To think MNHQ wouldn't delete a thread and ban a poster

[emilyandheramazinghamster]

unless they were certain they were a troll? Especially on sensitive issues?

So why do people keep whining that "they don't always get it right?" and "but how do they know?". I'm sure they have their methods that they don't tell us about.

[skylark2]

They look at the IP address. It's hardly rocket science.

[livingzuid]

It is absurdly easy to change an IP address.

I have no idea how they know but there are means. Perhaps just something to trust MNHQ on? :)

[ConceptionZilla]

I just like to think mnhq have magical powers. It makes me happy to think they have some sort of amazing control centre where they sit all seeing and all knowing. Like santa.

I need to get out more.

[TeWiSavesTheDay]

TSSDNCOP

They aren't going to tell us (and no one that knows should say) because then the trolls would work out how to get round it.

[QueenOfBrian]

I love the fact that some MNs get so het up by other MNs questioning the great Authority MNHQ. That they also start a pointless thread

[ThereIsACarInTheKitchen]

They don't always get it right.

Anyone remember the lady who was banned because they didn't think she was genuine after she posted for support after her child had died? The poor lady had to send proof that her child had in fact died before she was allowed to post again.

There is also a thread knocking around somewhere about how MNHQ know it's a troll where a couple of people have posted about having threads deleted and being banned because they were incorrectly thought to be trolls. Again they had to send proof that they were genuine before they were allowed to post again

[ThereIsACarInTheKitchen]

And yes, it's stupidly easy to change an IP address.

[26Point2Miles]

It does NOT go by IP address, how stupid!

[skylark2]

Is it absurdly easy to change an IP address? Sure it is.

Do the majority of trolls have the faintest idea how to do it? Of course not. They're doing it for a bit of fun - they have no interest in putting effort into making it plausible. It doesn't matter to them if their thread or account goes poof once they've had a couple of dozen posts of fun.

Sorry to disappoint you, folks - it pretty much does go by IP address (and writing style, and looking at dates and times). It's not some magic special technique that only Mumsnet Central know about.

[OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat]

I don't know anything about IP addresses, but as it is easy enough to set up as many email addresses as you like, and most people can access the internet via home broadband and mobile broadband, coffee shop etc wifi and perhaps their work internet connection, how would MNHQ connect all these up if someone wanted to re-register?

If I got myself banned from MN, would other members of the household still be able to post if they were members?

I haven't heard about the MN whose child had died being falsely banned for trolling . That must have been awful, at an already dreadful time.

I guess that's one of the reasons that trolls are so evil. As well as the whole 'why would you bother' question, people with genuine problems aren't always believed.

[livingzuid]

Do the majority of trolls have the faintest idea how to do it? Of course not.

And your proof is what? Changing an IP address is as easy as setting up multiple email accounts. I assume MNHQ, like many other forums, have standard procedure they follow for weeding it all out. But it is not as you so blithely put it, as simple as identification via an IP address and then closing an account down.

[borisgudanov]

I think they use software with pattern recognition, machine learning and text analysis capabilities to work out what material is suspicious, much as universities do when detecting plaigiarism in essays, dissertations and theses.

[Icimoi]

I'd be surprised if they go to all that trouble. There are a number of posters who, when banned, simply turn up again with another name. MN doesn't seem to do much about them unless and until they are twigged and reported by MNetters. Witness that idiot who used to keep posting about alleged forced adoption.

[IamTitanium]

It must be easy to change IP addresses surely?
Our bank would not let payments go through business account recently as we were paying lots of bills over 2 days and on the 2nd day, they stopped them and when I rung they said they did it as they were coming off 2 different IP addresses?
Both days we were using the same laptop, at the same house, on the same broadband. We checked all payments on both days and they were all us.

[ZingTheGreat]

They know.
It's the gin fumes through which they can see into people's souls

[26Point2Miles]

People can use different devices, mobile phone/work computer/laptop on the train. Have multiple accounts etc

There's other ways, IP addresses are not reliable.