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BugMeNot.com Lets Users Circumvent Forced Registration
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Actually ...
Posted by Alex Dering 10/9/2008 8:59:40 AM

When publishers want more data about online consumers but many consumers don't want to disclose data, a technological arms race results.

Um. No. Every, and I mean every, site that "forces" a registration can be circumvented and not by technology.

Let's say Poynter wants my name.

There I am: Friznits McFarfel.

And my address? I live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, or 123 Fake Street.

My e-mail? Oh, that's tricky. I took my gmail address, invited myself to join through my work e-mail. I now have a free e-mail account whose only purpose is to provide a live address to send activation codes. I never check it, except for those activation codes.

To present an argument about how some sort of "race" is on demonstrates an unwillingness to find and settle for the simplest solution.

I do a similar thing with my phone, cell and land line. I keep the land line unplugged except when I'm using it. No one has the number. I never check the voice mail. My cell phone is never picked up unless I know who is calling me.

Never go for technology when common sense provides the answer.

lol
Posted by [User profile deleted] 10/9/2008 1:43:00 AM

i used bugmenot too

hacking isnt the right term, the media is idiot and ill-informed, hacking is actually the creation of code and cracking is when you break into a website.

This means the people that create websites are hackers and the ones that steal passwords and break into encrypted areas are not hackers but actually crackers (funny since thats also food lol) its amazing how much of an effect mainstream media has on what things are called they dont even know what they are talking about and yet people still go for it, i guess calling them crackers might sound a bit racist or something and plus hacker sounds so much cooler doesnt it?

If you think about it an real hacker could sue the media officials for slander couldnt they? (even if they are completely oblivious they should at least check to see what each word means)

bugmenot
Posted by [User profile deleted] 10/9/2008 1:34:20 AM

I used bugmenot to type this....

I would just like to say, I have around 1200 e-mails from sites that I just stopped to give advice or say a few words. Because of all the spam I get that unfortunately goes through my filter unhindered I've had to make a new e-mail address. Although this is nothing to my uncles 3900 e-mails over the past 2 days, it is still extremely annoying.

Also if your site has its own servers you can record the i.p. (which is personal to each connection and not to each account) and do a selective I.P. ban on that particular one at the time the offensive post was added, doing this would get rid of most of the abusive users over time. I run my own personal site and I can record and block any I.P.s that connect to my site and post offensive comments, there are quite a few 12-16 year olds that i know (through my younger brother) that already have the knowledge to do these kinds of things and yet adult professionals get beat out by 12 year old 7th graders? You would think that those of us that are supposed to set the example are above this but apparently the newer generation is somewhat of an improvement.

I might as well add, there are bots to create useless accounts for every site you could think of, I believe you would prefer 1 account that you could track easily than 500 that you would have difficulty tracking as well as the added bonus of all the extra saved info for your web server to hold.

Also I would like to add just ONE more thing, the site has this handy dandy feature to BLOCK YOUR SITE meaning it wont show up? yes thats right, if the site cares enough to go to the site in question then they can get their site removed CONGRATULATIONS.

If you are reading this and you didnt know that your site could be blocked then you are stupid by definition.

stupid - Having the chance to know but still not knowing

which is actually much worse than

ignorant - not knowing

at least if your ignorant its not your fault eh?

Youre Stupid
Posted by [User profile deleted] 7/31/2008 7:15:28 PM

What a stupid thing to say, people cannot possibly be hacking your site with bugmenot because bugmenot only uses details that were given VOLUNTAIRILY by someone who ALREADY know the account password. If your site's log-in function is to store histories of some kind, that that is the ONLY thing logging in should be required to do. Everything else on the site should be accessible by typing in a URL.

Reply to the first poster
Posted by [User profile deleted] 6/11/2008 2:38:36 AM

Just in case you haven't read ahead: adding a "Lemme In As A Guest!!!" button should solve your problem

Problem with bugmenot
Posted by phil phil 4/16/2008 7:00:35 PM

I run my own online game which requires users to register so that they can keep what they achieve in game to themselfs.

However bugmenot keeps allowing hackers to access users accounts and is costing users and staff time as they keep getting hacked.

While i understand some sites with articles dont really need registration, my site does. However this doesnt stop bugmenot from encouraging hackers and allowing them to hack users on my site. In my opinion, bugmenot needs people to go over each site thats been submitted one by one.

is it wrong to bot in favor of bugmenot?
Posted by [User profile deleted] 2/8/2008 1:45:20 PM

i am a new user to bug me not and i find it very interesting. I agree that it should not be used for small sites like personal wiki's, but i see no problem with public logins for larger sites that simply add a feature to the site to give users anonymity if they want it. I figure most of the users using this service are one time visitors anyways, and their data would just corrupt the registrations of that saite anyways. better to have one bad row than hundreds ;)

my question is this...is it wrong to write bots that work in favor of bugmenot? it would be pretty simple that wrote a bot that monitored larger sites - youtube, msn, ect on bugmenot and, whenever those sites did not have 5 logins with a success of over 50%, to simply create the logins (with a one step use input to bypass all the capatcha's)

is this wrong? i feel like as long as it was used on larger sites ONLY, it would simply be a mechanism for creating an anonymous account and basically a battle between the site and bugmenot over whether their content should be behind a wall of 'please register'

who are you kidding?
Posted by [User profile deleted] 12/25/2007 2:53:39 PM

I am using BMN login.
well, I keep a few spare, throw-away email accounts I use to register on websites, order products etc.
Even when I am extra careful about answering "no" to all those tricky "can we keep you up to date" questions, i still get many (stupid, unwanted, useless ) messages, typically one from every three book sellers i buy through abebooks.
Is this "right"?
Opting-out requires one to jump through the hoops, or is unavailable.

As one said (and this confirms my experience ) registration sites mostly fall under cliques of "regulars" and deluded losers playing sheriff, who make up "moderating online" for the obvious lack of self-esteem or power hunger or low status in real life.
Upon insistent request I moderated a forum a few months; once I understood what that was like or about, i resigned and will never do it again.
I need no ego boost and have nothing to sell.

BugMeNot vs. Twiddla
Posted by Jason Kester 8/30/2007 5:08:26 AM

It's funny. I first learned about BugMeNot because somebody had posted an account for Twiddla.com.

Funny, that is, because had the submitter's mouse slipped a mere 50 pixels to the right while filling in the information for that dummy account, he would have hit the "Lemme In As A Guest!!!" button. You know, the one we put there to make sure nobody ever has to fill in personal information just to try the thing out!

But yeah, I can't understand why sites continue to force you to register just to read content or kick the tires on an app. I wrote up some of our experiences with this here:

http://twiddla.blogspot.com/2007/04/1000-signups-on-day-one.html

ps. registered for an account to post this comment...

Qui Est Vraiment Vvrai ?
Posted by Vin Crosbie 8/7/2007 12:54:16 AM

Je pense, donc je suis. Alan est juste une nom d'ouverture.

Not always so...
Posted by [User profile deleted] 6/18/2007 3:29:37 PM

I just used bugmenot.com to log into this web site. Oh, the irony. By the way, several sites covered on bugmenot.com are not 'free'. It is also used to hack restricted sites. Let's at least be real about the facts of the matter.

Libraries do it, too
Posted by Mary Grace 5/24/2007 12:06:57 AM

How is BMN different from the open user accounts libraries set up?

Anyone can walk into any of dozens of libraries in our area, sit at a computer, and simply browse the day away using library log in information freely provided. They don't even need a library card.

BMN is not for paid accounts, only free ones.

NaoEnche.com In Brazil
Posted by Kernel Code 3/16/2007 2:51:54 PM

There is a similar service in brazil. The name of it is N�o Enche.

http://www.naoenche.com

Freedom of Information
Posted by �� ! 1/29/2007 6:54:54 AM

Access and information should be free for everyone.

Bugmenot cannot be used to steal other people's accounts, it is either because someone doesn't want their accoutn anymoe or someone made it just for bugmenot.

Bugmenot is legal.

Bugmenot.com makes the internet more efficient and effective. It reduces spam and saves time, it makes the world more efficient.

And guess what, I got this account off bugmenot, it saved me time, and now I have time for more important stuff.

I'm a hypocrite. (Sort of?)
Posted by [User profile deleted] 11/27/2006 10:39:56 PM

Somewhat hypocritical that I use bugmenot as both a way to circumvent mandatory registration on most sites, but that I also regularly ban accounts based on your login/pass info.

I guess I feel compelled to write this to explain myself, in the same way Catholics feel compelled to confess, I guess.

My site is a wiki where anonymous edits disabled due to pandemic abuse. Why not let a single login be used by people who wish to just make a single comment? Accountability. In a collabarative environment like a wiki, especially since having sockpuppets is allowed (legitimate reasons only, but still...), we need to keep track of who is who. It also adds a bottleneck to vandalism, every single second wasted is precious when some jerk decides to start spamming pages with porn (or worse), and gives our overworked, understaffed wiki badly needed time to ban said vandal.

Besides all this, registration is quick and painless. No details beyond login/pass are necessary and there's no email verification required. Yet. (That may change, we have a rather large vandalism problem.)

spammers resource
Posted by [User profile deleted] 8/11/2006 1:18:39 AM

yes, i reliase the irony in using a bmn account to post this, but it supports my point in a way...

i've found that numerous spammers have now developed bots to use bugmenot to login to and spam web forums.

i bet the devlopers didn't consider that when creating the site :/

A simple matter of cost/benefit
Posted by [User profile deleted] 8/1/2006 11:10:32 PM

It's pretty simple -- if the cost/benefit of using bugmenot is more favorable than registering a new account, people are going to do it, and why shouldn't they?

If you want people to not do this sort of thing, make the costs of proper registration lower, or the benefits higher.

Posting with BugMeNot
Posted by [User profile deleted] 6/22/2006 6:56:42 AM

Registration is useful for sites where you can post comments like forums and you don't want anyone to be able to attain your "nick", like it is often the case with blog comments. One guy writes a "stupid" comment. His name was Jack. The next guy wants to make him look even more stupid, so what does he do? Use the same nick.

If I wanted to be able to post my opinion on this website and be sure that there's not a case of mistaken identity, I would register. But for most sites out there, it's not right. Articles should be freely accessible. If you want to post comments you should either be able to do it with a registered nick, or "anonymously" like with blogs.
Registration should not be forced if not required.

-MJ, posting with BugMeNot

it's unethical, yet I will use it
Posted by [User profile deleted] 6/1/2006 5:03:31 PM

According to _my_ ethics, I should either obey the rules established of a service, or boycott the service.

Boycotting something alone, without massive support, has little effect on the subject - it's a way to state my opinions.

Still, I often act against that ethics. Why? Because of my lazyness. And because it doesn't directly harm anybody (thus I'm in good conscience).

I think, that my view is quite common. Do you find it outraging?
woitiek@o2.pl

corporate greed
Posted by [User profile deleted] 5/22/2006 1:16:25 AM

Is it ethical to use bugmenot? Let me ask you, is it ethical to require someone to register for your site so you can use their email to spam them?

Is it ethical to spy on other people's lives merely for your own profit?

my two cents
Posted by �� ! 5/15/2006 6:56:18 AM

Has anyone read the Bugmenot TOU? It states "You will not submit login accounts for pay-per-view accounts or any other form of paid content access". Some posters have erroneously implied that Bugmenot is used to bypass registration to "steal" paid content and that is simply not the case. Oh sure, Bugmenot will return results for paid content sites, but they seldom if ever work, and it is also stated in the TOU that such submissions are taboo to begin with.

Chances are, most any article can be found in more than one place, and if I have to register, I'll just go find that article or something similar somewhere else. Sites like the Times really irk me when they sucker me in with page 1 of a story and slap me with the "subscription required" on page 2. Too bad Google doesn't have a "personal filter" to add sites to so they won't appear in results.

I dislike having to register and jump through hoops even at "free" sites just to read or post. The bots argument is weak and the anonymous poster argument is even weaker. As a webmaster myself, I've found there are much better ways to address those issues other than requiring personal information from my visitors.
While demographic information is no doubt an important tool for webmasters, it isn't necessary to invade privacy to get it.

great
Posted by �� ! 5/2/2006 2:46:14 PM

I think it's great. We shouldn't have to register just so some jerk can bombard our computers with spam because we choose to read the news or post an opinion on a website.

The big companies don't pay for our computers we do. It's time for big business to start recognizing our right to privacy. It's time for us consumers to start standing up for our rights.

Illegality argument
Posted by [User profile deleted] 4/4/2006 11:53:52 PM

The second post in this thread claimed that the practice is illegal by reason of 47 USC 1028. First of all, there is no such statute. The one that person means to refer to is 18 USC 1028. Second of all, "authentication feature" doesn't include usernames and passwords used to identify people, only those features used to prove documents are genuine.

18 USCA 1028(d)(1) reads
"the term "authentication feature" means any hologram, watermark,
certification, symbol, code, image, sequence of numbers or letters, or
other feature that either individually or in combination with another feature is used by the issuing authority on an identification document, document-making implement, or means of identification to determine if the document is counterfeit, altered, or otherwise falsified;"

This statute and the term "authentication feature" are specifically aimed at counterfeit documents, not at "counterfeit" people.

Oh...
Posted by [User profile deleted] 12/24/2005 12:35:45 AM

I thought Vin Crosbie is the name of this login. Guess not... :)

-Not Vin Crosbie nor Alan DeMarco

Some thoughts
Posted by [User profile deleted] 12/24/2005 12:33:00 AM

* Sites can get ad revenue also without registration. Will they get more with registration info? I don't know, but a better way to get more money when *I* am involved would be using text ads. If I find a site useful, I will usually click their ads. Animated ones have somewhat lower chances of that happening. Flash ads are the least likely, though sometimes I'll disable popup/ad blocking and reload the page just to be able to click their ads.

* If it's a site I'm likely to use again, and if I register, I will probably use my real email address (one of the "general public" ones), but definitely not any other real info. If it's a one time visit, I'll look elsewhere or give up or try BugMeNot (as of late).

* Having to register to post as an anti-bot measure (as mentioned in an earlier post) is too extreme. A simpler solution would be using the read-distorted-text method and allowing to post immediately without going thru email verification.

* Speaking of NY Times, I wanted to read that URL posted below. Since I actually had an account there (I wanted to read something a year or two or 3 ago), I used my login info, which ironically didn't work. Apparently my account had been erased. Luckily BugMeNot works. :)

-Not Vin Crosbie

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