Our privacy on Elitefitness.com

[Wizdumb]

This was sent to me in am email from Steroid-Encyclopaedia.com.

I know they are twisting the truth and making it sound like all the Gov't has to do is make a request and our personal info is supplied. I'm sure that Verio has no access to the Elite user database and the only info they may be able to obtain might be an IP Address.

This means they could probably tell a person with this IP Adress (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) went to elitefitness.com on the date xx/xx/xx and time. For someone like me that has a Static IP (Always the same) they could prove someone at my house visited the elite website . For those of you that have dial access, you always get a different IP Address when you connect. It would be very difficult to track down who was using that IP Address at that particular point in time. Your ISP and Verio would both have to cooperate and then all they would know is someone at your house visited the elite website or someone got your password.

I'm guessing Verio has no way to link indiviual posts on Elite to an IP address???

I just thought I'd throw this out here to see what the Elite admins responses are....Slander??


Here it is:

Verio.com (Among thousands of websites, they also host EliteFitness...)

NTT/VERIO will not intentionally monitor private electronic mail messages sent or received by its subscribers unless required to do so by law, governmental authority, or when public safety is at stake. NTT/VERIO may, however, monitor its service electronically to determine that its facilities are operating satisfactorily. Also, NTT/VERIO may disclose information, including but not limited to, information concerning a subscriber, a transmission made using our network, or a web site, in order to comply with a court order, subpoena, summons, discovery request, warrant, statute, regulation, or governmental request. NTT/VERIO assumes no obligation to inform the subscriber that subscriber information has been provided and in some cases may be prohibited by law from giving such notice. Finally, NTT/VERIO may disclose subscriber information or information transmitted over its network where necessary to protect NTT/VERIO and others from harm, or where such disclosure is necessary to the proper operation of the system.

My comment about Verio:

Same as Rackshack. They offer no privacy protection at all, and they will monitor all traffic in and out from their servers without notifying their customers. The most insteresting thing about Verio though, is that they host EliteFitness, one of the biggest bodybuilding/powerlifting boards on the net. EliteFitness recently sent out this newsletter:

"As you know, many powerful forces would like to shut down the EliteFitness.com website. Most of them are enemies of hardcore bodybuilding. But once in a while, some of the most vicious attacks come from within the bodybuilding community itself. Last week, Paul Gardiner, President of MuscleTech, and his lawyers came after the EliteFitness.com site, our members, and me with a vengeance.

On January 26, I received a letter from MuscleTech's lawyers at the powerful New York law firm, Kenyon and Kenyon. The letter alleges that by allowing you to post your comments about the MuscleTech brand of nutritional supplements on our discussion boards, EliteFitness.com is guilty of "false advertising ... unfair competition, product disparagement, trade libel, and interference with prospective economic advantage." They also accuse us of infringing their trademarks and copyrights.

More scary still, not only is MuscleTech demanding that we censor your free speech; they also want us to reveal to them the names of our members who have made discussion board posts on EliteFitness.com about their company. In other words, MuscleTech and their high priced lawyers demand that we violate our own privacy policy and provide them with personal information about, our members - something we would absolutely NEVER do. They further threaten that if we do not provide them with your personal information, they will sue both the EliteFitness.com site and me personally."

Note the words "... that we violate our own privacy policy and provide them with personal information about our members ...". Seems like EliteFitness missed the point. It doesn't matter what privacy policy they have as long as their webhost don't have a privacy policy. Law enforemenct only need to send a written request to Verio (the webhost), and they will have access to all the personal info about EliteFitness members they want, without EliteFitness knowing about it.

The sad thing is that EliteFitness use this in their advantage and try to push even more of their own supplements. These are just a couple of specific examples, but the same is true for all discussion boards/websites located in the US. DO NOT TRUST ANY OF THEM!"

 

[rickcorso]

I didnt read your entire post...but there is nothing illegal about researching and discussing steroids.

 

[mvmaxx]

Use a proxy server.

 

[Wizdumb]

Use a proxy server.

A proxy server still uses a specific IP to communicate and that IP is registered to someone that can be ID'd. It really doesn't matter though like I said in my earlier post, there's really no information that can associate you with a post other then that available to Elite Staff members!!

I didn’t read your entire post...but there is nothing illegal about researching and discussing steroids.

Some people talk about buying, selling and possessing illegal drugs on here and maybe a message like the one I posted form Steroid-Encyclopaedia.com would scare them. I was just trying to point out that the article was exaggerated and that it would be very difficult to associate a persons true identity with a comment made on this board.

I am really not trying to say anything though, i just posted something from a email I received!!!!!

 

[Dr.M]

This means they could probably tell a person with this IP Adress (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) went to elitefitness.com on the date xx/xx/xx and time. For someone like me that has a Static IP (Always the same) they could prove someone at my house visited the elite website .

ISPs that are more and more nervous these days, may very well keep records of who had what IP at what time, some ISPs have been doing this for years already. Dial up does not make you immune, please dont believe this.

Unless the government is monitoring you actively they will NOT bother collecting data on what sites you visit and what streams of data your sending and where they are going, not only extreme data collection (major storage issues), but unconstitutional collection of private information.

If anything though many ISPs are willing to free up legal problems and $$$ loss for themselves by being ready and willing to cooperate with government inquiries. Therefore "dont do anything illegal" and your A-OK. Almost all ISPs have rules saying "no hacking" yada yada on thier networks. Earthlink currently blocks SMTP to other email services other than thier own to avoid spammers on thier networks, not only because some jerkoff might try to sue them for providing services to illegal activity, but to keep bandwidth useage down etc etc, just about any ISP is going to have similar rules.

 

[Dr.M]

Use a proxy server.

Anonymous proxy would be better, yes you can do this, some people will use several, a proxy to a proxy to try and further cover tracks. If you can find one overseas then that would be especially nice, so long as they dont collect data then there is nothing that person(s) who operate the proxy can be forced to hand over to the US feds.

While an ISP CAN collect data on where your going, it is most definatley not practical and therefore like I said it wont happen unless somebody really wants you, which would be due to a previous blunder that got you noticed in the first place.

 

[baza]

I didn't read the whole post either, but the bottom line is, if they want to find you, they will. They aren't going to try and track down someone because they are on the EF board. It would probably have to be something pretty big for them to try and track someone down from here.

 

[mvmaxx]

Anonymous proxy would be better, yes you can do this, some people will use several, a proxy to a proxy to try and further cover tracks. If you can find one overseas then that would be especially nice, so long as they dont collect data then there is nothing that person(s) who operate the proxy can be forced to hand over to the US feds.

Damn bro, you're always bustin my balls on the specifics. hehe I guess I should have clarified. Yes, using a proxy server such as your companies proxy will do very little. Use an anonymous proxy like Dr. M said, this is what I meant.

While an ISP CAN collect data on where your going, it is most definatley not practical and therefore like I said it wont happen unless somebody really wants you, which would be due to a previous blunder that got you noticed in the first place.

Use a proxy server that uses an encrypted tunnel (SSH, IPSec) to attach to the proxy server and then forwards your requests from that IP. You can also proxy hop from their to offshore servers.

Of course all of this is for the severely paranoid. <mvmaxx looking around>

 

[Wizdumb]

Damn bro, you're always bustin my balls on the specifics. hehe I guess I should have clarified. Yes, using a proxy server such as your companies proxy will do very little. Use an anonymous proxy like Dr. M said, this is what I meant.

Now that makes since, I totally missed the anonymizer thing! I used to use one, but it isn't available anymore. I really don't care though as I never do anything illegal!!

 

[Dr.M]

Damn bro, you're always bustin my balls on the specifics. hehe I guess I should have clarified. Yes, using a proxy server such as your companies proxy will do very little. Use an anonymous proxy like Dr. M said, this is what I meant.

LoL, sorry, I definately knew what you meant, no ball busting intended. I use a proxy server at work for example but that is just for a few people, obviously not anonymous

Anything you find on the NET (which means us), would be anonymous yes unless they tell you "sure your anonymous where you surf other than we collect the data and sell it", there was at least 1 such company that claimed that it would speed up your internet connection in return, I worked with a company that partnered with them, what a bunch of BULLSHIT. As was expected alot of complaints came in that it infact slowed shit down, nooooooo duh LoL