From Pics to Spam

Ok, I’m over my bathroom kick, at least for awhile. So, todays madness is about pics. I’ve gotten a couple of emails asking for more pics of me. I’ve been contemplating adding a photoblog here but since I’m considering folding the blog into my domain, it doesn’t really make much sense to go thru all the effort just to change it again. Being lazy, I just changed my profile pic. Oy! What a mug huh? Face like that could crack glass.

Speaking of pics, why is it people feel the need to lie or hide their identities online? I won’t even go into online dating/sex sites where guys use fake pics to hook up for nookie. No, we’ll tuck that rant away for a rainy day. Most of my buddies think its from a secret desire to be anonymous and naughty at the same time. I guess that makes sense but, you really aren’t being anonymous. Your IP address can be traced back to you along w/your name and address. (For those non-techie folks, IP stands for internet protocol. Its a string of numbers, unique to you, your computer uses to identify you on the network. ) These numbers are easy to look up for free even to a novice internet user. And most people seem to know this but fall prey to the mentality “oh it won’t happen to me.” Or, if they can’t see it happening, they don’t really think much about it. Of course, this probably explains why viruses spread so quickly. I know some of you are thinking, “no, that can’t be right. No, he doesn’t know what he is talking about.” Ok, well here is a classic example of how Porn sites magically get your information.

Step 1. You visit Site A. Your browser is set to accept cookies. (you know it is) Part of the cookie is your IP address. BAM! They have you right there. They ping your IP to discover your name/home address and add you to their snail mail spam list. It is really that easy.

Step 2. You visit Site B. Your browser is set to accept cookies. This time, the cookie looks for your personal info you filled out when you bought the PC. Yes, they do that, and its perfectly legal. BAM! You could now begin getting snail mail and email spam AND if you filled out your home phone number, they can now CALL you w/more spam.

So the next time you log onto your favorite porn site, remember someone is watching!