Being safe on the internet (was Re: Here we go again - ISP DPI, but is it interception?)

[ken]

On 30/07/2010 12:31, Wendy M. Grossman wrote:

 > How did they find out? I think we've
 > all often done that kind of thing.

So is it as if, faced with a URL like:

//jrandomserver.com/~user/directory/interestingdocument.html

he then tried to browse:

//jrandomserver.com/~user/directory/
//jrandomserver.com/~user/
//jrandomserver.com/

?

Because as Wendy says, we all do that. Its a normal way to use 
the Internet. Its probably my default action if I read an 
interesting post on a blog I haven't read before, or see a 
useful paper on something on an academic site. And sometimes 
lookign for with music files or images. I might not do it every 
day of my life, but I probably do it a number of times a week 
and have been for going on twenty years.

On 02/08/2010 14:40, Ian Batten wrote:

> I'm very, very
> nervous about the idea that somehow attempting to break into computer
> systems should have a defence of (in essence) "had they wanted to secure
> it they should have done a better job" when that is not the case with
> any analogous crime. It smacks of blame the victim.

Yes, but if Cuthbert just moved up the tree to look at directory 
roots as in my example than that isn't obviously non-authorised. 
Some website owners want you to do that and provide a helpful 
menu or index for you. Some website owners don't want you to do 
that. The way to tell which is which is by trying.