Anonymous And Secure Forum

[Welsh Dog]

Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.) can't be
compromised. I read about spammers, attacks and all other things that
concern me. I don't want Google bots to see the forum (HTTPS?). The
forum will be participated by professionals who in giving their
opinions could be professionally compromised. Nothing illegal.

I am so-so technically, would be the only Moderator.

Any suggestions appreciated including a forum software that would be
out of the box the most secure.

Who should host the forum (server)? How to set it up anonymously
(protecting myself)?

Thanks to all!
--
Don't just whinge - make your opinion count!
Australian Opinion
http://australianopinion.com.au

[Ari Silverstein]

On Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:29:23 -0400, Welsh Dog wrote:

> Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
> anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.) can't be
> compromised. I read about spammers, attacks and all other things that
> concern me. I don't want Google bots to see the forum (HTTPS?). The
> forum will be participated by professionals who in giving their
> opinions could be professionally compromised. Nothing illegal.
>
> I am so-so technically, would be the only Moderator.

You got a problem. What you are considering is a highly technical
course of action. Spammers alone can be a considerable nuisance,
server side encryption means you are going to have to select a hosting
company carefully, what will be the minimum requirements for passwords
and on and on and on.

People can post anonymously by not giving their names. You will be
able to see their IP address, the email they use (if you register) and
how are you going to vet the professionals from the non-professionals?

In short, you need to hire someone who specializes in this field.

[news.optonline.net]

x-no-archive: yes

ok, I'm no expert

> Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
> anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.)

Your host will log a user's IP address, you can't stop that.

You can get a host in another country. They might not hand over records to
law enforcement in your country.

> I don't want Google bots to see the forum

You can stop that with a robots.txt file
http://www.webconfs.com/what-is-robo...article-12.php

> (HTTPS?)

Get a host with a shared certificate, then you won't have to pay for one.
It will encrypt data from the user's computer to your host, but
that doesn't make it anonymous
..
>
> I am so-so technically, would be the only Moderator.

Can you upload files with FTP and configure the forum's script ?

>
> Any suggestions appreciated including a forum software that would be
> out of the box the most secure.
>

It's not the software you have to worry about.

> Who should host the forum (server)? How to set it up anonymously
> (protecting myself)?

Get a pre-paid "gift" credit card. It has to be the kind that lets you put a
(fake) name and address on it. When you sign up
for hosting, they might want that info. Since you're not having stuff mailed
to your house, the address doesn't matter.

If you don't want to log on from your home or office, use a computer in a
public place. I work in a poor neighorbood
and there are lots of mom and pop businesses that offer cheap internet
access.....

Or you could use a public wi-fi network......

Here's another thing to consider....The place where you log on might have
video surveillance. .... Your IP address can be traced back to
XYZ public computer at ABC time/date. Out comes the surveillance tape and
you're busted.

Or you can pay for a VPN account.....

But the fact remains you can't change the IP address of the posters.

[Welsh Dog]

On Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:37:49 -0400, Ari Silverstein wrote:

> On Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:29:23 -0400, Welsh Dog wrote:
>
>> Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
>> anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.) can't be
>> compromised. I read about spammers, attacks and all other things that
>> concern me. I don't want Google bots to see the forum (HTTPS?). The
>> forum will be participated by professionals who in giving their
>> opinions could be professionally compromised. Nothing illegal.
>>
>> I am so-so technically, would be the only Moderator.
>
> You got a problem. What you are considering is a highly technical
> course of action. Spammers alone can be a considerable nuisance,
> server side encryption means you are going to have to select a hosting
> company carefully, what will be the minimum requirements for passwords
> and on and on and on.
>
> People can post anonymously by not giving their names. You will be
> able to see their IP address, the email they use (if you register) and
> how are you going to vet the professionals from the non-professionals?
>
> In short, you need to hire someone who specializes in this field.

I know about encryption. I have run a Simple Machines forum before.
Posters will register by their corporate email only and be verified by
that. What else do I need to know?
--
Don't just whinge - make your opinion count!
Australian Opinion
http://australianopinion.com.au

[Welsh Dog]

On Sun, 26 Sep 2010 21:21:09 -0400, news.optonline.net wrote:

> x-no-archive: yes
>
> ok, I'm no expert
>
>> Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
>> anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.)
>
> Your host will log a user's IP address, you can't stop that.

OK so unless they post by a proxy that's a problem.

> You can get a host in another country. They might not hand over records to
> law enforcement in your country.

OK thanks.

>> I don't want Google bots to see the forum
>
> You can stop that with a robots.txt file
> http://www.webconfs.com/what-is-robo...article-12.php

I can see why Ari sees this is complicated.

>> (HTTPS?)
>
> Get a host with a shared certificate, then you won't have to pay for one.
> It will encrypt data from the user's computer to your host, but
> that doesn't make it anonymous

I was hoping HTTPS might hide the forum.

>> I am so-so technically, would be the only Moderator.
>
> Can you upload files with FTP and configure the forum's script ?

Yes that I can do.

>> Any suggestions appreciated including a forum software that would be
>> out of the box the most secure.
>>
>
> It's not the software you have to worry about.

It looks the same anyway.

>> Who should host the forum (server)? How to set it up anonymously
>> (protecting myself)?
>
> Get a pre-paid "gift" credit card. It has to be the kind that lets you put a
> (fake) name and address on it. When you sign up
> for hosting, they might want that info. Since you're not having stuff mailed
> to your house, the address doesn't matter.

Cash?

> If you don't want to log on from your home or office, use a computer in a
> public place. I work in a poor neighorbood
> and there are lots of mom and pop businesses that offer cheap internet
> access.....

Good!

> Or you could use a public wi-fi network......
>
> Here's another thing to consider....The place where you log on might have
> video surveillance. .... Your IP address can be traced back to
> XYZ public computer at ABC time/date. Out comes the surveillance tape and
> you're busted.

****!

> Or you can pay for a VPN account.....
>
> But the fact remains you can't change the IP address of the posters.

Thank you for your time.
--
Don't just whinge - make your opinion count!
Australian Opinion
http://australianopinion.com.au

[Gordon Burditt]

>Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
>anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.) can't be
>compromised. I read about spammers, attacks and all other things that
>concern me. I don't want Google bots to see the forum (HTTPS?). The
>forum will be participated by professionals who in giving their
>opinions could be professionally compromised. Nothing illegal.

This is a very difficult problem, depending on what it is you wish
to keep secure. Could someone be fired or arrested merely for
getting caught accessing your forum? That's fairly easy to detect
any traffic from inside the country or corporate firewall going to
the IP address of your forum. Could someone be fired or arrested
merely for getting caught reading an article telling *how* to access
your forum?

Do you intend for your forum to *ever* send emails to participants
(other than a message board hosted on the forum)? That's pretty
damning to the recipient, regardless of what's *in* the message.
I suggest that no email addresses should be collected or used. No
messages leave the forum host unless the user reading it saves the
message, and that's an encrypted channel.

Expect your user base to contain moles. I assume you will use
account handles that don't resemble the identity of users. Still,
if I can initiate an email to a user (even if it's "you have a new
message on the Whistle Forum") by sending a forum message to his
handle, a moderately sophisticated Big Brother, or your ISP, could
correlate when you sent the message and who a message went out to,
unless there's a *lot* of traffic or the forum introduces random
delays (say, up to a week) in message delivery. Traffic analysis
is a bitch.

>I am so-so technically, would be the only Moderator.
>
>Any suggestions appreciated including a forum software that would be
>out of the box the most secure.

That's a strong indication that you're going to get the participants
in this forum in trouble, intentionally or not.

>Who should host the forum (server)? How to set it up anonymously
>(protecting myself)?

Unless YOU host it, you can pretty much assume that the host is working
for Big Brother, or someone who has received a National Security Letter
from him. If YOU host it, you can be pretty sure you'll get one directly.

[Ari Silverstein]

On Sun, 26 Sep 2010 23:30:34 -0400, Welsh Dog wrote:

> On Sun, 26 Sep 2010 21:21:09 -0400, news.optonline.net wrote:

>> ok, I'm no expert
>>
>>> Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
>>> anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.)
>>
>> Your host will log a user's IP address, you can't stop that.
>
> OK so unless they post by a proxy that's a problem.

If you are attempting to protect data, that's one thing, this you can
do with results. If you want posting anonymity, then your posters are
going to have to be savvy enough on their end to pull this off. That
means they will need to access your forum via ToR.

You can deny access to anyone who does not have an incoming IP address
from a Tor exit node. But this isn't going to work. If you envision
hundreds of users, having everyone of them ToR savvy is highly
unlikely.

Your best bet is to explain to participants that you can secure their
data (until your host is subpoenaed), they can use several means of
hiding their IP addresses including VPNs or ToR.

To show your sincerity and proof the forum's credibility, hire a
professional.

[Welsh Dog]

On Sun, 26 Sep 2010 22:57:03 -0500, Gordon Burditt wrote:

>>Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
>>anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.) can't be
>>compromised. I read about spammers, attacks and all other things that
>>concern me. I don't want Google bots to see the forum (HTTPS?). The
>>forum will be participated by professionals who in giving their
>>opinions could be professionally compromised. Nothing illegal.
>
> This is a very difficult problem, depending on what it is you wish
> to keep secure. Could someone be fired or arrested merely for
> getting caught accessing your forum?

Fired is possible, arrested no.

> Do you intend for your forum to *ever* send emails to participants
> (other than a message board hosted on the forum)? That's pretty
> damning to the recipient, regardless of what's *in* the message.
> I suggest that no email addresses should be collected or used. No
> messages leave the forum host unless the user reading it saves the
> message, and that's an encrypted channel.

No emails from the forum.

> Expect your user base to contain moles. I assume you will use
> account handles that don't resemble the identity of users. Still,
> if I can initiate an email to a user (even if it's "you have a new
> message on the Whistle Forum") by sending a forum message to his
> handle, a moderately sophisticated Big Brother, or your ISP, could
> correlate when you sent the message and who a message went out to,
> unless there's a *lot* of traffic or the forum introduces random
> delays (say, up to a week) in message delivery. Traffic analysis
> is a bitch.

Hmmmmmm, OK, not good.

>>I am so-so technically, would be the only Moderator.
>>
>>Any suggestions appreciated including a forum software that would be
>>out of the box the most secure.
>
> That's a strong indication that you're going to get the participants
> in this forum in trouble, intentionally or not.

I see what you mean.

>>Who should host the forum (server)? How to set it up anonymously
>>(protecting myself)?
>
> Unless YOU host it, you can pretty much assume that the host is working
> for Big Brother, or someone who has received a National Security Letter
> from him. If YOU host it, you can be pretty sure you'll get one directly.

What? Why would I expect that?
--
Don't just whinge - make your opinion count!
Australian Opinion
http://australianopinion.com.au

[Welsh Dog]

On Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:50:53 +0200 (CEST), Nomen Nescio wrote:

>> Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
>> anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.) can't be
>> compromised. I read about spammers, attacks and all other things that
>> concern me. I don't want Google bots to see the forum (HTTPS?). The
>> forum will be participated by professionals who in giving their
>> opinions could be professionally compromised. Nothing illegal.
>
>> I am so-so technically, would be the only Moderator.
>
>> Any suggestions appreciated including a forum software that would be
>> out of the box the most secure.
>
>> Who should host the forum (server)? How to set it up anonymously
>> (protecting myself)?
>
>> Thanks to all!
>
>> --
>> Don't just whinge - make your opinion count!
>> Australian Opinion
>> http://australianopinion.com.au
>
> Don't really know that much about this kind of thing, but how
> about a Tor hidden service forum? Would that work?

It would work. My concern is that TOR would minimize my user base.
--
Don't just whinge - make your opinion count!
Australian Opinion
http://australianopinion.com.au

[Ari Silverstein]

On Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:26:49 -0400, Welsh Dog wrote:

> On Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:50:53 +0200 (CEST), Nomen Nescio wrote:
>
>>> Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
>>> anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.) can't be
>>> compromised. I read about spammers, attacks and all other things that
>>> concern me. I don't want Google bots to see the forum (HTTPS?). The
>>> forum will be participated by professionals who in giving their
>>> opinions could be professionally compromised. Nothing illegal.
>>
>>> I am so-so technically, would be the only Moderator.
>>
>>> Any suggestions appreciated including a forum software that would be
>>> out of the box the most secure.
>>
>>> Who should host the forum (server)? How to set it up anonymously
>>> (protecting myself)?
>>
>>> Thanks to all!
>>
>>> --
>>> Don't just whinge - make your opinion count!
>>> Australian Opinion
>>> http://australianopinion.com.au
>>
>> Don't really know that much about this kind of thing, but how
>> about a Tor hidden service forum? Would that work?
>
> It would work. My concern is that TOR would minimize my user base.

If your Users are unwilling to participate or unable to take on their
own anonymity, then you are pretty much screwed.

Oner thought, something I have seen work at the intra-corporate level
anonymous mailing list via Zimbra.
--
9ec4c12949a4f31474f299058ce2b22a

[Ari Silverstein]

On Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:31:29 +0200 (CEST), Anonymous wrote:

> I wonder if the nym system has gotten to the point where it could be used
> for this.
>
> The people that use the forum would each have a nym terminating in
> alt.anonymous.messages.
>
> They would send their forum message to the moderator's nym address using
> their nym address as the 'from' address.
>
> The moderator would send the message to each member of the forum. That
> is, he would send it to the nym addresses of each member of the forum.
>
> The members would download all messages in aam, picking out the ones that
> were addressed to them and decrypting them.
>
> A small piece of software would add the new message to the others in
> their folder.
>
> The result would be a list of text messages sorted by time received. It
> would look more or less like a newsgroup.
>
> The advantage is that nobody would know who the other participants were;
> nobody would know who the moderator was.
>
> If anyone was brave enough, he could take any or all of the messages and
> put them up on a webserver to give the messages a wider audience.
>
> If he was only a reader of the messages and not a participant, he might
> be able to claim he was a remailer, and get whatever protection that
> would provide.
>
> All of this is doable by people here, but for the participants in the
> forum, it would mean learning how to send remailer messages, create and
> use a nym.
>
> Maybe a combination of qslite and mixnym.net would be easy enough for
> people to use.

That's an interesting approach. But why not a moderated forum in
Usenet alt.legalbutindiscreet.moderated?
--
_?_ Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
(@ @) Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
-oOO-(_)--OOo-------------------------------[ Groucho Marx ]--
grok!

[Anonymous Remailer (austria)]

Welsh Dog wrote:

> On Sun, 26 Sep 2010 22:57:03 -0500, Gordon Burditt wrote:
>
>>Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people
>> can post anonymously....

There used to be a service where people could send messages using the
remailer network that ended up as a blog post.

Something like that might work, but I would not trust tor to read the blog
or forum. But you could use something like Zax's setup where you send a
message using the remailer network and request a page from a website, and
have the page sent to your nym.

Awkward but secure.

[Ilmari Karonen]

On 2010-09-27, news.optonline.net <yy> wrote:
>
>> I don't want Google bots to see the forum
>
> You can stop that with a robots.txt file
> http://www.webconfs.com/what-is-robo...article-12.php

That may not always help. Even if you use robots.txt to tell Google
not to index your site, they may still index links *to* your site from
other pages and include them in their search results.


>> (HTTPS?)
>
> Get a host with a shared certificate, then you won't have to pay for one.

Or get your own domain and a free cert for it. Someone just recently
linked to http://www.startssl.com/ here.


> It will encrypt data from the user's computer to your host, but
> that doesn't make it anonymous.

Also, note that an HTTPS certificate will only help against
adversaries that can't:

a) intercept the data before it's encrypted (e.g. via spyware on the
user's computer),

b) intercept the data after it's decrypted (e.g. by hacking your
forum software, or subpoenaing your hosting provider),

c) get their hands on your private cert (same as above), or

d) convince (= trick, browbeat, subpoena, etc.) a trusted certificate
authority (any of the hundreds around the world will do; so might
an internal CA on a corporate network) into issuing them a fake
cert.

That is, it might help against random hackers eavesdropping on public
WiFi, or against corporations with sufficiently lax computer security
practices. It's unlikely to help much against government agencies or
against corporations that monitor their employees' internet use
closely enough.

Also, as noted above, HTTPS won't help at all against an adversary who
only cares about the fact that someone's been visiting your site, not
about what they may have read or posted there. It provides
encryption, not anonymity (and even the encryption leaks data about
things like the amount of data sent each way and the times when it was
sent).


>> Who should host the forum (server)? How to set it up anonymously
>> (protecting myself)?
>
> If you don't want to log on from your home or office, use a computer in a
> public place. I work in a poor neighorbood
> and there are lots of mom and pop businesses that offer cheap internet
> access.....
>
> Or you could use a public wi-fi network......
>
> Here's another thing to consider....The place where you log on might have
> video surveillance. .... Your IP address can be traced back to
> XYZ public computer at ABC time/date. Out comes the surveillance tape and
> you're busted.

This is something that an anonymizer like TOR might solve. But again,
it depends on who you're up against.


> But the fact remains you can't change the IP address of the posters.

Still, you could at least try to make sure that your software (and/or
your hosting provider) doesn't needlessly log them. This may not stop
a sufficiently clever/resourceful adversary from setting up their own
logging, but it might stop them from finding out a former user's IP
address after the fact.

The rest is basically up to educating your users.

--
Ilmari Karonen
To reply by e-mail, please replace ".invalid" with ".net" in address.

[Dave U. Random]

On Sun, 26 Sep 2010, Welsh Dog <welshdog@gmail.com> wrote:
>Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
>anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.) can't be
>compromised. I read about spammers, attacks and all other things that
>concern me. I don't want Google bots to see the forum (HTTPS?). The
>forum will be participated by professionals who in giving their
>opinions could be professionally compromised. Nothing illegal.
>
>I am so-so technically, would be the only Moderator.
>
>Any suggestions appreciated including a forum software that would be
>out of the box the most secure.
>
>Who should host the forum (server)? How to set it up anonymously
>(protecting myself)?

I suggest looking into using Freenet 0.5, also known as Freenet Classic
Opennet. Anonymous communications, websites and file sharing network with
an encrypted, distributed data store.

From the sourceforge page:
>FCON is designed for complete anonymnity in order to provide true freedom
>of speech and freedom from censorship and oppression. FCON is a tool for
>true, absolute freedom online. FCON allows the posting of messages,
>websites (called 'freesites'), blogs ('flogs'), and even larger media or
>other files. It also ensures that it is near impossible to know who
>originally posted a file or who has downloaded it. However, it is still
>possible to maintain a unique identity within the FCON network itself. A
>key feature of FCON is the distributed data store - when you install an
>FCON node you will allocate a portion of your own computer's hard drive to
>store encrypted files from other users on the network.


Freenet Classic OpenNet (FCON)
http://fcon.sourceforge.net/

http://peculiarplace.com/freenet

[Welsh Dog]

On Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:48:17 +0000 (UTC), Ilmari Karonen wrote:

> On 2010-09-27, news.optonline.net <yy> wrote:
>>
>>> I don't want Google bots to see the forum
>>
>> You can stop that with a robots.txt file
>> http://www.webconfs.com/what-is-robo...article-12.php
>
> That may not always help. Even if you use robots.txt to tell Google
> not to index your site, they may still index links *to* your site from
> other pages and include them in their search results.
>
>>> (HTTPS?)
>>
>> Get a host with a shared certificate, then you won't have to pay for one.
>
> Or get your own domain and a free cert for it. Someone just recently
> linked to http://www.startssl.com/ here.
>
>> It will encrypt data from the user's computer to your host, but
>> that doesn't make it anonymous.
>
> Also, note that an HTTPS certificate will only help against
> adversaries that can't:
>
> a) intercept the data before it's encrypted (e.g. via spyware on the
> user's computer),
>
> b) intercept the data after it's decrypted (e.g. by hacking your
> forum software, or subpoenaing your hosting provider),
>
> c) get their hands on your private cert (same as above), or
>
> d) convince (= trick, browbeat, subpoena, etc.) a trusted certificate
> authority (any of the hundreds around the world will do; so might
> an internal CA on a corporate network) into issuing them a fake
> cert.
>
> That is, it might help against random hackers eavesdropping on public
> WiFi, or against corporations with sufficiently lax computer security
> practices. It's unlikely to help much against government agencies or
> against corporations that monitor their employees' internet use
> closely enough.
>
> Also, as noted above, HTTPS won't help at all against an adversary who
> only cares about the fact that someone's been visiting your site, not
> about what they may have read or posted there. It provides
> encryption, not anonymity (and even the encryption leaks data about
> things like the amount of data sent each way and the times when it was
> sent).
>
>>> Who should host the forum (server)? How to set it up anonymously
>>> (protecting myself)?
>>
>> If you don't want to log on from your home or office, use a computer in a
>> public place. I work in a poor neighorbood
>> and there are lots of mom and pop businesses that offer cheap internet
>> access.....
>>
>> Or you could use a public wi-fi network......
>>
>> Here's another thing to consider....The place where you log on might have
>> video surveillance. .... Your IP address can be traced back to
>> XYZ public computer at ABC time/date. Out comes the surveillance tape and
>> you're busted.
>
> This is something that an anonymizer like TOR might solve. But again,
> it depends on who you're up against.
>
>> But the fact remains you can't change the IP address of the posters.
>
> Still, you could at least try to make sure that your software (and/or
> your hosting provider) doesn't needlessly log them. This may not stop
> a sufficiently clever/resourceful adversary from setting up their own
> logging, but it might stop them from finding out a former user's IP
> address after the fact.
>
> The rest is basically up to educating your users.

I appreciate the info, really good stuff, thanks for your time.
--
Don't just whinge - make your opinion count!
Australian Opinion
http://australianopinion.com.au

[Welsh Dog]

On Tue, 28 Sep 2010 08:37:43 +0000 (UTC), Zax wrote:

> Yes, there is no easy solution to this issue. Even if there was, I'm
> still inclined to think that there is no substitute for users actually
> understanding what's going on.

Sadly, that ain't happening, the users are mostly illiterate to the
computer. Any solution, if there is one, will have to be automatic and
inconspicuous.
--
Don't just whinge - make your opinion count!
Australian Opinion
http://australianopinion.com.au

[Anonymous]

In article <i7qnle$rgu$1@news.eternal-september.org>
Welsh Dog <welshdog@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:50:53 +0200 (CEST), Nomen Nescio wrote:
>
> > Don't really know that much about this kind of thing, but how
> > about a Tor hidden service forum? Would that work?
>
> It would work. My concern is that TOR would minimize my user base.

But it is, *by far*, the best choice. You have to weigh how important
security is against ease of use - if it's important enough you and your
users will take the extra (and not too difficult) step to install and
configure Tor and learn how to use it.

[Mark]

On Sep 27, 12:01*am, Ari Silverstein <AriSilverst...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 26 Sep 2010 23:30:34 -0400, Welsh Dog wrote:
> > On Sun, 26 Sep 2010 21:21:09 -0400, news.optonline.net wrote:
> >> ok, I'm no expert
>
> >>> Help please. I need to create a web based forum where people can post
> >>> anonymously and their data (PMs, email addresses, etc.)
>
> >> Your host will log a user's IP address, you can't stop that.
>
> > OK so unless they post by a proxy that's a problem.
>
> If you are attempting to protect data, that's one thing, this you can
> do with results. If you want posting anonymity, then your posters are
> going to have to be savvy enough on their end to pull this off. That
> means they will need to access your forum via ToR.
>
> You can deny access to anyone who does not have an incoming IP address
> from a Tor exit node. But this isn't going to work. If you envision
> hundreds of users, having everyone of them ToR savvy is highly
> unlikely.
>
> Your best bet is to explain to participants that you can secure their
> data (until your host is subpoenaed), they can use several means of
> hiding their IP addresses including VPNs or ToR. That's what I do
> in my full time career as a usenet *******. I hide my identity and
> troll all the groups I can, trying to fool myself into believing that
> I'm not a 316lb loser on disability with bipolar disorder.
>
> To show your sincerity and proof the forum's credibility, hire a
> professional. I tried to hire a hooker with syphilis, but even she
> was sickened by my ugly fat ass.

WARNING: Using a fake name, Ari's premise is simple... "a lie is
as good as the truth if he can get someone to believe it." But
heed this warning; he has tried all of this before. Just look
back on the various newsgroups, and there he will be in all his
pathetic ugliness.

http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Arch.../msg00204.html