Thought this was relevant for today's times .
Can I be identified through IM instant messaging ?
With all this political stuff on Rep. Mark Foley and his instant messages, I
am curious: Do instant messages show IP addresses, like e-mail headers? And
how can an end user save the IM conversations?
By now, most of us are careful with e-mail messages. From experience, we
know that messages can be forwarded or saved indefinitely. Fortunately, we
can spend plenty of time choosing the right words.
In contrast, most people do not exercise the same caution with IM (instant
messaging). Conversations flow as a flurry of short comments without much
deliberation. If e-mail is business, IM is casual.
Other factors further distinguish IM. The use of screen names makes IM
somewhat anonymous. Also, entire conversations seem to disappear when a
messenger program is closed. This might explain why some people indulge in
fantasy through IM.
Foley certainly overstepped professional boundaries in IM conversations with
congressional pages. Those conversations came back to haunt him, spurring
his recent resignation.
IM conversations are no more private than e-mail messages. IM conversations,
like e-mail, may be copied and pasted to a file. Some IM programs even
include automatic recording among their features. Google Talk's history and
Yahoo! Messenger's archive are examples.
IM in the workplace may offer even less privacy. Employers can install
keyloggers on their machines to catch every word. Servers also could record
everything passing through instant messaging ports. As I've said before,
always assume someone is watching.
What about instant messaging at home? Can you be tracked down through IM?
That's unlikely unless you reveal too much in conversation.
Most IM programs are supported by servers. That means your messages aren't
sent directly to recipients. Your messages first go to the IM provider's
servers. The servers then route your comments to the other person. Anyone
gathering IP addresses through IM will get only a server's address.
In any case, your IP address is assigned to you by your Internet service
provider. Any Web site owner can log your address when you visit. But that
is a long way from actually identifying you.
Only your ISP knows who has that IP number. And that information is not
generally available. A subpoena probably would be necessary to get it.
There are more ways to obscure your IP address. You can route your messages
through a proxy server. They are intended specifically to maintain
anonymity. So a recipient would get the IP number of the proxy server. Even
if that were cracked, the same information would have to come from the IM
provider and the ISP. This is virtually impossible, without a subpoena.
Tor is one popular example of proxy servers. You can find it on my site.
Other free proxy servers, also on my site, are Privoxy and PHProxy.
I should note that Foley's IP numbers were not traced. He got caught because
the pages complained. What a foolish man!
There are some obvious lessons from the Foley situation. Of course, adults
shouldn't send explicit-or questionable-notes to children. Anybody should
know that.
But you also should be careful about what you put in writing. If you must
say something angry/stupid/controversial, do it face-to-face. Digital
writing is often recorded somewhere. And once it is recorded, it probably
never will go away. It could appear 20 years later in a search, and
embarrass you.
Many adults don't know squat about instant messaging. But their children do.
If you have kids, have them sign my 10 Commandments for Kids Online. It
deals with instant messaging
Copied from
Kim Komando Show Tip of the Day - Friday, Oct. 6, 2006
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