From: dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr. Dimitri Vulis)
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 23:52:15 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Open NNTP servers and logging
In-Reply-To: <199601270633.AAA09641@unique.outlook.net>
Message-ID: <81aDiD60w165w@bwalk.dm.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


"Michael Peponis" <mianigand@unique.outlook.net> writes:
> On 26 Jan 96 at 21:11, Stephen Albert wrote:
> > A little while back there were some very helpful posts about getting starte
> > wit open NNTP servers.  Since my regular site runs kinda slow in the news
> > department I've been having fun poking around and seeing about getting more
> > current.
> >
> > Then it dawned on me.  People keep logs.  Presumably routine logging would
> > point right back at my ISP, and from there it'd be not too hard to pin down
> > specifically.  No, I don't think anyone is particularly *likely* to do that
> > but why take chances?
>
> Well, as bad as the lack of anonymity may be, NNTP server logs serve a very
> usefull purpose, ie finding and eliminating trolls and spammers.

I think Stephen Albert was asking about the possibility of using logs to find
out what he's reading, not posting. That's quite possible. Recall the recent
incident when an unethical researcher looked through his colleagues' .newsrc
files to see what newsgroups they were subscribed to.

If this concerns you, perhaps you could use something like an anonymous HTTP
proxy to connect "really anonymously" to an NNTP server?

---

Dr. Dimitri Vulis
Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps