Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

• 

  Mousky, 21 Sep 2005 @ 6:50pm

  
  

  A ping here, a ping there

  Sounds to me that all they are doing is pinging network stations and network endpoints, taking the smallest number and using a mathematical equation to determine the geographical whereabouts of said network stations and endpoints. How is this patentable? Or more importantly, how is this different from the IP Locator at geobytes? Just wondering.

  [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • 

    StaticVector, 21 Sep 2005 @ 8:50pm

    
    

    Re: A ping here, a ping there

    The patent might have been granted tuesday, but it was filed December 29, 2000. So, this technology has been around for a while now. That is why you see it just about everywhere these days.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

• 

  will, 21 Sep 2005 @ 7:13pm

  
  

  They took down Al Capone for Tax Evasion...

  I suspect they may try to prosecute deliberate attempts at anonymizing or obscuring a node on the network. If the technique used requires information specific to the patent or reverse engineering, they might try bludgeoning folks with IP laws along the lines of the DMCA.

  [ link to this | view in chronology ]

• 

  Field, 21 Sep 2005 @ 8:59pm

  
  

  Revenue

  Maybe they see it as a revenue-generating mechanism? Think about it: foreign governments and dictatorships, corporations and organizations. A penny per ping? =P

  [ link to this | view in chronology ]

• 

  GBM, 21 Sep 2005 @ 9:54pm

  
  

  No Subject Given

  Wouldn't that give them the ability to track who, what, when, and where illegal downloads are taking place?

  [ link to this | view in chronology ]

• 

  iosd, 21 Sep 2005 @ 11:12pm

  
  

  Discard

  Maybe this is naive, but most networks are now discarding all anonymous traffic, ping included. How does this affect the algorithms they are using?
  
  
  
  

  [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • 

    Joost, 22 Sep 2005 @ 5:35am

    
    

    Re: Discard

    I don't see how a ICMP Echo (more commonly known as Ping) packet is anonymous, because an ICMP Reply packet has to travel back. Therefore, both destination and source IP addresses are in a ping packet.
    
    It is possible that ICMP Echo and Reply packets get blocked at some routers, but not because they're anonymous.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • 

      bman, 24 Sep 2005 @ 12:52pm

      
      

      Re: Discard

      He means anonymous as connections that didn't originate from with the local network or connections that aren't in the TCP-established state.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]