Somebody is really stupid

Did you really think you could join my site, post pornography all over it, and get away with it?  Just so you know, you just fucked with the wrong person.  I already have a pretty good idea who you are.  I've only been investigating this for a few minutes, but you'd be really surprised at what I know about you already. 

If you don't have an attorney, I'd suggest you hire one soon.  You're going to need one.

Give 'em hell.

I had a nice video posted on my site recently. I have not killed it yet. But i will eventually.

I remember when I was archiving a large community web site (it's one of the various things I do), and someone found it funny to post child pornography all over it.

My archives were compromised, the authorities had to be contacted, and I had to start all over again. It wasn't fun.

I'm thinkin' of a recent troll we had in here.  Told ya not to feed the little things HL.  This is one of the great reasons for hiding all my sites right now, at the rate I piss people off, it'd be hell on me to keep them away from doing crap like this.  But yeah, posting pornographic images on a site can constitute one hell of a legal issue for 'em. 

This was not a very smart one.  They left a pretty good trail for me to follow.  It's only a matter of time before I catch up with them.

Let me guess: they didn't use a proxy? Or did they actually post their home address?

No, they just forgot their bumper with license plate attached at the scene of the crime.

RE:

All I can say, is that is going to be a great day to be outdoors in the town where this guy lives.  Today's High will be 50°, mostly sunny, with only a 10% chance of precipitation.  Wind from the West at 10mph and 55% humidity.  Sounds like golf weather to me, but there's probably too much snow on the ground.

Shouldn't be too hard to find someone in a town of about 17,000 people.

Sound like my area. LOL. Except the population. Only 2000 in my hick town.

RE:

I just might make a trip to this town as soon as the snow melts and things dry up a bit.  I looks like a place I could easily spend a week.  They got 5 golf courses, fishing near by..... they even got a Burger King and a Subway.

Do you not moderate the member registrations on your site?   That way the worst they could do would be to post the porn in their own profile pictures, and no one would ever see it anyway.

I switched it over.  I haven't had any malicious account creators before this... just the occasional spammer or nuisance account.

I still can't believe how incredibly stupid this guy was/is.  He practically left a trail to his back door.... depending on how cooperative his ISP is, he may have done exactly that.

Just so everybody knows what a member of this community did to my site.

1. Joined with an extremely vulgar user name.

2. Uploaded a vulgar avatar

3. Uploaded 4 vulgar images

4. Uploaded 2 extremely pornographic videos

5. Placed an obscene listing in  the Ads section.

6. Sent friend requests to several members

7. Send a vulgar PM to a female member of my site ( I deleted it from the DB, but I saved a screenshot)



This was done by a fairly well know member of this site.  I will not mention any names at this time, but I am 99% sure of this persons identity.

What shall we do with this guy?   If anybody has any good advice on dealing this sort of scum, I'd like to hear it.  Legal actions only please.

what do the guy really gets doing this kind of an act????

I am against this kind of an act....

its really a terrible thing to handle for a developer other than our development work...

the legal action, what so ever has to be a lesson to all such people around here for such cheap acts.

I ususally keep my opinions to my self in here, but I wake up with these forums every morning!

But I feel that this was a very wrong doing!. I am still new to a lot of this, but some of you guys are very professional, and know your shit! You have helped me get through a lot of my mistakes, and for this to happen just aggrevates me. Its hard enough to get the damn dolphin to work properly without all the horse shit. So I would like to apologize for this persons doing! Now I worry about my own site and how to go about protecting it, just another hurdle I guess.

So HL, I will agree with Magnussoft, and say Give'Em Hell also!!!!!

Just my cent and a half!

Derrick

Well, if you ever find, or believe that you find a person who did that, please make sure to let us know your findings. DOn't just post any names and usernames here at Unity. If you end up with verifiable facts, a letter to me shall work well enough.

this is funny since the same shit happened on my site too few days ago



@HL who's your suspect?...
mine is a moder here at unitiy

Is there a legal standard we have to abide by as we decide what to do with this individual?  Current, Salem Witch Hunt, Mid-evil era?  Perhaps we can look at current and then set a standard according to country/region.  The US is to soft on criminals, the Middle East in general does have some amazingly well written laws & punishments for crimes.

If we have to go with US laws, then the individual is most likely looking at computer hacking as the base crime, add in the sexual content and it earns them a sex offender status.  While they'll probably end up with probation, the real punishment will come in no more access to computers at all (work or home), registering as a sex offender, limited choices on where they can live and the public stigma of carrying around the modern day "Scarlet Letter" of having it all publicly posted for others to see.

While I've had my own demo sites defaced from time to time, it is normally limited to just an offensive, but not illegal, image or some stupid posts in a shoutbox.  Nothing to the level that you guys are talking about in regards to offense.  The funny thing about this is if it is someone from here, which your saying it appears to be, then they should already know the new moderation abilities that D7 came with in comparison to D6 and they know they've been caught at this.

I am sorry to say your statement is not correct.

With exception of child porn with images or content of any type.

Although not socially looked upon as normal of course, the best that can be done is a civil nature in this matter and I don't see that going to well either in fact.

There are exceptions, if you are the person in this picture and "your " photo has been posted in ANY nature then you have a VERY strong case.

I listen and litigate almost on a daily basis.

And due to this, my question in this matter is>

Why would one who you state "know the new moderation abilities " do this anyway, if they know they can be tracked?

I am sorry to say your best if any is of a civil matter. Unless it is of child porn as stated or if it is your picture of ANY type with permissions to do so.

Sorry, saw a legal thing and by nature just had to jump in.

I wouldn't be so sure.

Sorry I am not here to debate this issue.

If you feel I am wrong, then simply hire an attorney so she / he may tell you what I have just advised for free.

Your taking this strictly from the point of view that the images are pornographic pinkpen.  I can see how your statement would appear correct, however it's not.  Each site has a TOS and AUP on it that clearly defines what is permitted and not permitted.  Further, there are also laws out there that we, as site owners/webmasters, must adhere to or risk criminal prosecution.  One of those is the distribution of pornographic material to those who have not reached an age of majority.  As site owners/webmasters we must take specific precautions to warn when adult content is about to be viewed and to reasonably prevent those who are not legally permitted to view it from viewing it. 

In this discussion, the sites in question are NOT adult oriented sites in the sense that they do NOT contain pornographic images and thus we do not need to place warnings and such on them to prevent these sites from being viewed by minors/children and so on.  However, when one comes onto one of these non-pornographic sites and posts content that is of a pornographic nature (offensive is protected usually) then they are violating the law, which is better known as "Pandering" I believe.  They in and of themselves open the door to a huge risk, as they are by their very actions making pornography viewable to children and those who it may be illegal for them to view pornography.  Hence, your caught.  Now, the fact that you accessed a private server for the purpose of disseminating this pornographic material also makes you guilty of that nice little crime of computer hacking as you only have the right to access said private server as long as you obey the Terms of Service.  Once you violate said TOS or AUP then you are no longer permitted access to said server and have moved into the realm of computer hacking.  The fat that the violation deals with pornographic images tags that nice little sex offender title onto you.

This is no different than walking past a school playground and tossing Porno Mags onto it as children are playing.  That is a criminal act and this is also, just a different avenue was taken to get it to the kids.

Harassment can also be pinned on, depending on the contents of that PM.

Great reply mydatery.  The internet is a wild and wooly place where the boundaries of personal freedoms are being tested.  And the fact that it is global makes it even more difficult since there isn't a uniform moral or ethical standard to adhere to.

What has happened to HL is a concern to me, since 15 is my age limit.  I specifically request members to be mindful of posting ANY content inappropriate for minors.  But the bottom line is, what can someone with a small site and limited legal resources do?  I would love to know if any forward-thinking legal types might consider a pooling of resources through BOONEX, say of all Unity members, to put teeth in our TOS.  I don't know if this is possible, or I'm just wishful thinking, but without some clout everybody who is trying to contribute in some way through their personal community, and I include all such platforms, not just Dolphin, is vulnerable.  Ant it will only get worse.

Would love to hear thoughts of a pratical nature on how to protect ourselves from the personal and financial headaches such attacks create. 

Dolphin's default Terms of Service protects the web site owner from almost everything, so there's not really anything you need to do in there. If your web site is smaller, then that means it's easier for you to keep track of and moderate yourself. When something like this occurs, act quickly, save copies of the related content, and contact the authorities (also remove it from the web site afterwards).

Once you grow into a larger web site, look into bringing on other people as moderators, who can ensure this type of content doesn't stay on the web site for too long.

I am sorry but to your point  they are worlds apart.

As for Pandering maybe this will better explain it to you.

pander [ˈpændə]

The crime of pandering is typically committed by a "pimp". Pandering is defined under state laws, which vary by state, but usually include solicitation of customers for prostitution services and recruitment of prostitutes for hire.

Pimping is usually viewed as a general intent crime, which means the person charged must only have done certain specific acts. However, pandering is usually considered a crime of specific intent and the acts that are committed must have been done with a specific intention. Pandering is defined as the catering to or exploitation of the weaknesses of others, especially to provide gratification for others’ desires. Pandering penalizes various acts by intermediaries who engage in the commercial exploitation of prostitution and are aimed at those who, as agents, promote prostitution rather than against the prostitutes themselves.

As to the other point = Harassment

Harassment is  civil crime. However there are felony forms of Harassment cases but much different in nature.

Oct. 6 2009

Recently, before the Missouri court involving a 40-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl, with the former having been charged with felony harassment as she posted the girl’s personal contact information and photo on Craigslist in their subsection for individuals seeking “Casual Encounters” (you can imagine what that means).  To note, this is the first application of Missouri’s new cyberharassment and cyberbullying law, which went into effect in June of 2008 following the media coverage of Megan Meier’s suicide.

The defendant and her attorney claim this was simply a practical joke.  Her attorney also claims that had this same information been written on a bathroom wall, she would not have been charged.

I disagree with both of these assertions. First, there must be a line drawn as to what constitutes a practical joke, and that boundary was crossed when the defendant put the plaintiff at risk for actual, tangible harm.  Secondly, to compare the writing on a bathroom wall to posting on the Internet is preposterous when considering the differential size of populations that would view each. Third, I believe it is completely appropriate for a judge and jury to consider the reality of recent Craiglist-related victimizations when interpreting the content and context of this case.  Much like we don’t shrug off facetious statements about bombs in airports, we can’t shrug off the reality that the disclosure of personal information online can lead to serious harm offline.  Finally, minors are (and should be) afforded even greater protection from these types of actions.

I am sorry, but even with a disclaimer or not your facts are not valid.

I'm not sure exactly what the legal consequences of this act will be just yet. I do expect the full cooperation of the perpetrator's ISP.  This was a deliberate and premeditated, act.  The intent of this act was to deface my website with vulgarity, and to cause harm to the reputation of my website.  Sending vulgar messages to female members of my website, is something that I take very seriously.

@prolaznik  If you have any information you can share with me, IP address..etc, please do so.  I would suggest that you do not post any user names publicly until the identity of this person is confirmed through the proper channels.

Hmm this does bring up a nice academic legal discussion for what constitutes a crime online and what doesn't.  Does defacing a website with vulgarities, nude pictures (if they're not child porn), and sending vulgar messages breach criminal statutes or fall into the realms of a TOS violation?

I postulate that it does not.  Vulgarity, while frowned upon, is constitutionally protected speech in the us.  Unless the person did something that places the speech in unprotected class, they can use whatever user name and post vulgar content all they want.  Even if the site has minors, it would be really hard to prosecute someone for speech posted on the internet. All of Congress' attempts to "protect the children" laws have been ruled unconstitutional when it comes to attempting to limit protected speech.

Nude pictures, again is it a crime to post nude pictures of adults on someone's website.  I think this type of behavior could possibly successful prosecuted under a handful of scenarios.  The question then becomes will the prosecutor take the time to prosecute, likely not.  Posting a nude picture online doesn't make you a sexual criminal as some suggested unless you're dealing with illegal content.

Now in the civil arena what are your options.  A lawsuit may be in order for a breach of TOS.  What are your damages, unless there is some sort of liquidated damages clause (and good luck enforcing anything like that based on an online TOS without getting laughed out by the judge) what are you going to sue for?  I suppose a good restraining order that pervents the person from using your site is in order; otherwise I don't really think there is much else to do.

Finally we have some suggestion of hacking.  I don't believe that charge holds any water here.  Using someone's site in violation of the TOS does not give rise to Hacking.  At most it is akin to trespass.  Hacking statutes are very complex but at the heart of each statue is the standard that a person has to 1) attempt to or access a restricted computer; 2) cause damage to the computer systems or program; 3) result in loss of productivity, money, or cause harm to others or society.  Someone posting pictures against TOS rules, using the mechanisms available to them by their membership doesn't really qualify as hacking.

Now I'm not defending whoever this is but find the legal aspects very intriguing.  I think this type of behavior should be very frowned upon, but it is this type of behavior that legislatures and courts try to sort out every day.

@HL  Do you know which state/country the person is in?  Also where are you and where is your server, dns host.  That alone should bring a great discussion in jurisdiction and venue of where to begin to try and prosecute this person.

All I will say is that the perpetrator is in the United States, and the ISP is Roadrunner.  I know the State, and the city of the Roadrunner server that is allocated the IP address, but for the moment, I cannot disclose that information.  As I said, I do not know what the full consequences of this act may be, but I intend to find out.  I would say however, that a suspension of the persons Roadrunner account, and their account on boonex.com are viable possibilities. 

I know who this person is, but confirming his identity through proper channels is the first step.  If I were this person, I wouldn't be too comfortable right about now.

After sending an email to a colleague who has more experience in this subject this was his responce. But also know we both do not have every single fact but this is his free conclusion.

Generally it is not illegal as a criminal act. If this was simply unwanted pictures in an obscene nature other then child porn. as a site owner you ban the content and if possible ban the end user. A civil case may be applied but  not very stable unless the end user in posting or may be a threat to others and they or any are in fear of their safety.

If the issue is if consent for the pic was given, or if the pic was taken without consent, like a hidden camera. There must be an expectation of privacy. For example, if A girlfriend is changing in her room and the boyfriend snaps pix through a window, and posts them, clearly she didn't consent and that would be illegal. If she is posing, then that's consent. The comments about copyright, model releases, etc. are irrelevant to the question of legality since not having a model release leaves the person open for a lawsuit NOT a criminal complaint being filed.

Now, what if she is posing, and the boyfriend then posts pix on the internet: not illegal, but civil liability (lawsuit) for invasion of privacy since she consented to the pic for the boyfriend, not the world. However, the bad part is, you might get a million dollar judgment, unless the ex-boyfriend has a million dollars, you don't get a dime. Plus, very few attorneys will take a case on a contingency fee (no money upfront) if the defendant doesn't have money to pay out. Thus, you are stuck paying $250-300 an hour to get a judgment you may not see a dime from.

I hope this helps?

I appreciate all the opinions and advice in this matter.  I'll keep everybody posted.

This is one case, where the Boonex server logs, may hold the smoking gun, if the IP address can be matched to a Unity account login.  I hope that is the case.

I would like to add to this a little.  The part concerning the picture taken without consent.  The only person who can bring that lawsuit is the person whose picture was taken.  The webmaster cannot bring such a claim.

Correct. Sorry I did not make that clear, our point was the webmaster would not have any case except maybe with a very longshot a civil matter and if anyone at all had a case it would be the owner of the picture and content.

I am not sure what the T.O.S. of this site is or how it even ties into the matter so for that I cannot comment, also any personal information such as a persons name or home address cannot be given in any state unless it is court ordered to do so.

Sorry I did not make this clear the first time.

Internet is great for the release of information - but he has also released the evil spirit of man

on my adult site - I have a bit of everything - men - which are photographs of women probably without authorization - photos of the actor or singer - small site where competitors are promoting their site -. those who say evil in their messages

If I have to go to trial - I only need one law firm for me --

the only and best way to protect my site is moderation

the only thing I will not let past - if - photos or videos of naked children - or the same type

I filed a complaint in court - no matter the price

faceook on - I received a message to register a group
Group Title: Petition to remove the group - there is not a pedophile there just kids easy

petition to remove this group - that are moderators on facebook - it's a shame

conduct moderation of your site - you can get worse - that pornographic videos

The bottom line in may case, is that this was directed at me personally.  The attacker sought to deface the only property of mine that he could get his hands on, and that property was my website.  His intentions are clear.  The worst part of this, is that this slimy individual is among us.

if you have the IP address - or e-mail - did you give BoonEx - perhaps they can see on their server which belong address

There's a BIG difference between some person, unknown to me, driving by my site and deciding to have a little fun....... and someone who knows me as a member of boonex.com  and gained knowledge of my website via this community, deciding to deliberately do harm to my website and alienate my members.  Soliciting a sexual act from a female member of my website, who uses a photo of her 4 year old daughter as an avatar, I thought was especially heinous.

Oh I agree completely and my discussion before was more academic of the issues surrounding the internet.

Now given that this is the internet and a community well there is one thing left:  NAME & SHAME.

there really people who are not normal - I hope we will find him

you've tested  - IP - this kind of site

http://en.utrace.de/

As much as I believe the person ought to be named and shamed, as unoboonex said, just send them the name and let them handle it. I believe HL is on the right track now and as soon as he has the info he needs this person is history. I hope like hell this person has a prime license and ALL.. Ban everything from them is what I say.

Just my opinion.

Chris

RE:

Yes.  As I said previously, I have the US State and City of the ISP server, to which the IP address is allocated.  The ISP has requested more documentation, so that's what I'm working on now.

@Houstonlively this is what i got i won't post all of it here i got more ;)
you think the same person is fu....g with us ?....

more info just look at the time



Server access log

IP ************* - - [10/Mar/2010:18:33:54 -0700] "POST net-zabava.com/join.php HTTP/1.1" 302 20 "http://net-zabava.com/join.php"
IP ************* - - [10/Mar/2010:18:33:56 -0700] "GET net-zabava.com/m/avatar/&join_text=_USER_ACTIVATION_SUCCEEDED?r=avatar/&join_text=_USER_ACTIVATION_SUCCEEDED
IP ************* - - [10/Mar/2010:18:33:57 -0700] "GET net-zabava.com/modules/boonex/avatar/templates/base/css/main.css HTTP/1.1" 200 417 "http://net-zabava.com/m/avatar/&join_text=_USER_ACTIVATION_SUCCEEDED

RE:

PM me with details, and we can discuss via PM.

Just an update for anyone following this thread

Information concerning two separate incidents has/will be forwarded to Andrew Boon, and the offender's ISP.  I would like to thank everybody for their input.  I would also like to ask everyone to keep this thread professional.... no naming names... no speculation... no jumping to conclusions... no flame wars.   There is a proper way to deal with this, and it is being followed.

Hopefully, the end result will be Boonex.com being a better and safer place, as well as your own sites being safer from such malicious acts.

can we point a finger on the suspect

The time is not right.

Thank you.

Even if the time comes, we won't be pointing fingers. My mum told me it's not polite. We would just do what we'd have to do.

 So then why ?

Hey Pinkpen and mauricecano  Lets ask two outsiders opinions, have you both researched some of these guys past forum post as I have?

I am sure others reading this post also know the truth and can see behind their Curtain.

Do so and give feedback please.  Sounds like a setup. 

Why if it is a person who knows the script not use a proxy server? 

Hey Houston send me your site address and I'll send you your info. ip, state etc. etc. 

You guys are bad boys !

" MOMMY , SOMEONE BROKE MY BOX OF CRAYONS ! "

I don't think you actually know about allot of the things you're speaking of.

I'm just gonna' go ahead and give you a negative point...

it's all up to unoboonex now waiting to see what he is going to do about it :)

Exactly.  We need to give Andrew Boon the opportunity to deal with this member on his own terms.  It is his site, and he deserves that opportunity.

I have no dog in this fight

Well just my opinion.

The day to day for me in courts, anything can be falsified, digital pictures, time stamps etc. I have seen it all.

So I am sure  site info. can be as well. I would say simply way the facts. Do we all know any of this is true for a fact!

Without a shadow of a doubt. No. However, I am not saying it did not happen either. From my end, and after researching some items here in forums, I would have to say it looks like some sort of mid evil whitch hunt.

You had mentioned that you contacted this persons isp company and the person in question is or was going to have their Internet services shut down.

So if this is true, contact this person who you think it is, if they are not offline, then I think that speaks for it'sself.

Of course give them at least 24 hours or some sort of ample time to respond.

But yes, if I had to way the facts, there are none, simply one persons statement, and when it did not seem to be enough, up comes another stating the same as some sort of conspiracy theory.

I am quite sure if needed, any of this could be falsified.

This is Only an opinion, and what I see going on here. I would need to see alot more proof then any of this.

If this persons ISP is shutdown, then hang them! If not, it was 100% untrue and falsified.

For me at least, " without the shadow of a doubt "  sorry I do see shadows here.

And no Real evidence.

Any evidence is not being posted here for a reason.

I don't trust the courts to make a sensible decision anyway. Not when they allow people to sue someone because they got burned when they spilled a hot cup of coffee on themselves.

Was the coffee hot? Did it say caution on the lid as stated by federal law at the time. No.

Did the customer get a burn due to this lack and money saver idea?

They decided to take a short cut to save some money that ended up costing them alot more.

And I never said we were in court here. I stated simply my opinions since I do see this on a day to day.

It is good we are not in court as there are no facts to support this matter. Are we not talking about others who build these sites?

And clear evidence that there is alot of tention with alot of you on this site.

I would think yes, this is a witch hunt. And maybe even some sort of conspiracy.

If you posted your site here, was it not for others to view?

When you post something, you want other to see it, invite.

Some may follow the rules, some may not.

Next time, maybe post that on your lid so you or others do not get burned as well.

@Pinkpen

just give it some time :) you'll see that its all true

@pinkpin "without a shadow of reasonable doubt" I have no idea what standard you're using but not one courts use anywhere.  Besides there are many different levels of proof and many different bars.  We're not a criminal court so we don't need to set the bar the highest, I think the more prudent civil standard "more likely than not" is sufficient here.

You're completely right: we shouldn't take common sense and logic into account when there is money at stake.

The needed evidence has been sent to the authorities, along with whoever else need be informed. I also fail to see where you can claim that there is no evidence, since you know nothing of what you're talking about. I also fail to see how this can be a "with hunt," when we have not pointed a single finger. Please, also tell us how this can be called a conspiracy, as I fail to see any reason behind this, as well.

So, you're saying that if someone posts their web site for public access, then anyone who posts pornography and harasses the membership is not at fault, and it is in fact a conspiracy act by the web site owner?

Come back to Unity when you realize what you are talking about. You do not know who we are, what we do, nor do you know anything about what we are talking about in this topic. No, you just barged in here and began talking like you know everything, which you do not.

I'm giving you a negative point, for reasons stated above.

 I'm finding things here to be quite interesting in this thread. 

1.  A newer member appears and attempts to give legal counsel in an attempt to show nothing illegal has been done.

2.  Another member who does not post often appears and makes the statement above.

3.  The first newer member comes back and takes a stance very similiar to the 2nd.

Does anyone else see anything in this?

---------> we shouldn't take common sense and logic into account <------------

Wow, I think you are right , this is no place for any sane person.

I do not wish to be apart of this site or anything that has to do with this site.

I was asked my opinion by mrcnblue, and gave it.

I see your all together on this and it is either your way or no way.

You are all in fact the judge, jury and executioner, the decision was made before this post even started it seems.

Lynch away.

Lynching is extrajudicial punishment carried out by a mob, usually by hanging  in order to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people, however large or small. It is related to other means of social control that arise in communities, such as charivari,  riding the rail, and tarring and feathering. Lynchings were more frequent in times of social and economic tension, and often were means by the politically dominant population to oppress social challenges.

Understood. And goodbye.

yeah and looks like one of them doesn't really like you view the profiles

Unfortunatly, we can't actually hang you.

Goodbye.

Just out of curiosity, are people any more receptive to real names being used on the profiles here yet?

I'm all for it. I even offered for someone calling me out to actually call me using my actual telephone number, but they (unfortunately) chickened out.

 Okay, if the older members of this site are the Politically Dominant (hypothetically) then what social challenge are we attempting to oppress in this thread?    Also, what question did mrcnblue ask you?  I can't seem to find him asking you specifically anything in this thread.  Please note, I do have incredibly poor eyesite and I am old.

Actually, he loves me.  The truth is that's just his way of keeping our affair silent.  You know, it's a love hate abuse love beat spank love thing

I agree with the original sentiment of this message.  Using information gained from this community for a violent act like this should be unforgivable.   Whether or not it can be proved is a different matter, but there should be zero tolerance for this kind of thing.

Right now any one of us could take a gasoline can and burn down our neighbor's house - in fact probably hundreds of millions of people could - but no one ever does because we live in a society and this goes against our most basic sense of right and wrong.   Attempting to damage someone's website here may not rise to the level of burning down someone's house, but attacking  a new community can do a huge amount of harm at a critical time.   This kind of business damage could be considered almost the equivalent for this community.

HL had a system wide open for this kind of attack, but I mention that only in the context that I don't have the slightest doubt that there are huge holes in the security of my own site.   I know that  that some smart person here, acting with evil intent, could probably figure out a way to do harm to my site.   Some people wonder why I am not shy about positing my website address when I want to point something out.   It's because my communities are going to have to live in the real world anyway - they are all public on the Internet, and shouldn't cowering in fear of these sick people.   I take only normal precautions and even have that Phpids thing turned off because I don't want to base my business decisions based on these kinds of people.  If I encounter them as I build my communities, I will deal with it when it happens. 

I really doubt anyone will get anywhere with any of these legal threats that have been running around here lately - in either the legal system of the U.S. or Australia - or Kazakhstan or wherever - all you would do would be make some lawyers rich.  Still, this community should consider it criminal for anyone to intentionally try to damage the business, systems or communities of any of the members here.  

I don't know if the person who did this is a true sociopath, but from what I have read they sound close enough for me to know that I don't want anything to do with them and that they shouldn't be here.

Rob

Just an update.  Evidence of the attack on my site is supported by server logs provided by my hosting company.  These are logs that were archived by the hosting company before I even discovered the problem.  My hosting company has also reported to me that there were multiple admin login attempts from the same IP address during the same time period.  So... not only did the user deface my site and harass members, they also attempted to hack into my administration area.

The person left an excellent trail to follow.  I'm confident that between two separate complainants, hosting company server logs, and Boonex, a smoking gun will be produced.  The result may not be an exciting public ridicule... it may just be that this person disappears quietly into the night, and that would be good enough for me.  This person needs to understand that these sort of things are not socially acceptable.   I've certainly had my share of disagreements with other members of this community, but I have never remotely considered a cowardly act such as defacing their website and harassing their site's members.

On a different note....If I were y'all, I'd ignore the posts from new guys that seem overly interested in this topic.  I suspect that the perpetrator of these attacks, has multiple IDs on this site, so use discretion in what you say publicly.

Ok, we now have a reason to believe that at Unity we have a few accounts registered by one person, and contrary to BoonEx Unity rules they are all used as if they are independent. Without going into further details, we have decided that this is a reason enough for all those accounts to be banned from the system without the right of reinstatement.

And here's the disclaimer, just in case: this is our site, we can remove whatever we want, at our own discretion and at any time. If you believe that you PAID for something you didn't receive, file a dispute through the pay-gate that you used and we'll settle it there.

I hope this will make Unity cleaner.

Hear, hear!

Thank you Andrew.  I now consider this issue closed as far as Boonex involvement is concerned.  Any interaction between me and the offenders ISP is my own business, and I will not involve Boonex or this community.

Thank you for your prompt, and appropriate response.  It is sincerely appreciated.

I take it all back.  What's the point of banning the user, if he's going to be right back in a few hours?

they are given a fresh start i guess b.s don't you think so

I can't wait to hear Uno's explanation for this one.

we better stop posting here  for every post we get - Vote :)

OMG!  We're getting negative votes!!!!  I'm freaking out man!!!  Make it stop!!

I eat negative votes for breakfast.

UNO:  I hope this is just a case of the Toilet failing to flush.  I know how sometimes takes multiple flushes to get everything to go down, so I won't get too perturbed just yet.

sorry to hear this is happening to you im sure it will happen to us all at some time or another now i see why u was in a bad mood on some other posts i thought u was just the village asshole lol but sorry man i think your a cool dude now i understand gl on gettin the guy

lol ill give u guy some good votes to help gainst te haters

Negative Votes!  Negative Votes!!!  Please please... Can I have some Negative votes?  I want some negative votes!!!  I'm hungry and my toilet's not quite clogged up enough.  So please give me some negative votes!!!

What really amazes me is if this is who I think it is, then why did they attack HL's site?  I can think of better people they could of aimed this at. 

HL...  I have some toys for you that will help out with this stuff.  Most are from D6.  One is a free item, the other is something you have to purchase and has been updated to D7.  I guarantee they are well worth the trouble of installing and they do help with this stuff.  The idiots can attempt to deface, look like idiots, you get a key that says what they really tried to do that made them look like an idiot and your members are only mildly confused by the obvious idiots attempt if they even notice them. 

Word Filter (This puppy is so great, it can make them look as stupid and ignorant as you want them to look)

E-Mail Filter (This baby is from Anton and it can even be adapted to pick up comments/blog posts/group posts and so on)  Such a sweet toy as it just lets the idiot waste their time as it redirects all the crap to you and away from your members.  Great items that all sites need. 

Anyone that would like to update the word filter from d6 to d7 let me know, I'll pass you all the files we have on it.  Just remember, you have to keep it free when you update it. 

UPDATE:

This has gone from a case of defacing my website with pornographic images and videos, and everything I mentioned previously, TO stalking.

Now I am receiving direct emails from this person.  He apparently has gone to the trouble of looking up my home address and telephone number.

THANK YOU!  ... For providing me with the smoking gun I needed to confirm your identity.  Up until now, all I had was an IP address, a pile of evidence, and a suspect.   I would not have been able to get that information from Boonex or your ISP without a court order.  I can't thank you enough for making it so easy.

Negative Votes!  Negative Votes!!!  Please please... Can I have some Negative votes?

Ok, I have to admit that this was tempting - but I'm not a negative vote troll so I will let it go. (JK MD)

I would like to know who it was that did this myself.

......................I know, I know - wishful thinking.

Goodluck HL. I hope you jack this guys ass up.

~PC

 BTW HL... Don't forget to grab the full header on those e-mails.  It's a great tool to show the originating IP where they came from and the entire backtrace of how they got from point "A" to point "B".  Now you do have a criminal act that you can act upon.  I can hear Houston on the phone now:

911 Operator:  Please state your emergency.

HL:  Help!  Help!  I have a stalker!  Please hurry over.  I'm scared.

911 Operator:  Ma'am, please calm down and tell us what the trouble is.

HL:  Help!  Help!  I'm scared.  My stalker is threatening me.  He has my home and phone!  Please Hurry!

911 Operator:  Ma'am we are on our way!!!

Don't forget, Texas has a nice little law called "Castle Domain" which gives a homeowner/resident the right to shoot you outside of his house, not just inside.  HL, what was that case of the guy who shot the burglars who broke into his neighbor's house?  You know which one, the one that shot and killed them and is sleepin' in his very own house as we speak.  Gawd do I love Texas!

Ok, we now removed a total of 14 accounts, including a newly created ll be locking down this thread tomorrow.

Well as entertaining as this thread has been, and in light that it will be locked tomorrow, all i have to say is this:

last in before the lock!

As to whether or not the perpetrator is gone for good, I will remain cautiously optimistic.

Hey andrew..   if its who i think it is..   you left there products behind in the market place. if its not who i think it is well then i guess i am wrong.

RE:

Yeah... I noticed that too.  Not sure what the deal is.

You know, we all owe a beer to HL.  It appears that he has finally managed to find a way to get rid of a spiteful troll without causing a huge amount of drama.  How long the troll is gone remains to be seen, but the troll is now gone for the time being. 

I didn't have to find anything.  It was handed to me.

The Wizard of Oz comes to mind for some reason.

Also, you guys got hit by the negatives, too? I know this one person who went through all my posts giving me a negative, as he repeatedly re-checked my profile to see if it had any kind of effect. Instead, my points went up.

I imagine he's given up on that idea.

(Can anyone guess who it was?)

Edit: Nope, You Know Who's still at it. Why doesn't this person show himself? At least I have the care to tell people when I give them a negative point.

 I think we've found a pretty kewl bug on the system.  I keep gettin' the negs and I'm up to 590 points myself!  Yes, give 'em to me.  I want those neggie votes!

Sorry MD but no neggies for you....had to give ruin your day and give you the thumbs up

Ok !! I'm in before the lock out!! HE, He, He!!

lol not locked yet? Heres some positive votes for you guys! :D weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

well damn it wont let me vote again on some of you but i got the other half! ;)

--------------------

EDIT

-----------------------

Holy crap im so sorry for refreshing such an old thread it didnt seem that long ago