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IP address location and personal identity data protection etc

  • 15-09-2015 6:37pm
    #1
    whydoibother
    Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭


    Hello, I have a friend who has just come out, he is in his 50s and it was very hard for him to face up to his sexual identity. Recently, just after the referendum, he gained some confidence and started going on dating sites.
    The problem is that he met a guy online and sent him his photos etc, and now the other guy is blackmailing him and threatening to out him by putting up his photos on vivastreet etc.
    I told him to go to the Garda and show their email correspondence but he feels awkward doing so because he is not out to everyone and he thinks it would be pointless since he does not know where the other guy lives, the only thing he has from him is an IP address and an email. We have tried to locate both on the net but it is impossible, the IP address only says its from Eircom and the email or profile name is not associated with any Facebook account or any other social media outlet that would identify him.
    Now, my question is, would it be worth it for my friend to go to the Garda? Can they locate this person using the eircom IP address alone? You see, I am trying to spare my friend further hassle.
    Thanks
    Tagged:


Comments

  • #2
    degsie
    Registered Users Posts: 8,727 ✭✭✭degsie


    What kind of photos are we talking about?


  • #3
    whydoibother
    Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭whydoibother


    degsie wrote: »
    What kind of photos are we talking about?

    To be honest, I did not ask him. Would that make any difference?

    EDIT: Face and body photos only, he just told me, none of which of a compromising nature. What the other guy is threatening to do is to put up an ad online (including my friends photos) to say that my friend is looking for a man with the view to definitely out him.


  • #4
    Mother Brain
    Closed Accounts Posts: 255 ✭✭Mother Brain


    I would assume because certain devices embed gps co-ordinates into images taken from the camera. Some smart phones etc.

    Maybe not though..


  • #5
    Buona Fortuna
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,507 ✭✭✭Buona Fortuna


    Hi OP

    If it works similar to the UK, I'd imagine that the Gards could make an order on Eircom to disclose details relating to that IP address.


  • #6
    john the one
    Registered Users Posts: 1,750 ✭✭✭john the one


    Even with dynamic ips, it should be handy enough locating the guy. I was always under the impression moving ips didn't really make any difference


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  • #7
    whydoibother
    Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭whydoibother


    Buona Fortuna wrote: »
    Hi OP

    If it works similar to the UK, I'd imagine that the Gards could make an order on Eircom to disclose details relating to that IP address.

    Thanks Buona Fortuna, the issue now as I have just found out, is that they were chatting on some dating site, not emailing, so all he has from the other guy are mails from that site, not actually from a personal email address. My friend emailed the photos to the other guy's email address (so he definitely has the other guys email address) but the other guy would reply through the dating site, he did not email him back, so the IP address would be from the site, not from the other guy.

    Sorry for the misinformation, he did not explain this right to me from the start either. I hope it's clear now, sorry.


  • #8
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,234 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Having an IP and time / date is as good as having someone's phone number. The email can cross-verify it.

    Have a look at http://www.lgbt.ie/information.aspx?contentid=203 and http://www.garda.ie/Documents/User/current%20elo%20lgbt%20list%20-%2014.10.11.pdf - the list may be dated, just ask for the LGBT liaison officer.


  • #9
    whydoibother
    Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭whydoibother


    john the one wrote: »
    Even with dynamic ips, it should be handy enough locating the guy. I was always under the impression moving ips didn't really make any difference

    Hi John, would you know how to do that, even when the IP address belongs to a dating site? Can the Garda request the IP address from the dating site?


  • #10
    whydoibother
    Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭whydoibother


    Victor wrote: »
    Having an IP and time / date is as good as having someone's phone number. The email can cross-verify it.

    Have a look at http://www.lgbt.ie/information.aspx?contentid=203 and http://www.garda.ie/Documents/User/current%20elo%20lgbt%20list%20-%2014.10.11.pdf - the list may be dated, just ask for the LGBT liaison officer.

    Hi Victor, thanks for the info, its really helpful, but as I have just found out the issue is rather more complicated as the IP address belongs to the dating site, its not the other guys own IP address.


  • #11
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,234 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Then the difficulty of getting the details will depend on where the dating site is hosted and how cooperative they are.

    Email address will be useful.


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  • #12
    whydoibother
    Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭whydoibother


    Victor wrote: »
    Then the difficulty of getting the details will depend on where the dating site is hosted and how cooperative they are.

    Email address will be useful.

    Hi Victor, the dating site he was using is either hosted in the USA or Germany. I think it's called planet Romeo.


  • #13
    Buona Fortuna
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,507 ✭✭✭Buona Fortuna


    whydoibother wrote: »
    Hi Victor, the dating site he was using is either hosted in the USA or Germany. I think it's called planet Romeo.

    I think his next port of call has to be the Gards. They'll know exactly what they can and can't obtain and from who.

    Anything else is just internet speculation.


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