The BitCollider [Win32] app currently does not have any facility to verify files that a user may currently have. I only see that it submits file data. Will data verification features be implemented in the future?

ok. i spoke too soon. i noticed that BitCollider placed an entry in the Windows context menu to lookup a selected file in the Bitzi DB. it would be helpful if the BitCollider tool actually had a "Lookup" button built into the UI.

Our intent was that the way to "verify" that a file is what you expect it to be is to use the Bitcollider to do a lookup/submit. (Currently, the Bitcollider always does both at once.)

From viewing the resulting page, you can see what file you have -- how it has been labelled, rated, and what its reliable identifier it.

There are many ways to trigger such a lookup/submit: you can drag-and-drop files atop the Bitcollider application icon; you can use the WIndows shell right-click "Bitzi Lookup" menu option; you can launch the Bitcollider application and then drag-and-drop files atop its window; you can launch the Bitcollider application and then use its "Browse" button to select files to lookup/submit.

Are you suggesting that once the Bitcollider window has displayed, it is unclear what to do to trigger a lookup? (We do use the term "Bitcollide" in the interface to mean "lookup+submit".) Should we consider changing the text in the window, or renaming the 'Browse' button?

i was thinking of having separate "Submit" and "Lookup" buttons on the UI in addition to the current drag-and-drop capabilities. that would make it easier for novice users.

as a side note, when are you guys going to make this service anonymous, i.e. no requirement for e-mail address or username? the username and e-mail address requirement can be optional. ppl can make their own judgements on whether they will trust an anonymous submission or a registered user.

We'd agree the Bitcollider window's text and buttons could be clearer for novice users. It's something we'll work on in the next main version. (We're also aiming to get lookup/submit functionality built into more third-party apps, which should each find their own more-intuitive ways to offer this feature to users.)

As afar as anonymous contributions, we are in the process of updating the system so that automatically-harvested metadata can be contributed into an anonymous pool, without being logged in as anyone. Additionally, when you are logged in, you'll have control as to whether contributions go into an anonymous pool or become associated with your login. (You'll even have the ability to donate previously signed contributions to anonymous pools.)

We expect that certain editorial actions will always require a registered username, and while we do not require your real name or any other personally identifiable information, we want these identities to be persistent, long-lived, and thus able to acquire reputations for trustworthiness or domain expertise. (We also want a valid email address so that we can contact you about urgent changes in our service, and flush long-inactive accounts after warning the holder. However, the address you give us will never be shared with others or publically displayed without your explicit and prior permission, which we assume you do not give.)

thanks. i understand the rationale behind the registered user concept. some ppl just don't like registering for anything and some will feel that there submissions are being tracked. i'm glad to hear that you are considering anonymous submissions as an option. what other data is collected during the "submit" process? ip address, demographic data, etc?

The temporary submit page that appears for a moment when using the Bitcollider displays all the info that it is explicitly submitting. (If you're fast, you can hit the browser 'stop' button to view all the fields, or alternatively, use the bitcollider from the command line, with the '-n' option to show the submission page, but wait for an in-browser submit-press to submit. That is: "bitcollider.exe -n FILENAME".)

In addition to that info, we can also see your current IP address and, if you were already-logged-in, the login cookie that was set. The IP address is only recorded to standard webserver logs, and is not correlated to contribution content.

We don't ask for any other demographic data, nor are we currently using any tools to deduce it, beyond reverse-DNS -- to breakdown where our users are coming from in terms of .COM, .EDU, cablemodem, dsl, dialup, etc. domains.

(At some point, we'll likely try additional aggregate analysis on our users as a whole, and perhaps use online surveys to learn more about our userbase, but those steps are a ways off, and would not associate info to individual users without their voluntary permission.)