a question

[ksmith]

Before I search further, I'll toss out a general question. Do/Can internet cafes and other public places log the IP addresses of folks using the service and could law enforcement use that info to track/trace a person of interest? IOW, if you take off, toss your laptop over the nearest bridge and use public?

Comments

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

Oh no, toss it in...see how your protag works around it. >:D

It's gooood to be eeeevil!

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Actually, I can see them getting involved in another aspect of the storyline.

The problem with writing in present day. I can't just make shit up.

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

Paranormal/urban fantasy/second world/slipstream/ authors do it ALL the time. :D

Sorry. That was not being helpful. Adding obstacles for your protagonist is good... making stuff up just to please my giddy post-convention brain is not.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

OK, this is a supernatural thriller. But I still need to have a decent grasp of what is possible and what isn't so that when something happens that isn't possible, someone in the story can know that it isn't and why.

And when a bunch of stuff starts happening that shouldn't be happening, then we gots the story.

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

Okay, if the goal at this point is to raise the stakes through an active pursuit (they've found her, they know where she is, they're inbound etc...), then the answer is yes you can trace her general location down.

If your cyber-cops are coming from a well trained, 'big city' police dept then I'd say the answer is yes, she can be traced within a reasonable amount of time. The necessary court orders would be provided to Yahoo!, Google etc to sequester or just flag things like email (or even MySpace, Facebook etc). Is she using Windows? Then she's definitely buggered: We may access and/or disclose your personal information if we believe such action is necessary to: (a) comply with the law or legal process served on Microsoft; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Microsoft (including the enforcement of our agreements); or (c) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of Microsoft services or members of the public.

Thanks Bill.

Also, NSA monitoring internet. (http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/06/21/att_nsa/?source=whitelist) <--- there's an ad placement before the article. These cybercop organization and groups are small and tight-knitted and trained by one another. Who's to say that your local 'big city' cybercrimes officer can't make a phone call and call in a favor to Deputy Dawg over at NSA or FBI (it's a cheesy quick-fix but it's a realistic way of dealing with an issue).

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Thanks. If nothing else, she needs to know, or learn, what to do in order to get from where she is to where she needs to be in order for the story to proceed. She starts out in Seattle--even if all she does upon leaving the city is toss her laptop and cell phone over a bridge railing, there need to be sound reasons why.

And if she's able to get from Point A to Point B without interference when she shouldn't have been able to, that's really nice to know.

Nice info here.

::makes notes for next book...::

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

Waaaay too many experts in Seattle. (http://www.mynorthwest.com/?sid=61414&nid=11)

She should probably withdraw all cash from bank and carry on hand too (I think already mentioned).

Seattle is a hotbed of cyber activity (http://www.google.com/search?q=seattle+cyber+crimes&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a). It would be crawling with white hat hackers.

Wow, yeah...ditch anything with a chip!

No vehicles with an onstar or internal navigation system AAAnd keep in mind the 'red light/intersection' camera system of Seattle. (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=5Wb&q=seattle+intersection+cameras&btnG=Search)

Heh. Cyberparanoia at it's best. Fit for Seattle.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have her tossing her phone.

She should probably withdraw all cash from bank and carry on hand too (I think already mentioned).

Thought of that too.

::sigh:: And this isn't even the major chase sequence in the book. It's first third of the book Point A to Point B.

Thanks for reminding me about the red light cameras. I'm seeing them more and more in Illinois, too.

And we have tollways where you need to pay cash unless you want your iPass to pinpoint your whereabouts.

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

Video: how to stay "off the grid." (http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-stay-off-the-grid)

Staying off the grid Google. (http://www.google.com/search?q=staying+off+the+grid&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)

Sorry. I'm an information junkie. ;)

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I never would've guessed... *g*

[elmunadi.livejournal.com]

Also worth, (given advances in the subject areas), staying off camera grid, as well - facial recog software has gotten ugly-good of late, as has behavior pattern recog software (determining from motion patterns if someone in a crowd is acting oddly relative to that crowd - violent/slow/fast/erratic/etc..., and fwding to live eyeballs for eval)

Thank the Brits and HDCCTV...

protag may wish to consider both physical alterations to face/body (glasses/hat not enough), and to mood - if you're entering a stress zone, and know that recog software is in use, perhaps soma, xanax, (I'm not the pharma expert, but I bet you know a few) that spin down nervous traits would prevent unwanted attention.

As always, should you or any of your 300-lines-a-day force be caught or edited, the secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions.

[e-moon60.livejournal.com]

A heel pad or other orthotic in one shoe to change gait a little--not an actual limp, but it causes a slight shift of weight and thus doesn't look like "Oh, that's Jenny, that's her walk" on camera. Though they say that wigs and so on aren't good enough these days, nonetheless criminals do use them effectively. Women have the advantage of more hairstyle possibilities, and can also wear larger hats without comment...and a hat can also change overall appearance as well as hide a face from overhead cams. Esp. if Jenny doesn't wear hats normally--has a [nameofteam] ballcap instead. A change to something she wouldn't normally wear--different color, different style (not extreme, just...different) along with a gait change will also make her look less herself on surveillance cameras. "That can't be Jenny; she'd never wear something that loud/subdued." "Oh, no, she hates ruffles/granny shoes/etc."