Understanding Technology
Pause, Before You Post Anonymous Comments!
People keep asking me, "why is it that you do not post anonymous comments on this or that web site?"
In all honesty, I have been asked this question for years. Basically, I have three
clear cut reasons for not posting anonymous comments on the web.
- I happen to own a company that manages over 500 web destinations, many of which
my company owns directly;
- I own a few web sites (personally), so I can publish my thoughts any time I desire; but most important,
- As a matter of honor (something important to me) I believe if a man has something to
say, he should be willing to put his name on it. I always put my name on what I have to say,
whether it is on the web or in front of a room.
Now, why is it that you should pause before posting (seemingly) anonymous comments on the web?
The reality is this: web postings are not anonymous and they are fully trackable back to the source
(i.e. to you).
This third thought is really what I am going to talk about in today's Understanding
Technology article. I honestly believe if people knew their seemingly anonymous comments
were not really anonymous, it would help them to think more clearly before typing so
extemporaneously.
First, Some Background
When you simply download a web page, your session is recorded on the web server; and
the exact date and time of your visit is part of what is recorded (i.e. logged). The web
page, all pictures on the page, and any other enclosed content on the web page that you
retrieve is fully logged by the web server.
And, when you enter information into a form or open field (like when you type in some
comments on an article) on any given web site, your session is recorded. The information
or comments that you type in, including the text, misspellings and bad grammar, they are
all recorded.
The IP address of your computer, as it appears to the web server, is logged into a file
on the web server. While this Internet Protocol number may be the same for everyone that
uses your network, when combined with the date and time of your visit, your actual, local
IP address may be recovered.
These IP addresses and the associated date/times are typically recorded on every networking
device and firewall between your location and the end web destination. Other information
is recorded by web servers, including your browser type (and version) and your operating
system type (and version).
Now let's think about your local computer for a moment.
The web addresses that you visit, many of the web pages (the actual files), the images you view,
the videos you look at, and the music you play ... it is all saved on your local computer. And
just so you know, this information is not easily deleted from your computer.
Why is it that you should pause before entering wild comments on the web? Mainly
because your postings really are not anonymous; and all of this information may be
retrieved via a subpoena. That's right, the courts and/or law enforcement may retrieve this
information in support of what they do every day. You know, dealing with criminal and civil
type stuff!
Pause, Before You Type!
So before you threaten or attack someone, and certainly before you talk about so-and-so's
mama's dog, you need to take a deep breath. You should consider first typing your thoughts into
Microsoft Word (or whatever word processor you use); you should review what you are going to
paste into the particular web form; and you should remember what I have mentioned to you today.
What you are entering really, really is not anonymous.
My advice is free, and you may take it or leave it as you choose.
By the way, the following was retrieved from your computer in support of this article:
Your IP Address: 38.107.191.87
Your Browser: CCBot/1.0 (+http://www.commoncrawl.org/bot.html)
You have a real nice day now, you hear?
Until next time, we’ll see you in The Village!
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