Mailing lists are different from forums. Mailing lists are > essentially remailers; however, certain TCP/IP information is > available in a remailer which increases the visibility of the author. > Information on the author can be obtained without having to resort to > a court subpoena. > > They are also cheap to operate. :-) >
TCP/IP information is also available to forum owners in many cases. And it can be hidden by the user if they use an anonymous proxy server. And you still need a subpoena to identify the user of a particular address. The TCP/IP may give you an approximate location, but it won't identify the user. To do that, you have to subpoena the internet service provider (ISP). At least that's true in the US. Not sure if everywhere. I've been through this with a friend who was actually being harassed by former spouse. A court order was required to prove the source of the harassment.
