OT Internet forum legal quesion and right to view

I didn't do anything improper, rude, insulting, etc., but that's not my point or question. I got sent the following - and it appears I'm being told I'm violating the law if I even try to view their webpages. Now, I can't say I've researched this - and in regard to the admins of that site - I don't care. They own or run the site, and I they can do what they want - for the most part. I wish now I'd never spent any time there. Here is what I was sent - which appears to be standard forum language:

This message serves as notice that you are not allowed to access, use, or view any
content on ********. You are not allowed by law to continue attempting to
access this site or to register under any other name or email address. Any person
violating this notice will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Your internet service provider has control over you because you pay for the service.
Web sites have 2 options. Put a password on the account to stop access to the pages or let everyone look at them. So they can not stop you from looking.
Now most sites make you register to post. So you can look all you want for free and there is nothing they can do. If you were to be registered and start a problem while posting they can cancel your account and stop you from posting. You inturn register under a differant account. They will now block your ISP address. Just look at this site. Kim keeps tract of every post with a ISP address. Even though you do not have to register to post here if you make her mad she will lock out your ISP address. It is her control to keep wars from starting and keep control over her site.
If they have blocked your ISP address you will not beable to view the pages: but if they have not you can look all you want.
If you presist in making a problem by getting a differant address or a new provider; the web site would contact the ISP provider; and if they can prove their case you will loose your account.

This can go back and forth many times if you were the persistant type.

As far as taking you to court or something that is not really in the laws yet. Their is a new "Bully" law that has just come out but that is only passed in 1 or 2 states so far.

If I were to guess..... I would say they do not want you to visit or post again. They have most likely blocked your registration already. In a attempt to stop it here they are sending you some letter to scare you away rather than going threw the trouble of blocking your ISP address.

Thats like saying I will prosecuted you to the fullest extent of the law for driving down my street. If that scares you away I have gotten my way.

That appears to be a titillating come on to attract people who want to see something obscene, nothing more, and I`m figuring that you are being sarcastic when you stated that would be enough to stop the fuzz from entering?

A similar or related situation in my mind is the guy who got busted for buying drugs or soliciting a prostitute who had asked the other person he was making a deal with if they were a cop. The cops can legally deny that the are cops when working undercover so if the establishment, whether virtual or brick and mortar allows public access, the cops can go in too. This has been examined in many courts throughout the US and affirmed in every one.

I don't really believe there is any way they can prevent you from visiting thier site, that would be the same as a neighbor saying you cant look at his house as you drive by it, unless they password protect the entire forum, so you have to log in to view it. I think the most they can do is prevent you from logging in and being able to post.

It's a twit site, that's pretty clear from cruising through it just now. Some sites just aren't worth bothering with, and that's one of them.

John T

I don`t know where you get the idea that a website owner/admin can`t block any individual from accessing their site, whether to view or post, infact it is very simple if you have decent software like vBulletin, even some of the freebie phpBB forum software and it is legal.

I own a site, I require registration with an e-mail verification to post on my site because of trouble I`ve had with a certain group of nefarious internet "personalities".

My site is private property because I pay for the webhosting, registered forum name/domain, and the license to the forum software, thus I can limit or block access to anyone I want. I can make any or all areas of my forum not viewable to anyone, registered or not, and this is within my legal rights as forum owner. If however I don`t hide any portion of my forum it is public access and I would have no legal basis for the prosecution of someone VIEWING it, as in the case of a banned former member. They`re just blowing smoke up his behind with those threats.

My site is viewable by anyone but non-registered or not logged in persons cannot view attachments such as videos and photos, nor can they post. I can ban a specific IP address or a whole range of IPs immediately. I can also check registration and post IPs and see who is trying to fly under the radar by posting under another name if they were banned or compare IPs and see who has multiple identities. I can ban registration e-mail addresses all the way to the domain or ISP if I want, or even the extension such as .ru . There is more I can do all the way down to identifying who`s internet account is being used to cause me trouble but it`s rarely necessary.

The way I look at it is this, if someone wants you off their forum bad enough to ban you, why worry? Move on to somewhere that you fit better.

Some forums are notorious for getting upset if a poster strays too far off topic and it can be grounds for banning. I`m surprised that noone has thrown the "off topic" flag on this thread yet, this is one of the worst forums I know of for such reactions but it is not the admins, it`s some of the other posters.

I wouldn't think that anyone could keep someone from looking at a public domain website but I would think that they can keep you from signing back on with another name an e-mail address. The question what can they other than kick back off.

Walt

I come here for info too - but at this place there seems to be a lot more people with genuine knowledge and hands-on experience with tractors as well as other aspects of life. And on the subject of "off topic" posts, they sometimes lead into very interesting areas of logic and knowledge - and I have learned a lot of some of these "wandering" posts. Nothing in life is true narrow straight line - and all useful knowledge is connected, one way or another.

KEH

Back to the legal issue. I'm fairly well versed in land-based laws due to necessity. But - I'm basically clueless with digital or cyber law. If I tell someone to not enter my land, and they then do so anyway, that is legal trespass. So, if someone tells me not to look at their website, and afterwards, I go and look at it anyway, is that a cyber-trespass with legal implications? If so, maybe I'd better get off the Net.

That said, it would seem about impossible to enforce - if they allow folks to view their web pages without passwords, it is pretty well open to all to come & read. If they want to keep folks out, they need to at least password protect one from getting there.

I can understand if you tried to set up an account, or tried to participate. Just viewing an unprotected series of pages.....

What a judge & lawyers would work out, who knows.....

Now, why is this off-topic message here, it has nothing to do with tractors? Someone should report you.....

(Sorry, couldn't help myself... ;)

--->Paul

Next, you'll start veering off and start talking about diesel motor oil, or some such nonsense.

What a slippery-slope that could be - then we might even be back to tractors.

A lot of years ago I heard a late nightradio guy say "Portions of this program are void where prohibited by law."

Bob