Proxy Question - Computer Technical Help

CarlVectorForce1 · 01-20-2012, 09:16 PM

My friend is writing a research paper on proxies and how people download stuff off the internet.

1. How does one know if a proxy from a public list is a "good" proxy and not a decoy set up as a trap?

2. What stops the RIAA or the groups suing the torrent downloaders from subpoenaing the proxy company for the IP address of the user

--or to put it another way, if a person uses a proxy their IP address is still available for subpoena --- it just takes longer to get it??

3.how does one know they're not getting stuck with one of these (below)?

Quote:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_s..._proxy_servers An open proxy is a forwarding proxy server that is accessible by any Internet user. Gordon Lyon estimates there are "hundreds of thousands" of open proxies on the Internet.[6] An anonymous open proxy allows users to conceal their IP address while browsing the Web or using other Internet services. There are varying degrees of anonymity however, as well as a number of methods of 'tricking' the client into revealing itself regardless of the proxy being used.

again, this is just for research purposes. i get my movies from RedBox & i only listen to oldies music like elton john and rita coolidge and other weird stuff.

Jon010 · 02-03-2012, 04:13 PM

Generally a proxy isn't going to save logs, or if they do, they don't save them nearly as long as your ISP would. A lot of the times these proxies are being run in small countries that either don't care, or don't have the man power to enforce any intellectual property laws, and to put it bluntly a lot of the times these governments don't give a rats a$$ about US laws anyway.

As for finding a "good" one, you'd do it the same way as you find a good mechanic. Research and ask around. Any bogus proxies that are setup to trap people won't stay hidden for very long.