IP Technical question

[Richard Clayton]

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In article <114b9bdc0901242359p3e2224d9j64f5d2502648435b@mail.gmail.com>
, Stop Common Purpose <stop.common.purpose@googlemail.com> writes

>    As I understand it, an IP address may be assigned to hundreds of 
>    individuals.

I assume you mean when NAT is used (or do you mean over time ?)

>    Is this correct?

It would be unusual to have quite so many machines behind a single
NATted IP address.

>    If so, how is an ISP able to determine exactly the individual 
>    computer that accessed a particular website?

Given an IP address and a timestamp, the ISPs records will show which
account (ie: paid for service) was allocated the IP address. Depending
on circumstances, this may identify a single computer, or it leave a
large number of possible machines implicated.  There's then a separate
question as to whose fingers were on the keyboard -- or who was
controlling the program running on the computer....

... have a look at the first few chapters of my PhD thesis for a fairly
in-depth (albeit also fairly readable) explanation of the issues.

        http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/techreports/UCAM-CL-TR-653.html

- -- 
richard                                              Richard Clayton

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.         Benjamin Franklin

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