Posted by H2O Security Member [Rick] on March 25, 1999 at 20:57:50 {MWsYHfPjal.tU}:
H2O is about to switch its coding system from I.P. coding to a concatenation of the I.P. address and HTACCESS User Name. The result is that your code, even if coming from The Anonymizer is unique to YOU ALONE.
The reason you remain anonymous even though the code is unique is because the code is not tied to you. Rather, it is tied to your email address (which is probably an anonymous email address as the system advised you to get before registering). Even if it's your actual email address that's not anonymous, H2O doesn't have any way of tracking you. ISP's are obliged under various privacy laws never to divulge your true name with your email address.
Then what is the purpose of having a unique code that only your H2O registration can generate?
The reason is to avoid you playing games with other people under multiple screen names with one account. One mistake of posting under the wrong account could leave you with a lot of explaining to do! It raises the stakes and discourages people who might casually play games, but don't want to have the trouble of keeping track of their accounts. If you wish to post a belief under a different identity (to avoid others ridiculing you personally when posting under a regular known identity based on this belief), then register more than once under a different screen name. Please don't abuse this privilege, or H2O might have to allow only one registration per email address. (Actually, this wouldn't work well because those determined to play games with multiple identities will get different free email addresses and register multiple times, anyway.)
Ordinarily, one could save face by claiming they were under the same I.P. as so and so (which in many instances was true). This system is unforgiving because it cuts out the waffling. Those who get caught red handed are left to face the board and account for their actions. Regretfully, those with legitimate reasons for using a different identity could get hurt if they make a mistake and post under the wrong identity. That is why I've stalled so long, but it seems the only method of avoiding The Anonymizer dilemma is to allow everyone to enjoy a unique code.
If you have a legit reason to use multiple identities (and there are legit reasons as well as illegit ones), just keep track of each identity.
Tip: On posting form next to word Name: (to the left of name field), is an underlined asterisk *. Clicking on this * takes you to the NameCode page. This page shows you the User Name next to "welcome" under which you're logged-in, and your I.P. address.
Different I.P. addresses generate different codes, so you might assume that if you have a legit reason to use another identity temporarily, you could use Anonymizer with your SAME User Name to generate a different code. NOT SO. Your User Name appears next to the name you type into the Name field of post (see Warning below). Bookmark http://www.cyberpass.net/~h2o/cgi/namecode.cgi and go there to see what User Name and I.P. you are logged-in under, as this info will appear in your post. You must exit completely Netscape or Explorer to clear your previous login, and get the password dialog screen to reappear when posting to reregister under a different User Name.
Your User Name under which you registered will appear in brackets next to the name field. This means if want to use your first name, you're free to do so because your registered User Name and unique code will prevent impersonations of your identity. There could be 10 brothers named John, but each will have a unique User Name (i.e., John, John1, John2, etc...) User Names are first-come first-serve based on who registers first.
Feel free to comment and give suggestions for improvement.
Enjoy the new system. ;-)
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P.S. Can anyone guess by the new method who on H2O's security team posted this? ;-D