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 


    VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
    Send comments on list operation to
    [log in to unmask]
     VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
    http://listserv.icors.org/archives/vicug-l.html
    Signoff: [log in to unmask]
    Subscribe: [log in to unmask]