs, and DOD have the ability to track down IP addresses.
Hackers are known to have the ability as well. If you google enough and able to get a sympathetic hacker you can get one fairly easy.
I use to work for a large defense mfg and they use the software to see if those who log in to the system are legitimate. One of the IT folks showed me how it works. It actually tracks all the servers and routers that it uses as it travels across the US. It is truly mind boggling.

It is possible to 'see' who is logging in from a specific computer. Microsoft uses the same technique to determine copyrights of their software. Some banks such as mine uses it to make sure that it is the right person logging into an account. It is pretty widespread practice.

[tis]

But you don't have that ability right, Broadhopper?

[BroadHopper]

But I can ask someone who does.

[Dr. Green]

As the owner of four websites (business, non-profit, etc) I can see the IP, the page they clicked on to lead them to my site (the referring URL), whether they are a return visitor or not, what pages are most popular, how many page views, unique visitors, and returning visitors, what OS and what Browser they use, and much more. For example, on one of my sites (business) I have had 675 page views this month from 328 unique visitors, of which 307 were first time visitors, and 21 were return visitors. The majority of my visitors were from NH, but there were also visitors from Austrailia, China, India, Costa Rica, Germany, UK, and Canada 14 states outside New England. I can tell what keywords were most popular (various variations on my business name, followed by some of the products I carry, and one with the street my store is one and the type of store my store is. I can tell how long each visitor stayed, and where they went after they exited my store's website.

I'm sure Don can do the same.

And its all free: http://statcounter.com

Very helpful if you are a business wanting to know what attracts customers to the website

..and yes, still a little spooky about how much info there is.

What is spookier though is the ads that show up on Facebook for things you have searched for on line when NOT connected to Facebook. FB must put a cookie that can tell where else you are visiting on your computer, and sell that info to advertisers. Wish I knoew how to turn that capacity off.

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

I don't have the software, but I am aware that IT folks at large corporations, LEOs, and DOD have the ability to track down IP addresses.
Hackers are known to have the ability as well. If you google enough and able to get a sympathetic hacker you can get one fairly easy.
I use to work for a large defense mfg and they use the software to see if those who log in to the system are legitimate. One of the IT folks showed me how it works. It actually tracks all the servers and routers that it uses as it travels across the US. It is truly mind boggling.

It is possible to 'see' who is logging in from a specific computer. Microsoft uses the same technique to determine copyrights of their software. Some banks such as mine uses it to make sure that it is the right person logging into an account. It is pretty widespread practice.

An IP address generally does not reveal very much, especially in the case of end-user coming through consumer ISPs. All you'll get is information on what ISP the end user is using.

If you have a subpoena, you can request that the ISP divulge what account a given IP addressed was assigned to at a particular time. But you, or your standard IT buddies, can't easily get at that info. If the ISP has weak security and you have a way to penetrate their firewall and get to customer billing data, then you might be able to find out in a highly illegal manner.

Forum software, like the package running this site, keeps a log of IP addresses a user logs in from. A person with admin privileges can usually see:
1) The IP address a user was using when a particular post was made
2) Other users that have used that same IP (useful for detecting sock puppets)
3) Other IPs that user has logged in from previously.

From your PC you can often run a traceroute from a command prompt by doing "tracert [ipaddress]". You'll see the router path through the Internet between your PC and the Ip address you are tracing too. Most ISP's label at least their perimeter routers with names that are abbreviations for the city.

Here is part of the traceroute between my laptop and the closest google.com server:
4 vlan150.car2.boston1.level3.net (4.53.50.177) 6.244 ms 7.386 ms 5.076 ms
5 ae-2-5.bar2.boston1.level3.net (4.69.132.250) 5.687 ms 6.139 ms 6.277 ms
6 ae-8-8.ebr1.newyork1.level3.net (4.69.140.98) 10.764 ms 9.889 ms 12.354 ms
7 ae-91-91.csw4.newyork1.level3.net (4.69.134.78) 19.366 ms
ae-61-61.csw1.newyork1.level3.net (4.69.134.66) 18.484 ms 19.942 ms
8 ae-4-99.edge1.newyork1.level3.net (4.68.16.206) 77.280 ms 12.439 ms
ae-1-69.edge1.newyork1.level3.net (4.68.16.14) 9.639 ms
9 google-inc.edge1.newyork1.level3.net (4.71.172.86) 51.784 ms
google-inc.edge1.newyork1.level3.net (4.71.172.82) 10.166 ms
google-inc.edge1.newyork1.level3.net (4.71.172.86) 9.941 ms
10 72.14.238.232 (72.14.238.232) 12.548 ms 10.333 ms 51.217 ms
11 216.239.48.24 (216.239.48.24) 9.740 ms 18.817 ms 10.792 ms
12 lga15s14-in-f104.1e100.net (173.194.33.104) 9.927 ms 10.028 ms 10.548 ms
brks-macbook-pro:~ brk$

You can see that this appears to be directed to a Level3 datacenter in New York.


You can also use the whois utility to see who an IP address is registered to. I'm not sure if this comes with Windows by default or not, but you can also run similar queries on certain websites. Here is the whois data for the IP address of the google server from above:


brks-macbook-pro:~ brk$ whois 173.194.33.104
#
# Query terms are ambiguous. The query is assumed to be:
# "n 173.194.33.104"
#
# Use "?" to get help.
#

#
# The following results may also be obtained via:
# http://whois.arin.net/rest/nets;q=17...showARIN=false
#

NetRange: 173.194.0.0 - 173.194.255.255
CIDR: 173.194.0.0/16
OriginAS: AS15169
NetName: GOOGLE
NetHandle: NET-173-194-0-0-1
Parent: NET-173-0-0-0-0
NetType: Direct Allocation
NameServer: NS2.GOOGLE.COM
NameServer: NS3.GOOGLE.COM
NameServer: NS4.GOOGLE.COM
NameServer: NS1.GOOGLE.COM
RegDate: 2009-08-17
Updated: 2010-08-23
Ref: http://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-173-194-0-0-1


OrgName: Google Inc.
OrgId: GOGL
Address: 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
City: Mountain View
StateProv: CA
PostalCode: 94043
Country: US
RegDate: 2000-03-30
Updated: 2009-08-07
Ref: http://whois.arin.net/rest/org/GOGL

OrgTechHandle: ZG39-ARIN
OrgTechName: Google Inc
OrgTechPhone: +1-650-253-0000
OrgTechEmail: arin-contact@google.com
OrgTechRef: http://whois.arin.net/rest/poc/ZG39-ARIN

None of this is particularly revealing information. In fact the Google IP in New York lists the address for their main office in Mountain View.

The whois data for the IP address of my cable modem at home yields this highly confidential info:


Comcast Cable Communications Holdings, Inc CCCH-3-34 (NET-75-64-0-0-1) 75.64.0.0 - 75.75.191.255
Comcast Cable Communications Holdings, Inc BOSTON-12 (NET-75-67-0-0-1) 75.67.0.0 - 75.67.255.255

[webmaster]

Originally Posted by Dr. Green

I'm sure Don can do the same.

Yes I can.

Some of that information (sorry, not IP numbers) is available to everyone. When you are logged in click "Quick Links" and go to "Site Statistics" at the bottom of the list. Then click on one of the links (General | Top Threads & Forums | Display Colors & Resolutions, etc.) for more detailed info. It's interesting.

[RI Swamp Yankee]

Originally Posted by Dr. Green

.....And its all free: http://statcounter.com.....

I don't like that one. Some search engines don't like the embedded code you have to put on web pages. I did use something similar to feed a script on the server to track a couple of pages being abused but it didn't use the subscription service, I used my server script.

There are several web sites that will show the location of an IP, try this one:
http://www.ip2location.com/free.asp
and scroll down. If you click on your IP that is displayed you will even see your zip code. There are many more too.

[Ryan]

This is all very interesting stuff!!!!

It also shows that there are many tools that one has to ensure that moderated individuals do not just simply create a new account to circumvent the rules, unless, of course, one decided to simply turn a blind eye to the situation.

[Ryan]

Would it make sense to change the posting rules to exclude the following:

Do not post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, slanderous, inaccurate, hateful, harassing,

Apparently, this only applies to certain people and if it cannot be applied to the community as a whole, it should probably just be removed.

Thanks!
Ryan

[RI Swamp Yankee]

No offense intended but it is my opinion that most people here in this online community do abide by the following:

Do not post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, slanderous, inaccurate, hateful, harassing,

Some things do get through and are responded to by others and sometimes threads do get locked and/or deleted. Don does a great job of that but he is only human. ..... isn't he?

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by RI Swamp Yankee

No offense intended but it is my opinion that most people here in this online community do abide by the following:

Some things do get through and are responded to by others and sometimes threads do get locked and/or deleted. Don does a great job of that but he is only human. ..... isn't he?

We're apparently reading different threads then.

[chipj29]

I know the lake issues section is sort of a no-holds barred type thing, but elchase/bearislandmoose/whoever the heck it is is clearly out of his mind. He is posting complete jibberish, most of it made up of lies, accusations and innuendo. Which, according to the above post, is against forum rules.

[RI Swamp Yankee]

Originally Posted by chipj29

I know the lake issues section is sort of a no-holds barred type thing, but elchase/bearislandmoose/whoever the heck it is is clearly out of his mind. He is posting complete jibberish, most of it made up of lies, accusations and innuendo. Which, according to the above post, is against forum rules.

Ok, I have to conceed that Ryan and I may not be reading the same threads as I don't often look at the Lake Issues thread(s). Don did post it would be a Hot Topic area for the brave.

[RI Swamp Yankee]

Originally Posted by Ryan

We're apparently reading different threads then.

Well, I went and skimmed through Barbers Pole and have to agree with you, we have been reading different threads, my apologies to you. Now I remember why I don't often read there.