[Pony99CA]

Originally Posted by Mike Temporale

If you read the original article the police are asking for anonymous tips using SMS. As this is a technology focused site, the purpose of this post was to examine the anonymous nature of SMS. Of which there is none.

Actually, you're wrong. I thought the same thing at first until I thought about it for a minute.

While sending SMS messages from a phone probably isn't anonymous, you can also send them from a computer (for example, using Verizon's Vtext). That should be fairly anonymous.

If you're worried that your IP address is logged and could be tracked back to you, send the SMS from a public computer. In fact, I've seen computers at cell phone stores set up to allow sending text messages.

Steve

[Pony99CA]

Originally Posted by Mike Temporale

If you read the original article the police are asking for anonymous tips using SMS. As this is a technology focused site, the purpose of this post was to examine the anonymous nature of SMS. Of which there is none.

Actually, you're wrong. I thought the same thing at first until I thought about it for a minute.

While sending SMS messages from a phone probably isn't anonymous, you can also send them from a computer (for example, using Verizon's Vtext). That should be fairly anonymous.

If you're worried that your IP address is logged and could be tracked back to you, send the SMS from a public computer. In fact, I've seen computers at cell phone stores set up to allow sending text messages.

Steve

[ctmagnus]

Originally Posted by Jon Westfall

Pay Phone... now what was that? Oh yea, I remember those things... they used to be everywhere. Wonder what ever happened to them...

I saw one of those old-school phone booths (the kind that you walk into and shut the door behind you) a few days ago! 8O There aren't many like that around these parts anymore; they're mostly the kind that are just from the waist up and stick out of the wall or post they're mounted on a foot or so.

[Mike Temporale]

Originally Posted by Pony99CA

While sending SMS messages from a phone probably isn't anonymous, you can also send them from a computer (for example, using Verizon's Vtext). That should be fairly anonymous.

I'm sure that would log your IP address which most ISPs would turn over to police without question. You could use a public network to get around that. However a pay phone would be much easier - if you could find one.

But knowing that you don't have to be anonymous to remain anonymous changes the whole picture. I guess that's the key thing.

[Pony99CA]

Originally Posted by Mike Temporale

I'm sure that would log your IP address which most ISPs would turn over to police without question. You could use a public network to get around that.

Isn't that pretty much exactly what my third paragraph said? However, I don't know tracking the IP address back would be so easy.

The IP address would be in the logs of the Web site used to send the SMS message, which probably belong to the owner of that site, and they might not be willing to share that data. Look at how some ISPs have fought the RIAA when asked for IP addresses. Granted, the RIAA isn't law enforcement, but if the police explained that they need to track down a tipster who wanted to remain anonymous, perhaps the company would be less willing to help. The police could possibly subpoena the data, but that would take a while.

Also, I'm not sure going after the tipster like that would be good for their public image. Unless they honestly believed the tipster was a suspect, once those efforts hit the press, how many people that wanted to remain anonymous would use SMS any more? They might do more harm than good doing that.

Steve

[ifonline]

The police could possibly subpoena the data, but that would take a while.

I wouldn't say "a while." I would say within a few hours at most. Besides, you're right. There isn't a good reason to track down a "tipster" unless there was more to their story. In other words, their "tip" might have actually been a sly confession (it has happend many, many times).