An attorney friend asked me how to identify a blogger or possibly get their “ip address.” My answer:
This is difficult to do, but it’s an interesting question. There are two main ways to write a blog: (a) at a blogging platform like wordpress.com, or (b) at a personal / corporate custom web site.
The only methods I know of for identifying the blogger in scenario (a) are
- A subpoena;
- detective work, i.e. using clues in the content to figure out who & where the person is.
In the case of (b), the custom web site, it’s a lot easier. This is because the blogger will probably be connected to the registration of the domain name as well as the organization itself.
Another idea: I once identified a person who was stalking a friend by looking at technical clues in emails the stalker sent. I did it by examining the usually-hidden portions; the “message headers”. So if your victim has received emails from the antagonist, they could contain helpful info.
Note that if this is a copyright, trademark, or possibly even defamation matter, then the person’s identity isn’t as important. One can deal directly with the webhost and ISP using DMCA-style takedown notices.