# what happens if  i'm reported to my ISP?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-im-reported-to-my-isp/776486>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 6, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-im-reported-to-my-isp/776486 "2017-01-06T22:30:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![azurill33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@azurill33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/azurill33)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-im-reported-to-my-isp/776486/1 "2017-01-06T22:30:35Z")

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Long story short: I was on a blog and I flamed them in a pm. They said that they have my ip (their page had an ip logger called statcounter) and that they reported me to my isp.

Will my isp cut me off? What are the odds of my isp cutting my internet off or sending me a warning email for flaming someone once? Am I getting worked up over nothing?

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-im-reported-to-my-isp/776486/2 "2017-01-06T22:34:17Z")

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Your ISP doesn’t care what you say on the internet, as long as it isn’t illegal (like a threat to do bodily harm, or harassment).

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**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-im-reported-to-my-isp/776486/3 "2017-01-06T22:53:24Z")

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I assume ‘them’ is the blog authors. Statcounter is a simple tracker for websites to record hits. It includes the IP address, but this is scarcely evidence of anything because almost anyone might be using that address in addition to you, or it could be spoofed.

No ISP will care what you do — some have rules against racialism or illegal trading etc., but that is almost never enforced in real life and there are always ISPs and hosts dedicated to complete freedom of speech, if you wanted that.

They have the theoretical right to cut you off for any reason, yet even then, just get a new account with another ISP. They don’t have blacklists of people who they don’t like.

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**Author:** ![azurill33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@azurill33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/azurill33)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-im-reported-to-my-isp/776486/4 "2017-01-06T22:57:02Z")

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it’s been over a week since they reported me and I still haven’t gotten an email from my isp or have been cut off from the internet . I guess that means i’m in the clear?

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**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-im-reported-to-my-isp/776486/5 "2017-01-06T22:58:46Z")

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Yes.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-im-reported-to-my-isp/776486/6 "2017-01-06T23:00:49Z")

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Reporting you to your ISP gives them the feeling that they’re getting back at you rather than feeling how powerless they actually are.