Alrighty, here's the question.

I can get the IP address for a website - that's obviously not a problem. However, I'm wondering if it's possible to legally get the IP address(es) of the person(s) that's uploading to that website. Anyone have any experience? What about on a forum of some sort (say...Delphi Forums). Any way to get the IP address of a user on such a forum, legally?

Thanks in advance.

 

Weird, I was just about to ask the same question.

I was looking through my server log and found a two clients with a high (huge) number of hits on a few aviation related pages.

Is there any way to do a "whois" type search on a client IP/URL?

This is the info I have of the server log, I'll buy a coke for anyone who can help figure out who this is:

enduser5.faa.gov
dragonfire1.delta.com

Thanks

 

You two are asking two different (but related) questions.

JonBoy, you would need to ask the owner/maintainer of the website. Now, in all likelihood they won't give it to you. But it doesnt hurt to ask. Serve them with a court-order or subpoena and your results may be different (again, assuming they keep the records).

ironwedge, finding out who EXACTLY was viewing the page is near impossible without information about the network on the otherside. Clearly, the viewers are from the FAA and Delta Airlines, but beyond that, good luck.

But for finding out who owns a specific IP (not domains), try http://www.arin.net/

 

About a week ago someone had something running is his sig that would tell you your own IP address, email address and computer name.

There's always spy-ware. You'd have to have a web page that the users hit. When they browse the page, the spy-ware is copied to their computer (I think as a cookie). Periodically the spy-ware will send a packet of "information" from their computer to your pre-defined URL.

This method cuts out the middle man and works even when the users use DHCP/NAT. The application will send the user's local information (email address, computer name, network domain, etc.) directly to your application regardless of the users current IP address.

 

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]

 

Great, guys. That's pretty much what I figured, but thanks for the clarificatiosn. I would love to subpoena the website but I don't really want to go that far (don't really have grounds for it). Unfortunately, having them come to a website of mine won't work either, since it won't tie the user to a nickname/username from another website. Basically, I'm just trying to prove that a user is a certain person from a certain area, for which I merely need an IP address (it's a very remote area, so it should be easy to confirm they're who I think they are).



'smyroad: Sounds somewhat involved to do what you suggest, but perhaps I can find something to do the trick.