This one fact is really starting to worry me!

hollowtrucker77 said:So eventually you end up with people breaking rules constantly, forcing everyone to get stricter and stricter...
until the whole point of both sides just gets lost in the shuffle.

And look, it’s not like this is some fine art where everyone needs to act civilly so the users and the mods don't have any drama.
ruggedfox28, I honestly have no idea how you expected me to just hand you something that's clearly against the rules here.
Isn't that kind of disrespectful?
If I slap you with a 7-day ban like I'm supposed to, then you're gonna complain about how the Admin is being too harsh and doesn't get you.

Man, I wasn't expecting anything... 😉

I wasn't even complaining about your call—I totally get it—but a little bit of internal snark can feel like an invitation for us "model citizens" to get a pass every now and then (kind of like what you just did for me). 😉 👍

Good grief, if I were actually out there causing trouble with Vuco and Lokin, you wouldn't even be talking to me right now. And for the exact same reason (probably), you didn't even bust me for those clones. 🙂

We're on the same page, right...? 😉

We’re all on the same page here
and honestly, it’s just a perfect illustration of how certain clones of banned users somehow manage to stick around and survive despite everything else.
🙂

hollowtrucker77 said:So basically, someone acts out, things get tighter and tighter,
and eventually, we all lose the whole point of why we're even here.

Look, it’s not like being civil is some kind of high art. Users and mods shouldn't be having these kinds of blowouts in the first place.
ruggedfox28, I honestly have no clue how you expected me to just hand you something that’s clearly against the rules here.
Isn't that just plain rude?
If I slap you with a 7-day ban like I'm supposed to, you'll just whine about how the Admin is being too harsh or doesn't get you.

Not allowed😕

Since when? Even mods have clones, so what's the big deal? The only thing actually banned is using a clone to dodge a ban or talking to yourself on the same thread.🤷

Since when were clones totally off-limits?🤷

stormybadger8 said:Since when were clones completely banned?🤷

And who says clones are strictly forbidden? 😕

What you just described is strictly prohibited. And let me be crystal clear on this one... using a clone to post on a PDF where someone else holds partial ownership is also against the rules.

hollowtrucker77 said:I can get my hands on the address and the name registered to the line.

If that's true, they seriously need to put a warning about it when you sign up for the forum.
I had no idea Comcast was just handing out user data like candy to forum admins. Are you actually serious right now, or are you just messing with me? 😕

cosmicskipper39 said:Then they should probably put that in the warning during forum registration.
I guess I didn't realize Comcast was just handing out user data to forum Admins like that. Are you being for real or just messing with me? 😕

I think if you report abuse to the authorities in your reply, you get all that info.

Christian Miller12 said:😲 Look guys, I don't work for the FBI,

But we sure do.

Christian Miller12 said:can we maybe keep this conversation a little more civil since I'm actually paying for your services here?

Which reminds me, you haven't even cleared your last three bills with us. 🙂

dustypuma5 said:I figure if you report someone for abuse, the authorities will just hand over all those details in their response.

So, walk me through this "abuse" thing. Like, what exactly does a user have to do to get flagged?

It would make way more sense if someone was out there causing absolute chaos online and getting reported to the FBI, rather than some Comcast rep handing private info over to a random forum Admin.

Look, an Admin can block a user from the site—end of story. Anything beyond that shouldn't be their business.

I honestly still don't see any reason why anyone would ever hand out that kind of data. 🤷

No abuse department at an ISP like Comcast is just going to hand over a user's private info just because someone reports them. 🙄

An ISP will only release private data to the FBI if they present a valid warrant. That’s the end of it.

cosmicskipper39 said:Explain what you mean by "abuse" in plain American English. Like, what does a user actually have to do to get reported?

I guess it would make sense if someone was doing total garbage online and that got reported to the FBI, rather than the Comcast rep just handing over data to some forum Admin.

An Admin can block a user from the site, but anything beyond that shouldn't be their business.

Still don't really see why anyone would hand over that kind of info. 🤷

Man, this whole attempt at making everything sound "local" is such a joke. They suggested calling hardware something totally weird. I'm not doing that...

Comcast isn't going to report people to the FBI or the CIA because they aren't the ones getting screwed over. But, if a user is constantly causing trouble on a specific site and actually hurting them, then an Admin could show proof and ask the ISP for user info to file a lawsuit for damages. Plus, if an ISP decides a user is seriously violating the terms of service, they can just cut off the internet access temporarily or forever.

Actually, a few days ago I had this situation with a client who has a DSL contract through Comcast with a Carnet discount since his kids go to school there. His DSL got cut off because one of the kids was downloading unauthorized content.
It was a huge pain just to get them to restore the connection after I argued and showed them fake router logs proving someone else had been using the Wi-Fi.🙂

People need to stop thinking they can just do whatever they want online without being tracked. Eventually, once things align with European Union standards, downloading pirated Windows software might get your internet cut off—not by the ISP, but by a copyright agency, and that ban would apply to all ISPs.

Jacob Foster11 said:I mean, there's no way an abuse department at Comcast is just gonna hand over their customers' private info to whoever reports them. I guess. 🙄

Comcast hands over private data to the FBI if they show up with a warrant. That's pretty much it, I guess.

I guess if an Admin files a report against some random person hitting certain IP addresses, Comcast is basically forced to hand over the data to the FBI. Maybe.

So, I guess there's this new law now where they don't even need a warrant anymore. Like, the FBI can just grab your data whenever they feel like it without asking a judge first. Crazy.

I guess all the ISPs, like Comcast or whatever, are gonna have to hold onto everyone's call and internet data for six months now. Apparently, it's at the request of the FBI... or something. the local police departmentsIf an investigative judge or some intelligence agency calls, I guess operators have like 48 hours to hand over that data. Maybe.

It applies to everything. Texts, emails, call logs... they all get saved for six months, and within 48 hours, any local Police Department chief could probably have them sitting right on their desk.

dustypuma5 said:I am absolutely not dealing with this "Americanization" nonsense. For instance, someone actually suggested we call hardware "STIFFENERS." I refuse to talk like that...

Comcast can't just go reporting people to the FBI or the CIA because they haven't been harmed. But, if a user is constantly trashing a specific site and causing actual damage, then the Admin—once they present the proof—can demand user data from Comcast to file a lawsuit for damages. And look, if Comcast decides a user is flagrantly violating the terms of service, they can temporarily or even permanently kill that person's internet access.

Just a few days ago, I dealt with a situation involving a client who has a DSL contract through Comcast with a Carnet discount because his kids are in school. His DSL was cut off because one of the kids was downloading unauthorized content online.
It was a massive headache, but I finally managed to get his connection restored by arguing the point and faking some router logs to show that someone else had hopped on the wireless without permission. 🙂

Stop living under the delusion that you can hide what you're doing online or that nobody can track you down when you're being an idiot. There will come a time when, following European Union standards, you could lose your right to DSL just for downloading pirated Windows software—and it won't be the ISP making that call, it'll be a copyright enforcement agency, and that ban would apply to all ISPs everywhere.

I don't need a translation for the word "abuse," but I would love to know what actually triggers a user report. Your example is great, but unfortunately, it has nothing to do with typing on a forum.

I don't live in some fantasy world where I think I'm anonymous online. But if anyone can just dig up user data, then fine, put it clearly in the rules so people actually know what they're getting into. Then maybe we won't have trolls or clones cluttering things up. 😉
We’ll all just communicate super politely and courteously on the forum, signing with our full legal names, swapping Social Security numbers and PINs... it'll be wonderful, and we won't even need moderators since we'll all be acting like polite little professionals in a corporate office.

I’d love to see what the threads on Reddit, Politics, or Psychology would look like under those conditions...😁

And don't even start with me about those Windows copies, because who the hell is actually going to bother pirating stuff in America anyway? 😂

Not everyone can handle this kind of responsibility, and honestly, the misuse of data like that is a massive, high-stakes mess
but really, you have to laugh when these little punks try to threaten me, acting like they’re going to track me down and tear me apart just because they think they’re hiding behind some digital curtain of anonymity. It’s almost pathetic, if it weren't so ridiculous.
😁

cosmicskipper39 said:And don't even start with me about those Windows issues, because let's be honest, who in the US is actually going to bother checking that? 😂

Imagine just running a little script for a week straight that quietly harvests serial numbers, then letting it sit for another day to dump everything into a database so they can cross-reference it against a list of legitimate users
Or they could even do it dynamically, while the pirate is just coasting along, feeling incredibly smug about how brilliant they are for outsmarting the entire system.
🙂

Sarah Edwards38 said:Are we really?

Which reminds me, you haven't actually settled your last three invoices for our services. 🙂

People pay for things when they actually provide some value.🤣

cosmicskipper39 said:I don't really need a definition for abuse, but I'd love to know what actually triggers a user report. Your example is fine, I guess, but it doesn't really have anything to do with how people type on this forum.

I'm not under any illusion that I'm anonymous online, but if anyone can just dig up user data, then maybe that should be clearly stated in the rules so people actually know. Then we wouldn't have trolls or clones. 😉
I mean, sure, we'll all just be super polite and professional on the forum, using our full legal names and swapping Social Security numbers and PINs... sounds great, right? We won't even need moderators if we all just act like we're in a corporate office meeting.

I'd love to see what threads on LJS, Politics, or Psychology would look like then...😁

And don't even start with me about those Windows things, because honestly, who would even bother doing that here in the US anyway? 😂

The main thing is that the admin can't just grab your info without a formal request. It’s not like there's some button they click to see: oh, that's John Doe.

They see an IP address, which they can use to track down the ISP.

They get the actual data after filing a report with the ISP and the police. First, there's a report against an unknown offender, then the police and the ISP exchange info, and if there's enough evidence to go after someone officially, the police take it from there.
An ISP has the right, based on their contract with the user, to cut off internet access for stuff like constant cloning on the forum. And an admin could even go further and sue someone for causing trouble and ask for damages. In that case, the court would demand info from the ISP to figure out who the admin is suing, and I guess hollowtrucker77 is probably thinking of that.

As for Windows. Just realize that all your communication data is kept for six months. So, you connect to a torrent site and download Windows 7. Boom, your internet is gone.

That kind of law is already active in France, and it's expected to be rolled out across the EU by 2012.

hollowtrucker77 said:Just run a script for a week to scrape all the serial numbers, then spend another day dumping them into a database to cross-reference against the list of legitimate users.

Sure, why not just do it dynamically? While the pirate is busy surfing the web and patting himself on the back for being such a genius who outsmarted the system.🙂

True—except that kind of unauthorized surveillance on private traffic would be a much bigger violation of the law than someone using pirated Windows.

dustypuma5 said:And as for Windows. Get it through your head—all your communication data is logged for six months. So, you connect to a torrent site to grab Windows 7? Boom. Your internet is gone.

That kind of law is already active in France, and it’s expected to be rolled out across the EU by 2012.

Actually, that's wrong. You don't lose internet access until a court actually convicts you. Just imagine what would happen to the legal system if courts tried to prosecute every single person violating copyright.

Besides, bypassing this whole thing is trivial—use encryption, download torrents onto servers in third-party countries that don't have these idiotic laws, or pick one of the other 250 ways to get around it.

Joseph Watson3 said:Yeah, except I guess unauthorized spying on someone's traffic would be way more illegal than using pirated Windows.

Nah, not really. An ISP is legally required to keep that data.

I literally just told you my client's internet got cut off at Carnet because the kid was downloading movies on torrents.

It's standard procedure. Just read the new Electronic Communications Act.

Here's a bit:

Secret surveillance of electronic communications networks and services

Section 108.

(1) Public communications network operators and publicly available electronic communications service providers must, at their own expense, ensure and maintain measures for the secret surveillance of electronic communications networks and services, as well as electronic communications lines, for the competent authority for the surveillance of electronic communications, in accordance with special regulations governing operator obligations regarding national security.

(2) Within the framework of secret surveillance measures for electronic communications networks and services, the operators from paragraph 1 of this section are required to:

- provide the first and last name and address, or the name and headquarters of the subscriber of a specific telephone number, their email address, or any other available number or address, based on a request from an authorized police officer in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code,

- intercept the content of electronic communications and provide the collected data and/or traffic data to the competent authority, based on a warrant from a competent court in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code,

- intercept the content of electronic communications and provide the collected data and/or traffic data to the competent security-intelligence agency, based on a request from the competent authority for the surveillance of electronic communications in accordance with special laws regarding the security-intelligence system.

(3) The operators from paragraph 1 of this section are required to process the data in accordance with the request from paragraph 2 of this section.

(4) The obligation to process and provide data from paragraphs 2 and 3 of this section also applies in cases where it contradicts the provisions of sections 99 through 104 of this Act or special regulations governing the protection of personal data.

Joseph Watson3 said:Sure, except I'm pretty sure that kind of unauthorized surveillance on private traffic would be a way bigger legal violation than just running some pirated Windows.

right
and apparently everyone’s just out here trading candy bars like it’s a hobby because they’ve got nothing better to do with their lives.
🙂