Hello Martin, 
 
Oooops, I mean, Hello Ed.  How are things? 
 
TM> What do you think you've discovered with your analysis? 
 
EK> What it proves is Todd Cockrans BBS is still unsecure allowing 
EK> anyone to Telnet In then Relay Out to another system.  This  
EK> method hides there true IP Address. 
 
Here are a few things for you to consider, Mr. Koon.  This "method" 
allows Haley Benson to put some extra distance between her and stalkers 
like Ross Cassell.  It affords her just a little bit more protection. 
That extra layer of protection is quickly eroded if Jeff Binkley and  
Todd Cochrane turn over their logs to the stalker.  Mr. Cassell has  
not demonstrated any legitimate reason for pursuing Haley's information. 
Neither have Jeff Binkley or Todd Cochrane.  Nor have you.  Which 
reminds me, Ed.  Your board once asked new arrivals if they were  
male or female.  If the new arrival answered "female," you had extra 
questions for her, questions which suggested you might also be  
inclined to pursue a participant because of her gender.  You've since 
removed those questions from your board's registration.  Was that  
because of protests, by any chance?  Or did it signal some change in 
your marital status?  Or possibly you'd acquired a new sensitivity  
regarding the concerns of women in cyberspace? 
 
EK> There is no legitimate reason for someone with Telnet web access  
EK> to Telnet into a system just to Telnet back out elsewhere. 
 
Wrong, Ed.  But I think it's odd that you would be unaware of the  
reason why a woman might pursue an extra layer of protection from 
would-be stalkers.  I'd say that I also think it's odd that the  
moderator of a "real-names only" echo chose to hide behind an alias, 
but I've been around Fidonet for quite some time and I know people 
like to play games, even moderators and SysOps.  Right, Martin? 
Er, I mean, Ed? 
 
EK> Dial up Wins users should have access to Telnet if they have no 
EK> other mans of connecting to the net.  
 
It's not really my intent to reveal more than is necessary here, but  
since I've already referenced this, I'll reiterate it.  One of the  
links in the communication chain does not accept telnet commands 
at the command prompt level.  It will allow the visitor to telnet to 
a location if it involves selecting a telnet link appearing on an 
existing web page.  Haley recommended Jeff Binkley get his BBS listed 
on a few web pages so that he could generate traffic for his BBS. 
She had tried to go directly to his BBS using www.thebinks.com, but it 
didn't take her to his BBS.  Now, you and the rest of the techno-geeks  
can lecture her and me about what we don't know about the Internet  
and cyberspace and ISPs and sockets and ports and AOL and so on,  
but you will be missing the point, Ed.  There have been no formal  
complaints, and yet, Messrs. Cassell, Binkley and Cochrane are involved 
in a pursuit of information about Haley which they've yet to explain  
or justify.   
 
One other thing, Ed.  I hope you don't think this is picayune. 
(What am I saying?)  but I've noticed that you often misspell 
"their" as "there," as in... "This method hides
there true IP Address." 
You make this mistake quite often.  I'm offering this as constructive 
criticism, Ed.  I'm also well aware that my writing is rife with errors. 
 
Finally, I see nothing inherently "unethical" about hiding one's  
IP Address.  In fact, I think there might be something sinister  
in attempts to positively link an individual to a number.  For better 
understanding of what I mean, perhaps you could visit one of the echoes 
moderated by Steve Asher.  Ask him to explain how such numbers are  
being used to strip people of their privacy and make them more 
vulnerable. 
 
... 
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