Graphics can reveal (real) user names

[#1]

1) I use a graphic (stored in my webspace) in my sig and obviously the "properties" feature reveals to everyone the name of my webspace. This is trivial.
2) More significantly, because I have a very low usage web site, the stats for the "Top 30 sites" shows quite a few xxxxx.plus.com or xxxxxx.force9.co.uk entries. It's a good guess that xxxxx is the true user name....
Examples can be provided via pm.

[#2]

Those xxxxx.plus.com's and xxxxx.force9.co.uk will be the rDNS entries for the IP addresses that have accessed your site, by using these forums and your images being hosted there, so yes they will be usernames.  rDNS entries can be changed by raising a ticket.
Phil

[#3]

Indeed, but what would you expect?
I'm a bit lost as to why this is seen as a bug - its simply the way the internet works.
Perhaps the real problem is that your webspace is the same as your username?
I'll leave it here for a while to see what other think, but honestly I do not see this as a Community Site Bug.

[#4]

Since I use my graphic on all forums I must be in real trouble - 
I could move it to another of my sites but it doesn't seem to have caused any problems as yet

[#5]

To add to my thoughts already; if you had a domain name, you could enter the URL for that instead of your username.

[#6]

This is more of an education issue.
Shouldn't the rDNS entries be changed en-mass to something less personal. I know it can be requested, but most people don't know of the trail they are leaving all over the internet!
In my opinion the default for new entries should be ip_add_re_ss.force9.co.uk/plus.com for everyone unless specifically requested manually (I think this happened. Anyone know?)
However, PlusNet should also have a mass migration to that format for ALL existing customers, with an email sent offering an opt-out of the change for those educated ones who want to keep the existing format for a reason.
Just because customers don't know it is happening, doesn't mean it is OK and they agree to it. Hence it is an area where the customers should be protected without having to be knowledgeable, but also should be educated to the potential risks.
Yes, maybe some of them should have been more thoughtful when they chose their username, but they have what they have and deserve the best privacy protection they can be offered.
I'm guessing the "average" user won't have a website, and will only send emails to relatively small circle of contacts... so will assume their username is relatively hidden... but will be unaware of their username being available in rDNS lookup available in all website logs of websites they visit.

[#7]

AFAIK rDNS is not set to be the username as a default any more for new accounts.
I do know I have no issue with the world knowing my username, and TBH I can't see why anybody else has a problem with it.
The worst anybody could do with my account is use my ADSL or email without my knowledge - but to use my ADSL they would have to be a PN customer anyway (to have the pertinant realm added to their asset), and if they are already a customer - what is to gain by having their useage counted on my account?
You can't steal bandwidth I don't have
They could use my email address, and pretend to be me - whoopy do!
Anybody can pretend to be anybody else on an outgoing email anyway.
They could read the emails in my inbox - so what?
Email is insecure, and can be read by anybody who cares to make the effort anyway - why would they try harder to get into my inbox?
They could find out my address, but there are easier ways to do that too.
I can't see what the fuss is all about, but perhaps I'm missing the point somewhere....?

[#8]

I only raised this as a potential privacy issue for non-PC savvy users who expect their Forum name to be totally unlinked to their real user name.
The easy(ish) way round this would be for PlusNet to donate a small amount of space for forum images on some generic forum directory.

[#9]

As this issue is more about rDNS in general and nothing to do with the technical aspect of these forums - shouldn't this topic be moved?

[#10]

I agree, neither of the issues of the "rDNS of visitors in website logs", OR "usernames visible for those with sig graphics hosted on PN webspace", are BUGS as such.
I guess the question asking about some webspace being made available centrally for graphics, would come into the "feature request" category, whereas the other two issues are general privacy concerns.
The rDNS issue I think requires a policy change at PlusNet to remove usernames retrospectively for ALL users and either way is also an issue for further education about privacy issues on the web.
People hosting graphics on their sigs are a "more advanced" type user, who should be able to choose for themselves where they host the image for correct display without giving away info they are unhappy to give away. I'm sure they could upload it to somewhere like imageshack (Not that I've ever used them... but I think that is what they are for), which would be avoiding their usernames.

[#11]

I agree that this is not really a Community bug and should be moved.
Nonetheless it is an interesting debate to have?  PUGIT 116 raised Aug 06 addresses this issue, with PUGIT 339 (July 07) addressing the linked issue of poor rDNS houskeeping.
Currently PUGIT 116 has the highest user vote count ( 55 ) in the PUGIT system, but implementation is still in the mythical 'Next quarter' for implementation.  Last response from Plusnet Aug 07
MauriceC

[#12]

Our avatar location shows as http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=357;type=avatar
because I uploaded it to this site from my computer as I have done for other forums. I see you can't do the same for signatures though.