Is there any kind of tool that we can use to trace the people who make posts in others' names? Any way we can find their IP addresses, then get into their hard disks and delete everything? (Or better yet, get into their hard drives and send threatening letters to the President that cause the Secret Service to arrest them? And while we're at it, get their credit card details and order guns and drugs, so the Secret Service will have something legitimate to throw them away for?)

Failing that, I have a friend..an acquaintance, anyway, who likes to make life hell for people on the internet. If someone could simply give me that @$@$er's email address..

--Leo, who believes that the best defence is an immediate and crippling retaliation. Revenge is for the childish; retaliation is a far more sophisticated term ;)

-- Leo (leo_champion@hotmail.com), December 07, 1998

Answers

There may be information that is captured upon submitting a page such as the REMOTE_USER or IP address. Depends on the set up. As no one knows for sure what information is being captured, the idiots that post hate and threats are certainly going out on a limb.

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), December 07, 1998.

Hi Leo,

H'mmm... full headers for emails display source machines and ISPs and other info, nothing is secret on the net if you want to try hard enough. But really do you want to know that stuff. Why poison yourself by taking the fool seriously enough to spend your valuable time 'getting back'. As always that kind of power works both ways.. something about p***ing into the wind, as we say. So.. leave it, get over it, you have more important things to do. It is very clear who is you and who is not... though not always with some other folks. It is worth remembering that when you post here you are posting to the world.

-- Bob Barpour (r.barbour@waikato.ac.nz), December 07, 1998.

H'mmm, fingers going faster than head... have not had deed poll change of name...

-- Bob Barbour (r.barbour@waikato.ac.nz), December 07, 1998.

The Email address is Chittum@aol.com

-- Juanito (hispanic@mexico.com), December 07, 1998.

If only it was that easy Juanito };)

*Pats Leo's shoulder* Bob is right Leo. He's not worth the effort of your superior brain :) Those who've been lurking a week or so know the real you by now.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), December 07, 1998.

Bob, probably right. Thing is, I wouldn't do anything personally..

I have "friends" who like to consider themselves hackers. They break into passwords, that kind of thing. They also know all about mailbombing and ways to totally screw up someone's address.

If I gave them a target, they'd probably appreciate it. I don't think many of them go after innocent victims, at least not to their full extent.

Someone they could drop 500 megatons on without a shred of conscience.. would probably be enjoyed ;)

Juanito, thanks..but why do you think it's him? Chittum may be a bigot and a jerk, but he seems to have enough IQ points to make a page (which implies that he could also spell words correctly.)

--Leo

-- Leo (leo_champion@hotmail.com), December 07, 1998.

Hey Leo, lets hold our pinky finger, we posted at exact same time ;) hehe

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), December 07, 1998.

What does this have to do with Y2K?

-- No Spam Please (anon@ymous.com), December 08, 1998.

Not so sure, "who IS the real Leo"?

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), December 08, 1998.

*stands up* I am!

-- lEo (leO champignon@coldmail.com), December 08, 1998.

Oooh, Chris, do you say "bread and butter!", too? My mom always did. No one around here has ever heard of it... I live in a cultural wasteland. :(

-- Arewyn (nordic@northnet.net), December 08, 1998.

You can capture the IP address, but if they're going through an ISP that'll be different every time they log on. Sometimes you can capture their real email address. But a lot of people on this forum like their anonymity.

Better solution: an anonymous login. Just pick a username and password, and nobody can impersonate you. How about it, Phil?

-- Shimrod (shimrod@lycosmail.com), December 14, 1998.

Since this topic seems to be brought up here alot - (people posing in others names) Can I offer a solution - to anyone this really matters to? Make yourself a website - titled - My Time Bomb Posts - and anytime you DO put a post here - make a quick link to it on your own site - (nobody but YOU can modify the website) So anyone else who wants to know / or wonders if the post was actually made by you can pop onto that site (just put the link to it at the bottom of each of your posts here)

Just an idea - now back to the topic Y2k.

Whitney

-- Whitney (Y2k Whit@aol.com), December 20, 1998.