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Cybervillains and How to Find Them: Obtaining the Identity of Anonymous Internet Users

By Jason H. Fisher
September 02, 2004

Many corporate executives and in-house attorneys have complained about acts done “anonymously” over the Internet and the lack of accountability for Internet users. Each has seemingly been harmed by various online conduct, such as defamation, trade libel, trade secret leakage and other acts that occur because of Internet use and abuse. This use and abuse seems to arise most commonly in online message boards and when using “anonymous” free e-mail accounts. Most of these people believe there is nothing that can be done because of the anonymity inherent in the nature of the online medium. Because of this appearance of anonymity, many perpetrators behave differently than they normally would had they known they could be held accountable. Many Internet users do not realize that an experienced lawyer can actually find their identity, location, and the situs of the damaging action(s). Each computer on the Internet has been assigned an “IP Address.” This IP Address is a unique identifier of that computer ' synonymous with the street address of real property.

IP Addresses are comprised of four numbers that range between 0 and 255. (An example of an IP Address is “164.67.0.1″). These IP Addresses serve as unique identifiers to each computer on the Internet and can be used to track Internet users who have done tortuous or otherwise harmful activity (this can also be a useful general investigation tool ' it goes without saying that the discovery process and power to subpoena should not be abused) while seemingly being anonymous.

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