The internet is not anonymous
by Volker Weber
On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog. Right? Wrong.
Many users share the same major misconception. They think they can keep a secret by using handles instead of their own names, by keeping e-mail addresses, web pages or similar things by obfuscating them. So let me tell you something new: There is no leak-proof system*.
Simply don't do things that you don't want to have linked to your person. If you use a handle, someone will find out who you are. Don't stick out a tongue at a collective audience. Inquiring minds want to know.
The last user I came across who tried to stay anonymous by using a handle was Buga Difino who — previously unheard of — posted some very good comments about the state of IBM marketing around Lotus Domino and Lotus Workplace on Mike Golding's notestips.com.
Yesterday Buga made a stupid mistake. Now I know his real name, his occupation, employer and so forth. I do not intend to publish this information, but to everyone else: Consider yourself warned. You may get away with using a handle for a while. But certainly not forever.
*) You don't keep a ship from sinking by making it leak-proof. You pump the water out faster than it is leaking in.
Comments
Us OpenNTF'ers caught someone a while back on a similar premise. By mapping back when he linked from openntf.org to notes.net or was it vice versa?), then scanning web logs for the same IP address, we got him.
If you really want to stay anonymous, wear gray flannel, keep your head down, and don't mutter too much.
Post a comment
Recent comments
Axel Koerv on Meeeeeeeeeeep at 21:57
Roland Dressler on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 11:50
Karl Heindel on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 10:30
Jerry Preissler on LibreOffice vs Apache OpenOffice at 13:47
Mariano Kamp on How to commit at 09:41
Bernd Vellguth on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 02:05
Thilo Hamberger on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 16:40
Jens Bruntt on Free PlayBook for your Android app submission at 11:47
Karl Heindel on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 20:26
Roland Dressler on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 15:12
Stephan H. Wissel on heise online: IBM plant Stellenabbau in Deutschland at 08:38
Jan Lauer on heise online: IBM plant Stellenabbau in Deutschland at 04:13
Juergen Heinrich on Balance at 03:29
Jörg Hermann on Girls On Longboards at 02:42
Stephan H. Wissel on heise online: IBM plant Stellenabbau in Deutschland at 23:21
Joerg Michael on heise online: IBM plant Stellenabbau in Deutschland at 21:01
Ben Poole on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 19:46
David Hablewitz on BlackBerry Business Cloud Services with Microsoft Office 365 at 16:44
Patrick Picard on RIM tries to be social. Falls flat on face. at 16:00
Volker Weber on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 10:29
Richard Hogan on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 10:26
Joachim Haydecker on Girls On Longboards at 08:26
Karl Heindel on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 07:50
Keith Brooks on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 04:21
David Hablewitz on Outlook to Notes converter: from PST to NSF at 01:38
Click here to subscribe
