h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This account holder also owns twelve other accounts, one is the original account which was put on pre- moderation due to persistent breaking of the House Rules. Two new accounts were opened during his initial one week suspension (which began on 10 September, 2002), including one that was breaking the House Rules further by posting offensive material, and so in accordance with the Transgressions procedure he was moved to a one month suspension (on the 11 September, 2002). Five new accounts have been opened since then, and so the transgressions procedure has been moved on to the next stage.

Thanks for clearing that up

How do you know that all of these accounts are the same person? Same email address? That's a bit silly if he did that. Almost deserves to be banned just for thinking you wouldn't notice. (Don't underestimate the moderators)

IIRC, the same IP.

Same IP address isn't necessarily proof...

It *could* be a machine in a common room (in a school or similar) where several people have log-ins
Admittedly it's *unlikely* that they would all use just that one machine every time but...

They also take into account the log-in/log-off times. With a common-room or shared computer working as a proxy for a LAN you would expect that sometimes two of the accounts in question are active. With one researcher you'd expect a log-off from account 1 followed immediately by a log-on to account 2.

Indeed

It's just that the same IP is not 100% *proof*, 99.something though

Check out
F82421?thread=160922&skip=160&show=20#p1684501 #162 and 164, too.

99%? Not based on experience: at one stage (IIRC) the Italics thought that 'Not Banned Yet' (now known as 'Constructively Banned') was an account created by/used by LeKZ, because David once used LeKZ' computer to log on to h2g2.

I don't know about y'all, but certainly the PC I'm using ATM is completely insecure. And no, logging out each time wouldn't help either: I'm in a room full of programmers, most of whom have the werewithall to install a keygrabber trojan or similar. Equally, I don't have a clue about what external IP/IPs might be shared between computers in this company and/or other companies using the same ISP as us.

Which is why the Italics should continue to be careful before making assumptions based on IP, and should listen carefully to people who may be caught up in such confusion, many of whom will have neither a working knowledge of IPs, nor a perfect memory of all the times and places they may have logged on to h2g2, nor a 100% secure computer. Which I'm sure is already the case.

-Martin

Am I correct in assuming that if you check the *always remember me on this computer* tick box, then anyone can log on as you (as long as you aren't already logged on)?

From the computer on which the cookie resides, yeah, AFAIK.

So if a researcher does that on multiple machines (eg at school) they'd be open to all sorts of *trouble* at the hands of unscrupulous, though possibly technically inept, class*mates*...
As such, a warning to this effect should accompany the said tick box might not be such a bad idea

How does one uncheck the box, having previously checked it. It seems that you might check the box by mistake (or even on purpose). After that you have no control over your account on a multi-user machine, e.g., a privatised machine that got nationalised.

DMT

You hit the "logout" button instead of just closing the browser down.

This dips the cookie in a nice hot cup of and generally trashes it, so the computer no longer recognises you as a researcher the next time you visit h2g2

You could also change your password at that point and it would only remember your old password anyhow, which would thoroughly confuse any peers that were trying to log onto your account.. Couldn't you?

No that wouldn't make any difference. If you had checked the "remember me on this computer" box and had not used the Logout button to leave, but only closed the browser, the cookie would still be intact. The next time you, or anyone, visted h2g2 it would recognise the machine and give full access to the account in question.

You could change your password before using the Logout button. This would be a redundant move unless you thought that someone else knew your password details.

The moral of the story, always Logout properly if using a public computer.

Aww well thank you. That resolves a few of my errors

That cookie/log out procedure is very common, though. Yahoo, e-bay ... they all use it.

Yahoo times out after a week or so and you have to re-enter your Password...I don't think that would be practical here though judging from the number of people using their second accounts after forgetting their password.

And a week to time out would be rather long. Anyone here who only visits h2g2 less than once per week?