Setting aside whatever you think about downloading music from the Internet, if successful, could a suit like this have broader implications, particularly for a community such as this?  Specifically, could LE force ISPs to give them the names of people who heavily traffic escort malls and the like?

I've chosen to PM you a response..Hope it answers something for you.

xo
Sedona

Since when is it a crime to visit a website?  It's like certain books being banned and illegal to read.  We still have the First Amendment.  This isn't North Korea (yet).  

I know, I know.  Kiddie porn websites are illegal and downloading images from them or buying kiddie porn print magazines will get you in lots of trouble.  "Saving the children" changes all the rules.  

Maybe when Homeland Security transforms into a real American Gestapo, things will be different.  Until then, visiting a website is proof of nothing.

The average (ie. non-geek) internet user should never be under the illusion that their internet access is anonymous.  Assuming you are accessing 'the net' through an ISP, they can easily record who was logged in, when and where they went.

Even if you're accessing it from a public place like a college, Kinko's or Internet Cafe, they probably have surveillance cameras up of everyone who walks in the door.   I'm not saying it wouldn't take some detective work to trace it, but the average user could be tracked down pretty easily.

In some ways I think the internet was the best thing that ever happened to LE.  I would be shocked if they don't monitor traffic at "how to build a bomb" or white supremacists sites, or more likely host some of them just to find out who's interested.

Depending on your level of paranoia you'll trust that as long as you mind your own business and not doing anything blatantly illegal, you'll probably never get a knock at the door, but as Pete Townsend found out, it can happen.  (Of course he got into trouble by using his credit card, but I'm sure he thought he was doing that anonymously too.)

Like most of these issues, the internet doesn’t really present a new threat per se, I mean LE could always get a wire tap or put you under surveillance and find out all of your dirty little secrets, but the internet just gives them another way to check up on us.

Personally I don't lose any sleep over it, and I understand the technology pretty thoroughly. I take it for granted that I could be "found out" if someone wanted too invest the time.   I just trust (hope) that nobody will.



-- Modified on 1/25/2003 10:43:21 PM

A court subpoena is required for an ISP to release any information about any particular client. This is not easily obtainable, unless: some sort of illegal activity has been performed; ie. harrassment, threats, extortion, kidnapping, illegal software downloads (most software companies keep track of whats on your computer by asking you to download latest upgrades) , hacking.
Tracking someone is fairly easy now. There are several tools available to anyone with a little knowledge and a bit of idle time, to trace and identify the source of email, or visitors to a website.

If you intend to do something that LE considers a high priority, and it has the potential to make a good court case, and the person/company reports this to the proper agency, then you need to worry. Or, if the person/company that has been the victim of such a crime is  infinite in their search to find and condemn the culprit.