I have a problem with a visitor to my site (a bulletin board) who simply refused to obey the simple rules of not using profanity and attacking people on the board.
This person uses the isp aol, i am wondering what i would need in the way of evidence to get them to actually do anything. His ip is logged each time he posts and i have hist posts as saved web pages. Is there anything else that i can do, i can set up email verification but he can simply set up as many free email accounts as he wants and he does seem pretty determinded to cause havoc.
Since he's through AOL and will get a dynamic IP address everytime he signs on, you can't ban his IP, but if what he posts is serious enough, you could send a complaint to AOL. You could also just keep banning his new usernames everytime he posts something you don't like. This would cause a great hassle to him becuase he would have to keep signing up all the time, so he would probably just give up after a while.
Contact AOL with the information provided: time, and IP. Also supply them with the posts he made. Try to act/sound as professional as you can be.
Also, depending on how AOL takes it, contact your local polic department to file a harrasement case (right case?). Then you can subpoena (sp?) the information from AOL for about $1 or so and prosecute the offender.
We can do Class 3 IP blocking right? Kind of extreme in that you'll block other people, but if he's that big a nuisance you can do that right? Just parse the IP address for the first dots. I remember some Quake 2 server admin threatening someone who was abusing the server that he would do a class 3 IP ban.
Oops, also, AOL does assign your dynamic IP address by location right? So even though, he has a dynamic IP, it should still start the same, right? Maybe AOL's diffent, but I'm pretty sure that's how most ISP's assign dynamic IP's.
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DHTML &
Internet Security & Privacy
I doubt AOL would help you unless you're a government agency. The privacy of people is a very sacred trust, and while he may be using profanity on your site he's well within his rights to do so if its a public forum.
Thats why people require users to register before than can post, and require a unique email address.
Aspen, I agree with most of what you say, however, after looking at his site, I am lead to the feeling that he does make users register and agree to a TOS.
Also, AOL with be forced to cooperate if he can get the police to follow suite properly.
webhappy, yes he could block the person that way...but he would also block a possibility of hundreds of people, but then again, maybe not.
I would suggest emailing COSMail1@aol.com or COSMail2@aol.com
They are the 2 main email address for reporting AOL members that violate the AOL TOS/COS agreement. You can simply email either of the addresses giving your story and see what their reply is. They may say that there is nothing they can do but then again you never know.
Have you emailed this person telling them that you will contact AOL if he/she does not stop? Might be worth a try.
Thanks for the info. I think i am going to increase the security on email addresses, it just reduces the amount of people siging up (which is a shame).
I will also contact AOL. On a side note, it is not just continual swearing and sexual reference but abusing other people who use the board who are trying to help.
Thanks everyone for the info. I will report back any response from AOL for reference.
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