If you are wondering how that works Charmion, it goes like this.

Many site operators like Mudcat's Max have the ability to do data mining (Max's former business was doing just that) including (but not limited to) placing tracking "web bugs" on their pages to collect information about site visitors, such as which pages are being read most often. Too small for readers to see, the bugs also can be used in more invasive ways, for instance, capturing a visitor's Internet Protocol address (or IP), and then tracking the visitor's presence on the World Wide Web.

The web tracking bugs can also be matched with "cookies," the electronic files that are stored on a PC and can contain personal information such as name and e-mail address, which is what Mudcat uses for it's members.

In the case of Mudcat's security policies, you have Max's promise that your data won't be used or abused. Which isn't exactly an ironclad guarantee of anything in this internet day and age, especially considering news accounts like these!

Once your IP address has been captured (think of it as your computer's address), a lot of information can be mined from the internet about you. Everyone who logs onto this website leaves behind the IP of the computer they logged in from, each and every time they visit, but only certain people whom the site provided has given special access to, can see that information.

Big Mick is one of the people here with those special access privleges, hence his and any of the other site users with those same special access privleges, has access to that information about you. And of course, here it is all on the "honor system". There is no system of checks and balances as far as privacy and security goes at private websites like Mudcat.

So it is just a question of whether or not you trust the site owner and the people he has given special access privleges, with your data.

Fortunately for me, I have an excellent provider who has actually done leg work for me on what the Mudcat is and isn't doing with my personal data.

There are a few ways to fight back against people spying on you online, but if I went into that here, this post would be deleted. In fact, this post will probably be deleted anyway. The site owner is really paranoid about the site users finding out about internet privacy and security relevant to this website.