I received an email from a long time user of the NDN message forums who was very upset regarding the potential for the new

software to invade privacy.

I think the concern began with a message similar to the one I just received when I logged on:

"Welcome back, Joseph!

Since your last visit began, 86 new messages have been posted!"

If the software remembers who you are, and knows what messages you have read and not read, how much more do we know about

you with this new software?

The way it is done is with "Cookies". A Cookie is a bit of information a web page can write about you when you visit a web site. The

cookie is then stored on your computer, and then retrieved the next time you log on.

The old software that was used here in the past also wrote cookies on your computer. That is why the titles of the messages you

already read were in a different color than the new messages.

The new software just takes it a step further. It writes the same kind of file to a cookie on your hard drive, but it also writes what name

you used if you wrote a message, and the password you used (again on your own computer not ours). It writes what the highest

message number you read was. So, if you read message number 112, and the new highest message is 212, then it reports back to

you that there are 100 new messages.

Our server does log your IP address, but so does any other server you visit on the internet.

You can disable cookies on your browser, but then you won't know what messages you last read, and other websites that recognize

you (like yahoo) won't know who you are when you visit.

Any information you give us is stored back on your own computer system, not ours, and is only used for your own convenience.

If you would like to read the documentation on the software, it is available at the author's website:

http://awsd.com/scripts/webbbs/

I am truly sorry for any confusion this has caused.