umm the sites CAN be traced REALITY. the US uses two known systems to search email and web sites - Eschelon and Carnivore - there is supposedly a third top secret system now being used also, who knows. you can track some of the websites, that doesnt mean you are going to find Al Qaeda, just some computer savy Al Qaeda supporter.
A couple years ago a military intel high ranker was welcoming the idea that in order to transport the tape (video, disc whatever) from bin Laden to Al Jazeera for airing, a "chain" of transport in some shape or form would be needed. Whether that chain entailed bin to camel to transport person to truck to Al Jazeer studio or however, his point was it would require a chain, however tight.
Thus he felt a key to catching bin would be finding holes in that chain. Thus i wonder if tracing the emails/websites to the exact location would help i.d. where bin is.
Or as one speculator says, they may indeed know exactly where bin is. Rather then the belief that he is on the Afgan/Pakistan border, one head thought perhaps he is on the Eastern border where Pakistan meets Kamir, an area said to be so anti White-USA-Western that no way could anyone penetrate it. 9 million plus total Haters.
Anywho i was just wondering in the age of high tech spyware if they indeed know exactly where the bin Websites productions are physically located.