5 ms·

I actually thought about something slightly related -- With the AM drama, won't an individual have a reason to signup to all shady websites with their worst ene

by sinatra 11y ago

I actually thought about something slightly related -- With the AM drama, won't an individual have a reason to signup to all shady websites with their worst enemey's email address and then wait for one of those sites to get similarly hacked? Would some people have created AM profiles of others just as a joke, and now those people might be in trouble? I once found a dating profile of mine that was created by an overzealous relative. Thankfully this was few years before I met my spouse.

mhurron 11y ago
> won't an individual have a reason to signup to all shady websites with their worst enemey's email address Well usually sites verify that the person signing up on a site is the owner of that address, in a large part for this very reason.
- sinatra 11y ago
  I've heard that AM didn't verify. And I'd say many shady websites won't.
  - fredkbloggs 11y ago
    That seems to be the case. But then one has to wonder why they bothered collecting the addresses in the first place. If I were running a service that most people would prefer others not know they use, and I were not verifying addresses, I would expect that very few of the addresses I'm given would be of any value. Since I haven't verified them, I can't really use them myself, and I'm not likely to find much interest if I try to sell them. So why even ask?
  - vitoreiji 11y ago
    That's a cheap form of plausible deniability, then.
  - jlgaddis 11y ago
    HN doesn't, either.
- bjt 11y ago
  In Django, as an example of one web framework, the email address would still be in the users table. There'd be a flag somewhere else in the database to indicate whether it had been confirmed or not. Only a sign up system that has separate storage for unconfirmed registrants, or that purges unconfirmed accounts after a period of time, would keep your email from showing up in the dump if a buddy signed you up as a prank.
hellbanner 11y ago
Couchsurfing.com does this a little differently - they mail you a post card and you enter your 2-factor code from the postcard onto the website, verifying that's your real address.
- phpnode 11y ago
  I'd imagine this method won't work for sites like AM...
jrs235 11y ago
It's been done. And by a police chief too: http://www.news8000.com/news/embattled-town-of-campbell-police-chief-is-out/29710546 http://www.news8000.com/news/embattled-town-of-campbell-poli... Update: Here's a better article focusing more on what the chief signing up someone he didn't like rather than focusing on the chief retiring for medical reasons: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/police-chief-pleads-no-contest-charges-involving-dispute-tea-party-leader-article-1.1881876 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/police-chief-pleads-no...
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]

by sinatra 11y ago

mhurron 11y ago

> won't an individual have a reason to signup to all shady websites with their worst enemey's email address Well usually sites verify that the person signing up on a site is the owner of that address, in a large part for this very reason.

sinatra 11y ago
I've heard that AM didn't verify. And I'd say many shady websites won't.
- fredkbloggs 11y ago
  That seems to be the case. But then one has to wonder why they bothered collecting the addresses in the first place. If I were running a service that most people would prefer others not know they use, and I were not verifying addresses, I would expect that very few of the addresses I'm given would be of any value. Since I haven't verified them, I can't really use them myself, and I'm not likely to find much interest if I try to sell them. So why even ask?
- vitoreiji 11y ago
  That's a cheap form of plausible deniability, then.
- jlgaddis 11y ago
  HN doesn't, either.
bjt 11y ago
In Django, as an example of one web framework, the email address would still be in the users table. There'd be a flag somewhere else in the database to indicate whether it had been confirmed or not. Only a sign up system that has separate storage for unconfirmed registrants, or that purges unconfirmed accounts after a period of time, would keep your email from showing up in the dump if a buddy signed you up as a prank.

hellbanner 11y ago

Couchsurfing.com does this a little differently - they mail you a post card and you enter your 2-factor code from the postcard onto the website, verifying that's your real address.

phpnode 11y ago
I'd imagine this method won't work for sites like AM...

jrs235 11y ago

It's been done. And by a police chief too: http://www.news8000.com/news/embattled-town-of-campbell-police-chief-is-out/29710546 http://www.news8000.com/news/embattled-town-of-campbell-poli... Update: Here's a better article focusing more on what the chief signing up someone he didn't like rather than focusing on the chief retiring for medical reasons: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/police-chief-pleads-no-contest-charges-involving-dispute-tea-party-leader-article-1.1881876 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/police-chief-pleads-no...

deleted 11y ago
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