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I there any way to find out that you're on a bad site?

Discussion in 'Windows - General discussion' started by Eugene482, May 13, 2007.

  1. Eugene482

    Eugene482 Regular member

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    Well, for example: you're on a porn site (...) and your internet provider sees that and sends a letter to your parents (^_^). ???

    Is that possible? Can they see what you are doing? Thanks.
     
  2. Indochine

    Indochine Regular member

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    Stop worrying. Technically, it is possible for your ISP to tell what web sites you went to. However, there is not a guy sitting there seeing who goes to porn sites and writing letters to their parents. For one thing, believe me, they would need an awful lot of porn invigilators. The cost of employing them would make it uneconomic to provide internet services. Secondly, privacy legislation in most countries would forbid the writing of such letters.

    Thirdly, in general, from a legal point of view, ISPs wish to retain "common carrier" status. That is, they want to regard themselves as no more liable for where you go on the net, than Bell is liable for what you say on the phone. Once they started watching what people do in the way that you seem to fear, they would be in danger of losing that legal defense.

    Since only persons who are legally adults can enter into contracts (such as those agreed to by customers of ISPs) it is highly likely that one of your parents is legally the customer who pays for the internet service anyway. How would the ISP know it was you and not your parents who were visiting the porn site? If the porn site was the legal sort, that is, the models are over 18, it is nobody elses business. No ISP wants to be responsible for divorces, lawsuits, embarassing cases of mistaken identity, etc.

    An ISP who started writing to customers saying that "Someone at your address has been visiting Hot Chicks.com, Sexy Babes.com, and Bikini Clad Latinas.com" (or whatever) would soon find themselves losing customers!

    As for the ISP being able to "see what you are doing"... I'd worry more about your mother walking in!

    Maybe one of your pals at school has told you this to scare you... it's not true, and you won't go blind either.
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2007

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