# How'dja Know?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howdja-know/359283
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [June 3, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howdja-know/359283 "2006-06-03T13:33:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MizGrand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizGrand)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howdja-know/359283/1 "2006-06-03T13:33:56Z")
In [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=374194) thread, **Frank** applied the ban to a user he knew had registered with an alternate name. The user was banned under the first name, came back and was swiftly banned under their second name based upon Frank stating that he knew he was the previous poster.
How did he know? Was this person so ignorant that they used the same email addy to register again? In theory, couldn’t you have as many usernames as you have email addys?
Just curious, not questing.
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### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2006, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howdja-know/359283/2 "2006-06-03T14:18:21Z")
There are a number of techniques which Mods. and Admins. can use to identify returning clones of banned users. Two that I know have been mentioned are the tendency to use similar style and the fact that the member’s IP can be read. For what I think are obvious reasons, the staff prefers that we not discuss or speculate on what their other methods are. (Just note that the goat has other duties between initiations of new members. ;))
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### Author:  [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howdja-know/359283/3 "2006-06-03T16:01:58Z")
Dna.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howdja-know/359283/4 "2006-06-03T16:05:39Z")
IP addresses, that sort of thing.
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### Author:  [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howdja-know/359283/5 "2006-06-03T16:44:42Z")
Cerebro.
It allows the mods to scan the minds of Guests to determine their identities. Of course, it takes quite a few of our already-overworked hamsters to supply the power required for the range needed, so they don’t use it too often. Even then, they only use it when they can get it away from Cecil (how else did you think he wrote his columns?). Still, it’s nice to have.
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howdja-know/359283/6 "2006-06-03T17:22:27Z")
> [@Roland Orzabal](#):
>
> Cerebro.
>
> It allows the mods to scan the minds of Guests to determine their identities. Of course, it takes quite a few of our already-overworked hamsters to supply the power required for the range needed, so they don’t use it too often. Even then, they only use it when they can get it away from Cecil (how else did you think he wrote his columns?). Still, it’s nice to have.
I’ve got my eye on you.
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### Author:  [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howdja-know/359283/7 "2006-06-03T18:07:26Z")
Virtual Vulcan Mind Meld.
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### Author:  [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howdja-know/359283/8 "2006-06-03T19:55:41Z")
:: looks around furtively ::
I’m not supposed to talk about this, but you’ve heard of that program the NSA’s instituted for datamining Internet traffic in search of terrorists?
Well, let’s just say there have been some beta test sites.
:: scuttles off ::
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### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howdja-know/359283/9 "2006-06-03T20:02:28Z")
In this case, it was a similarity of posts. The others had been removed from the public area. I only left that one in case the poster is merely spectacularly clueless. He’ll either email to straighten it out, or, _shrug_, he won’t.