On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 4:01 PM, <WJhonson(a)aol.com> wrote:
Thomas, I was replying to the *general feeling* by
some that it is sometimes
permissible to track down real-world identities, of those who for, whatever
reason, are trying to hide theirs.
I believe it IS sometimes permissible. For instance, if someone is
vandalizing, making threats, etc. it is permissible to discover
personal information about them for the purposes of preventing the
problem. For instance, that's what checkusers do in cases of serious
vandalism etc. We may, for instance, discover personal information
through those checks, make connections between multiple accounts,
announce issues if we feel it necessary, get in touch with ISPs in
severe cases, etc.
-Matt