Set IP Logging to 'Opt-In' Rather than 'Opt-Out'

[boundbooks]

Title:
Set IP Logging to 'Opt-In' Rather than 'Opt-Out'

Area:
Entries and Commenting

Summary:
Currently, all newly created DW journals and communities have IP logging turned on by default. My suggestion is that IP logging should be turned off by default, with the ability to turn it on by 'opting-in' and enabling it.

Description:
While IP logging has it uses – namely, preventing sockpuppeting, discouraging trolling and ID-ing spam – it also comes with a high privacy cost. When making a comment on an IP logging post, one makes a wish: 'I will give this post my current location and hope that this information will never be used that against me.'

For the majority of DW journals and communities, default IP logging is over-kill. Most journals and communities are not experiencing continual sockpuppeting or trolling or other situations in which moderators would need to be able to pinpoint the address of a commentor in order to unravel what's occurring. Yet because IP logging is opt-out rather than opt-in, most DW journals and communities take this personal location information without thought and record it for as long as they exist.

I do not argue that IP logging should be removed as a service, but rather that it should be not be enabled as part of the default settings. Journal owners and communities should have that debate about privacy and moderation on their own and potentially with their community members. The removal of the privacy of their members and commentors should be a conscious, thoughtful decision, rather than simply one made by the default settings.

I am well aware that IP logging/IP address information is already being taken by Dreamwidth itself. However, I feel that there is a tremendous difference between these two states: 1) information existing on Dreamwidth's servers and accessible to Dreamwidth's employees/code volunteers 2) IP addresses being handed by default to all original posters, journal owners and community administrators.

The argument that 'one should never need to conceal an IP address, because one should know that IP addresses are always logged' fails to make a distinction between theoretical perfect privacy and practical privacy. It presumes that one is engaged in criminal activities that are pursued by the FBI rather than concerned about the kind of personally damaging information that participating in fandom activity or a complaint about a job situation can become in the hands of a malicious fellow-user. Making IP logging no longer enabled by default in created journals/communities is measurable progress towards practical, every-day privacy.

IP logging reveals sensitive information for all users, but the cost is even higher for rural users. If one's IP address simply reveals 'Chicago, Illinois, USA', it is unlikely that the contents of one's journal could be used to find a specific user. On the other hand, if one is a commenting from a small town, personal details as well as IP logging make it remarkably easy to whittle down and discover an identity. I myself live in a relatively rural area, and as such my cost of remaining anonymous is far higher than a fellow metropolitan-living friend. Information such as the name of my college, when combined with the name of my town, would whittle me down to a list of less than ten possible people in that town. Combined with gender and a rough age range, and the list becomes a list of one. As such, I am extremely cautious about anything I post. My city-dwelling friend, who actively gives college, gender and age range information, remains on a possible list of thousands of fellow alumni in their city.

My suggestion is intended to improve the privacy of Dreamwidth users, which I feel is in line with the goals of the Dreamwidth community. Since IP logging would remain as an 'opt-in' option for users or communities who needed this tool, the only problems I can think of would possible be things on the 'back end' of Dreamwidth, possibly if successful site-wide spam-reporting requires the majority of journals/communities to IP-log.

Poll #7707 Set IP Logging to 'Opt-In' Rather than 'Opt-Out'

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 62

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
16 (25.8%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
35 (56.5%)

(I have no opinion)
10 (16.1%)

(Other: please comment)
1 (1.6%)

Comments

[denise]

Yeah, I've thought about this a lot recently (the problem of some people's IP geolocation information being/feeling more invasive due to population density, accuracy of geolocation data, etc) and I honestly haven't been able to come up with much, except to encourage education about what IP address information can do/contain/identify and reinforcing to people that if it's a privacy/safety issue they should never browse the internet unproxied. (and this is probably something that should go into a FAQ, but docs in general are totally sliding way down my priority list lately.) Because anything other than that really is a false sense of security, and I think catering to a false sense of security is worse than active dismissal of privacy concerns -- because at least with active dismissal, you're at least having the conversation, you know?

Too many conflicting issues :/

[azurelunatic]

One of the things for the FAQ when (heh) it's written (why do I have a feeling this is what I'll be starting on after Lunch) -- images-turned-off browsing.

[stealthily]

There're also things like the Ghostery add-on, which detects and blocks web bugs, ad beacons and tracking pixels. Although I have found that it doesn't automatically block every one, it just tells you they're there. And if course it wouldn't work if the bug was set up by someone on their own server, or was a small provider like LjToys that ghostery is not aware of. I was quite surprised by how many there were- some web pages have them in double digits- that's over 10 different ad companies following you about at any 1 time.

[azurelunatic]

I must say, I especially appreciate the way your username goes with your comment here.