New Tech Talk Section

As promised I have created this new Tech Talk section. Helperguy and Zed have offered to be the moderators on this one. Thanks guys. When I get time I will move all tech related topics to this new section.

Hey!! Thanks!!

I'm sure you Techies or CBob will know this. Can someones physical address be traced by knowing their IP address.

Yes, but only if the tracker received the proper clearance from the authorities. That would mean getting some kind of search warrant for, say, the TelMex database records. How they would go about that without substantial evidence, I don't know. Although, in the U.S., anything is possible.

In other words, there are ways to trace your IP, so I could find out who you are (sort of), but I'd never be able to get your address without the legal complicity of the business involved in selling your Internet time.

And then there is the burden of proving whom at that address actually posted anything. Most IP searches are used to set up further surveillance on an individual.

Actually the law has been changed very recently.. with a subpoena the government can do exactly anything, anytime.

Which government? And note that the government still has to have obtained it legally (at least, that's what they tell us). But an individual or a corporation will have a much, much more difficult time getting a subpoena for something like this.

Note there was a thread on TOB a couple of years ago wherein someone asked about a certain doctor's reputation. One of the responses indicated that he had a drug problem, among other things. His wife complained bitterly on the board and mentioned several times that she had a lawyer who had obtained the person's IP address and was soon to be suing for libel. Nothing happened, because obviously she was BSing, and using scare tactics to try and get the person to reveal who they were. (Sort of like the fable of the wind and the sun competing to see who could get the guy to remove his coat.)

Whatever lawyer she "had" would have to prove to a court that just cause existed to subpoena the TelMex records to get an address, and I can't see someone like TelMex even considering that subpoena seriously without first aiming their own battery of lawyers at the complainant.

Helper guy wrote: Which government? I am speaking of USA law.
Some tech security bloggers are writing articles as they understand it. All I can say is Google tech security and law blogs. I read some law blog also. Pretty interesting.

Well, the OP, John, lives in Mexico, so I needed to ask.

I have purchased a couple things over the last two months where the website purchase confirmation for payment has included on it the long xxx.xxxxxx.xxxxx.xxxx number which they say is the IP address from which the order originated. Obviously my name and address and financials are connected to that info.

As a result I am going to just assume someone is collecting and compiling that info. Dam.

The IP address will only indicate where the ISP is located. That would be the general area of the poster however even that can be masked with the proper software.

Yes, it is very easy to get the IP address. However, that only places you in a country with latitude/longitude, etc... and only of the Internet Service Provider; not you specifically. And according to statistics, even that is only 80% accurate to within a 25 mile radius. So all they are doing is marketing research, to a degree, because your IP address changes regularly anyway, unless you specifically pay for what is known as a "static IP".

You can check your own here: What Is My IP?

Since I know nada - would I be right in assuming that even when one uses a hide my IP service, they can still track you back?

Nope. Well, there are those that could, but that would take some hacking.

CheenaGringo wrote:Since I know nada - would I be right in assuming that even when one uses a hide my IP service, they can still track you back?

Yes for the NSA no for Zed or HelperGuy. Understand there is hiding your IP address and there is hiding your IP address. Using Hotlink(sp) probably would
not give you much protection from the government. Using a VPN (virtual private network) and flying around the world would but if you pissed off the
big guys nothing will save you and the criminal elements are even smarter than the government. If you go to places that the US government has not
much influence you could probably disapear however you just might draw attention to yourself in the process. The guy who outsourced his own job
was caught by being careless with his attempt to hide that he was somewhere else. Nobody is going to tell you how to hide these days as it could
be thought of as giving help to criminals or terrorists. Yes they do think that way and we got lectures all the time about it.

Z

CanuckBob wrote:And then there is the burden of proving whom at that address actually posted anything. Most IP searches are used to set up further surveillance on an individual.

Hate to say it but $100 was the going price 10 years ago when one wanted to know whom and where the IP belonged.
Don't bet on your ISP (internet service provider i.e. Telmex here or Qwest in US for example) to protect you. That underpaid
employee would love to hand out your address and name.

Z

Okay, just to flesh that out: hiding from NetFlix or NBC Online? They won't know, and they wouldn't be able to find out easily if they wanted to. As far as people who are paid to find out, like the NSA? Not too difficult.

espíritu del lago wrote:Helper guy wrote: Which government? I am speaking of USA law.
Some tech security bloggers are writing articles as they understand it. All I can say is Google tech security and law blogs. I read some law blog also. Pretty interesting.

Try this for latest info on law. TWIT which is This week in Tech also has a TWIL this week in Law. You might enjoy it. I sure enjoy the technical one.
He also has a TWIG for google.

http://twit.tv/

This place is owned and run by Leo Laporte who use to have many computer shows on TV including Screen savers, Call for Help. I strongly suggest
you hang here for information about a great deal of subjects. They have excellent servers and I stream HD content down here all the time with
the mid level (5) DSL telmex service with great results. Hit shows than all shows to see TWIL.

Give em a try...you gotta find something here interesting or you are ot trying.


Z

Hey, I'm sure there are all sorts of ways to find out this kind of information. But I think the point, for the general public, is who would want to do this, and why, to anyone around here? It's certainly not an everyday thing. In other words, Joe and Jill down the street really don't have anything to worry about... unless they have something they are already worried about... .

Zedinmexico wrote:

CanuckBob wrote:And then there is the burden of proving whom at that address actually posted anything. Most IP searches are used to set up further surveillance on an individual.

Hate to say it but $100 was the going price 10 years ago when one wanted to know whom and where the IP belonged.
Don't bet on your ISP (internet service provider i.e. Telmex here or Qwest in US for example) to protect you. That underpaid
employee would love to hand out your address and name.

Z

Z, my interpretation of CBob's question is...There is no way to determine, who @ that IP actually posted.....say in a dorm situation, where everyone has access to the same computer.

Exactly Jim.

NOPE.

CheenaGringo wrote:Since I know nada - would I be right in assuming that even when one uses a hide my IP service, they can still track you back?

Cheena, it depends on what service you are talking about... and who your ISP is... the weak link is you to your ISP. If you use a hide my IP address with an ordinary ISP, the first hop to your ISP is likely not private, but relays after that are.

But there are ISP's that specialize in total privacy for whatever reason you may want... they will have a private VPN, and protect your hop from your own computer to them. You should use the 256k encryption and as many relays as you can stand. That will be the most private that a US citizen can get legally.

And then there's military-grade encryption, which you can't get in the US, but plenty of hacker-types can outside of the US. How Bad do you want to be?

merry

They also can't determine where you are anyway, with any accuracy. You could be tracked maybe to a two-block radius; certainly not to your house.

Great info, Oh, love the twit site.... Thanks all!