There is no anonymity in cyberspace, part whatever.

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The authorities figured out who hacked Sarah Palin’s e-mail account quite easily. When law enforcement refuse to help women victimized by internet harassers and stalkers, it is because they don’t want to, not because they can’t.

–Ann Bartow

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0 Responses to There is no anonymity in cyberspace, part whatever.

  1. clueless says:

    Technically, there are cases in which law enforcement would be unable to trace an IP address. In this situation, the hacker used a US-based anonymity service, so a US-based law enforcement agency had leverage to follow his tracks to his door. However, if the anonymous proxy is in another country, or is a more complex system that doesn’t log traffic, then there’s no way for even a dedicated investigator to learn more.

    Having laid out those caveats, I believe it is extremely rare that an internet stalker uses such high-level tools. (Indeed, I doubt most of them use proxies at all.) And if that’s the case, then most investigative failures ARE due to lack of interest from the law.

  2. Ann Bartow says:

    It is certainly true that some people can make themselves hard to trace, but not as hard as you’d think. IP addressed are only one way of tracking people over the internet.

  3. historiann says:

    Great point, Ann.