Hotmail / Yahoo / Excite no longer suffice for new login

Anything relating to the operation of this site.
mgormez
Posts: 501
Joined: Tue Feb 04, 2003 9:33 pm
Location: Amsterdam
Contact:

Postby mgormez » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:04 am

a different guest wrote:how about something like this? (which i've cobbled together from a couple of sites).


Thanks. Let me add some comments and were it goes. I'll precede your lines with ">"


>We never sell, trade, or give away any personal information about registered members, ever.

Basically true. But this also would prevent to name an abuser.

So I guess this would be closer to board:
We never sell, trade, or give away any personal information about registered members, ever. However should you be out to seriously disrupt this forum (having opposing views is not regarded as on itself as being disruptive) you will be made known the the forum users at large.


>We can't tell who you are because you came to our web site, and we can't tell what page you're on right now.

I can see when someone is browsing this part of the forum or is in his/her mailbox. But what they see I don't know (and don't want to know).

>No information is made available to third parties. By default, email addresses are not displayed when you post a message or reply.

Yes.

>This bulletin board does, however, automatically collect certain non-personally-identifiable information, such as your browser type and the IP address that your ISP designates to your machine.

Yes.

>A few of our pages place a "cookie" in the browser files of a user's computer, which allows the Bulletin Boards to recognise that you've gone from one page to another as the same logged-in person. The use of cookies is now an industry standard, and you will find them used on most major web sites.

>A cookie is a small text file containing a unique identification number that is transferred from a web site to the hard drive of your computer. A unique number identifies your browser but does not provide any personal information about you at all. Since cookies are only text files, they cannot run on your computer, search your computer for information or transmit any information to anyone.


I'd add:

Cookies allow the board to recognize you the next time you visit and keep track of messages posted since your previous visit. If your browser supports cookies, using them will make your visits here more productive. If your browser doesn't support cookies, or you have disabled them, you will lose the convenience of the functions that they provide here.
The cookies that this site sets are not shared with any other website. We don't use the cookies for anything other than making the discussion board easier to use.

More information on cookies can be found here: http://www.dtp-aus.com/cookies.htm

>You have the ability to configure your browsers to refuse acceptance of cookies. A cookie cannot pass on a computer virus, or even capture your e-mail address.

This may be daft coming from me but are you sure about the last one?

Best,
Mike Gormez

User avatar
a different guest
Posts: 620
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 12:13 am
Location: Australia

Postby a different guest » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:16 am

>You have the ability to configure your browsers to refuse acceptance of cookies. A cookie cannot pass on a computer virus, or even capture your e-mail address.

This may be daft coming from me but are you sure about the last one?


buggered if I know mike - but that is what the board I was visiting said. i do know i can delete or not accept cookies depending on the settings i have on mycomputer. as for the other claims - you tell me! :)

mgormez
Posts: 501
Joined: Tue Feb 04, 2003 9:33 pm
Location: Amsterdam
Contact:

Postby mgormez » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:36 am

I am afraid our age is showing :-)

Any wizz-kid out here who does know?
Mike Gormez

Snowman
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2005 9:31 am
Location: London

Postby Snowman » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:54 am

a different guest wrote:
>You have the ability to configure your browsers to refuse acceptance of cookies. A cookie cannot pass on a computer virus, or even capture your e-mail address.

This may be daft coming from me but are you sure about the last one?


buggered if I know mike - but that is what the board I was visiting said. i do know i can delete or not accept cookies depending on the settings i have on mycomputer. as for the other claims - you tell me! :)


I am pretty sure that you are right about virus transmission and email.

For those who dont know how to configure cookie handling:

Cookie blocking.

On the menu bar at the top of Internet Explorer go to:

Tools > Internet Options

Select PRIVACY tab and Click the ADVANCED button

This opens the ADVANCED PRIVACY SETTINGS window.

Select tick box: OVERRIDE AUTOMATIC COOKIE HANDLING

Then select BLOCK for both First-party Cookies and Third-party Cookies

Click OK in all open windows and you are done.

Other option you see is to PROMPT rather than BLOCK. This will ask you if you want to accept a cookie when one is offered

Hope this helps.

This is only for Internet Explorer v6. I think it is the same for v5 but not sure about v4 or older - anyway what are you doing using v4 or v5 when you can get v6 for free. If you are using a different type of browser eg. Netscape there is probably a similar menu option available.

Good luck

Snowy

Alban
Posts: 271
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2004 11:23 am
Location: London

Postby Alban » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:58 pm

A Cookie is a text file, but it is never executed (run), so there is no risk of viruses.

The developer of the site can store whatever information he likes in a cookie aand then read it back at a later date - that's the point of a cookie. So essentially your email address could be stored in a cookie.

Most cookies in use are temporary cookies holding session information which expire and are deleted soon after the web session on that site has terminated.

The most common use for a permanent cookie is to hold site login information (such as on this site when you elect to "remember me on this computer"). In this case the password is usually held in an encrypted form.

Most sites use cookies for one reason or another and there's nothing wrong with enabling them - you'll find a number of sites won't work properly if you disable them. They can be misused but only in a limited way, and then only by disreputable sites.

Generally most of the hysteria about cookies has come from the sort of people that believe in conspiracy theories.

NB, It is possible to easily delete all the cookies on your machine.

I hope that answers your questions.

mgormez
Posts: 501
Joined: Tue Feb 04, 2003 9:33 pm
Location: Amsterdam
Contact:

Postby mgormez » Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:22 pm

Thanks to you both Snowy and Alban. I'll rewrite the text and incorporate bit and pieces (if not whole). Thanks again.
Mike Gormez

Witness
Posts: 41
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 5:55 pm

site management

Postby Witness » Mon Feb 21, 2005 9:17 pm

mgormez-

Let me add my voice to this...

Please dont risk excluding newcomers by banning @yahoo or @aol type accounts.

You have done great work by starting this site and many, many people appreciate it immensely. You may no longer enjoy the work, but remember that what you took on was a noble task and was always going to have a cost at some stage. Dealing with a disturbed individual might be tiresome. But allowing him to wear you out or threaten you or cause disruption would set back the immense humanitarian acheivement you have made. This is not hyperbole: we're talking about witnesses of hardship who have only been able to come to terms with the past thanks to the laissez-faire system of this message board.

I also happen to know a bit about the law and I know he doesnt stand a chance of sueing you or whatever he's threatening.

Stollar is just one person, dont let him ruin what is for many people a great opportunity by over-vetting this site.

If he comes back under a new name, just ignore him. We can all see the difference between his rants and the meaningful contributions. Personally, I stopped reading his messages after reading just one of them! I only continue reading threads if they offer something new or important. I think most users probably do the same.

daska
Posts: 270
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 8:29 pm
Location: UK

domain names

Postby daska » Fri Feb 25, 2005 1:45 am

don't know if this would provide a getround but if you only have a hotmail type address you can register a domain name which gives you an e-mail 'mask' and at ?10 for 2 years (approx) it won't break the bank...

strange subject for a first post I know but everyone has to start somewhere...

I'm staying semi anonymous for the time being (if you know me really well you'll recognise my nick) but as an ex St V girl (78-windup) I remember lots of the names that post here regularly - yes it was that bad!

User avatar
a different guest
Posts: 620
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 12:13 am
Location: Australia

Postby a different guest » Sun Feb 27, 2005 9:06 am

daska - I would love to see you post more. Please don't be shy. :)

mgormez
Posts: 501
Joined: Tue Feb 04, 2003 9:33 pm
Location: Amsterdam
Contact:

Re: site management

Postby mgormez » Sun May 08, 2005 11:38 pm

I'm terribly lagged with answering questions that take more than a minute.

Witness wrote:mgormez-

Let me add my voice to this...

Please dont risk excluding newcomers by banning @yahoo or @aol type accounts. [snip]


I know we took a hit in participating people after that rule went into use, but there's still a lot of anons reading. There are times I am not here for a few days and I don't want to constantly worry what is going on here and I can't expect it from the moderator either.

However, what we could do right away, is use a system of already trusted people here vouching for someone who has only a trow-away account such as Hotmail/Yahoo etc. But this is not to be taken lightly by the person making such a vouch because that is what will convince us we aren't inviting the horse of Troy.

Mail either Daffy or myself when you have a person in mind.


Witness wrote:I also happen to know a bit about the law and I know he doesnt stand a chance of sueing you or whatever he's threatening.


Pardon me but I disagree. One can sue for all and sundry. I keep tabs on a case of a cult selling 'magic pucks'. Which are nothing more than a plastic shells with some sand inside. These 'healing instruments' went for hundreds of dollars and the new ones have 'suggested' prices in the thousands. A couple of ex-members of that cult webbed their story of deceit and sexual exploitation and are currently being sued by the cult for smearing its 'good' name.
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_ ... ocket.html

The suit is IMO merritless but defending costs tens of thousands dollars. Good thing is that the plaintiff cult has spent already over a hunderd grand and filed records with the court of the sale of its 'research banjo'.

I kid you not. These files deal with that. The Ross reply is extremely funny.
Miller affidavit http://www.whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_lawsuit/74.pdf
Exhibit C http://www.whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_ ... 4-ex-C.pdf
Ross reply http://www.whyaretheydead.net/misc/GWP_lawsuit/80.pdf



Little side step.

But I can tell you that MS did report me because he alleges that I use two IDs on this board, that of myself and someone else. It is not true but then he lives his own fantasies. He reported me to an Internet Fraud office in the US I believe - it has been awhile. I heard nothing of it of course because they are after real fraud.

Anyway, he is gone but people like that are obsessed and he has told me quite clearly how he would turn this board into a full time job for me. That is why we have to keep the weirdo's at bay because I don't have that time.

But I hope to meet you in the middle with my idea of letting established users recommend others.

Best wishes,
Mike Gormez


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