# Why can't socks be easily detected? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 20, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509 "2013-06-20T21:28:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/1 "2013-06-20T21:28:50Z")
Isn’t it just as simple as making a program that flags two (or more) screen names coming from the same ip address? I never understood why socks have to be “found out”. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/2 "2013-06-20T21:31:31Z")
Your plan is easy to circumvent-one user name at home, and another one at work. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/3 "2013-06-20T21:31:50Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Isn’t it just as simple as making a program that flags two (or more) screen names coming from the same ip address? > I never understood why socks have to be “found out”. IP addresses are not always static. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/4 "2013-06-20T21:37:18Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Isn’t it just as simple as making a program that flags two (or more) screen names coming from the same ip address? > I never understood why socks have to be “found out”. Yes, that would have been the way to solve the sock problem back in 1995, provided you were willing to spend the compute power to match all the IP addresses of ten thousand users against each other on a regular basis. But people now access the Internet from a much larger variety of IP addresses on a variety of devices, many of them which share addresses with a wide pool of users (e.g. cell phones) that sifting through IP addresses is going to provide a lot of false positives and only catch a small fraction of socks. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/5 "2013-06-20T21:37:38Z")
And you don’t see the ones that ARE detected. Not sure how many people know about the IP stuff, I would assume most people that don’t - would still get the idea when they see the error message - and then make up (if they felt like going through the effort) - a new account using cell phone, work, school, library, Starbucks. If you use a different email and computer/Internet combo - it’s close to impossible for most websites to be able to tell. Stuff like phone codes and things like that can cut down on it, but can be a PITA to everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/6 "2013-06-20T21:38:14Z")
Also, there are plenty of legitimate dopers who may share the same IP address for other reasons, like living together or working at the same place. ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/7 "2013-06-20T21:52:27Z")
Depending on how you sort your laundry, some of them may end up inside pants-legs or something. Also, check behind the dresser or under the bed. ---
**Author:** ![InsomniaMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ad7895/32.png) [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/8 "2013-06-20T22:20:13Z")
:: nods :: Also the duvet cover. Damn that duvet cover. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/9 "2013-06-20T22:24:33Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Yes, that would have been the way to solve the sock problem back in 1995, provided you were willing to spend the compute power to match all the IP addresses of ten thousand users against each other on a regular basis. Even in 1995, that’s a _very_ small amount of computing power. The real reasons are, as you mentioned, that it doesn’t really work. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/10 "2013-06-20T22:52:04Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Even in 1995, that’s a _very_ small amount of computing power. The real reasons are, as you mentioned, that it doesn’t really work. \ Yes, the match itself is pretty trivial, but you do have to hit the database to pull out the latest set of IPs on everyone. Given how slow a basic IP search was when I was a mod, that’s clearly an operation with some heft to it relative to the server resources. \ ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/11 "2013-06-20T23:13:11Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > Depending on how you sort your laundry, some of them may end up inside pants-legs or something. Also, check behind the dresser or under the bed. My washing machine eats them. The dryer is a co-conspirator. I would probably have to kill them both to get them to give them up. Better just to buy new socks. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/12 "2013-06-20T23:33:20Z")
I’m working on a way to put small RFIDs in my socks. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/13 "2013-06-21T00:27:42Z")
It’s trivial to use an anonymous proxy to disguise your true IP, and even your country. There are also plenty of legitimate users of proxies, so blocking them isn’t an option. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/14 "2013-06-21T00:39:34Z")
I signed up using my girlfriend’s computer that has a shared IP addy with her roomate (both of whom are posters). I got an email from one of the mods not long after asking about my situation. I’m guessing they are running just such a program. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/15 "2013-06-21T02:46:37Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > \ > Yes, the match itself is pretty trivial, but you do have to hit the database to pull out the latest set of IPs on everyone. Given how slow a basic IP search was when I was a mod, that’s clearly an operation with some heft to it relative to the server resources. > \ Took just 25 seconds to trace your IP just now. Even with a less than optimal server. Back when you were a mod, and when I first became a mod, it shut down the board for about 2-3 minutes do an IP search. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/16 "2013-06-21T03:55:18Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > Depending on how you sort your laundry, some of them may end up inside pants-legs or something. Also, check behind the dresser or under the bed. > [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > My washing machine eats them. The dryer is a co-conspirator. I would probably have to kill them both to get them to give them up. Better just to buy new socks. And the cats take care of any socks that are left over. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/17 "2013-06-21T05:09:10Z")
As mentioned before, there are proxies and VPNs freely available for anyone to use to obscure their “true” IP addresses. Hell, just unplugging your cable modem for an hour and then plugging it back in will almost certainly change your IP address if that’s what you use. It’s trivially easy. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/18 "2013-06-21T21:48:26Z")
Don’t websites usually log IP addresses for each member? I moderate on a site which records which IP addresses each member has logged on from (" **IPs used in recent posts:"** ), and you can click on ‘Track User’ and see “ **Members possibly in the same range:** ” Which is kinda cool now I come to think of it. I just clicked on a random member and there are 17 IPs logged but no other members in the same range. That’s a lot, he must teach in several locations. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/19 "2013-06-22T00:12:10Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > Don’t websites usually log IP addresses for each member? I moderate on a site which records which IP addresses each member has logged on from (" **IPs used in recent posts:"** ), and you can click on ‘Track User’ and see “ **Members possibly in the same range:** ” > > Which is kinda cool now I come to think of it. > > I just clicked on a random member and there are 17 IPs logged but no other members in the same range. That’s a lot, he must teach in several locations. I just searched the IPs of one of our guests, and he/she has 10 IPs. All proxies. Most users of those proxies are spammers. This person is not a spammer. Could be posting from a country which restricts internet access and may need proxies. Or…probably not. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509/20 "2013-06-22T01:00:22Z")
There are literally billions of people who live in places where proxies are the normal (or only) means of accessing the internet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-socks-be-easily-detected/661509.md?page=2)