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web site question

tammynj

Senior Member
Here's a question that might be stupid, but I'm curious:

if you have a web site (one that you maintain or someone maintains for you), can you tell who has looked at it? I mean, not just how many times it has been viewed, but who looked? I know you can't tell on say, like, a scholastic page, but what if you have your own domain web address?
 
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Hifiman

Senior Member
I think so

Take a website like PT for instance. Every time you log on it tells you the date and time of your last visit. I assume that's only because we log in with an account. Other than that I assume that it's possible to track IP addresses, but I don't know how you would connect those with specific person. So basically I guess I'm saying I'm bored and wanted to respond, but I don't know the answer.
 

tammynj

Senior Member
Hifiman

Thanks for your non-answer! ;) I know that certain sites can keep track, but was wondering the same thing - how do they do it? can the owner of the website see the email addresses?

I love the internet, but am quite foggy on how it all actually works.
 

soph

Senior Member
Counter

I have a counter on my web site. When I log in as the administrator, I can see who has linked to my site, what pages they viewed, how long they visited and what domain(ISP) they came from. Actually I should clarify, it won't tell me the exact person who visited, just what the referral page was and what domain they used to visit my page. The referral info is nice though. You can see who links to your site.
 
B

Big Brother

Guest
Yes... and No

If it's a database-driven website, e.g. one you log in to like this one that uses php, asp, etc.-- the answer is yes, kind of...

Webmasters can and do track every page your ACCOUNT visits. They can tell how long your ACCOUNT stayed on a given page, what page you came from, and what page you went to next. They can tell the location of your ISP and what IP address was used.

I say your ACCOUNT, because they can never be sure that the person who is logged in to their site is actually you. It could of course be someone else who has logged in as you.

However, your actual identity can be inferred from the external records generated by your own ISP to a certain degree of probability depending on the length of your internet sesion and the other sites you visit during that session. For example, your ISP may record that you logged in to your email and then afterward logged in to your bank, and then to the certain site you have a question about. From the ISP's records it could be inferred that the same person who logged in to his email and bank account is likely the same person who logged in to the next site, although again it can't be proved 100%.

Regular, basic html websites can also track single users by the use of cookies and/or the insertion of javascript code on each individual page that then logs and tracks the specific IP address used to call up that page. The code usually sends the IP information to a central site, where the IP address and the time of access is assembled into chronological order to show the path of that single user from that address. Businesses use this kind of information to find out which of their pages and links generate the most activity from which locations and at which times of the day, week, month, etc, so they can better target their products. Although the IP addresses that are tracked are anonymous, again, ISP records can tie your specific identity to a given website through inference as explained above. ISPs generally do not release their customers' data logs unless subpoenaed to do so.

I personally use javascript code to track the the users who visit my basic html classroom website. In some cases, I know exactly which parent was on my page and when, because their actual name appears as part of the IP address. This has only been true with parents who access my page from computers where they work. In both cases, these parents obviously have a specific computer they have been assigned- and in both cases, these parents are employed by the federal gov't. (No surprise here!) However, businesses, also, can and do attach specific user names to their IP addresses.

In cases where I get only the IP address in my reports, I can often fairly easily guess which of my students or their families) have accessed my page. The report will also generate the location (i.e the originating city or town), or other information (the business name or ISP) of the user.

Sorry this answer got to be so long... I find this subject fascinating.
 

tammynj

Senior Member
Big Brother...

I tried to follow that... I really did. But I think I got lost somewhere. You obviously have a lot more tech knowledge than I do. Thanks for taking the time to explain. :)
 
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