IP address reveals home location - how to conceal?

Ximian

GeoIP: http://www.geoip.co.uk/ that's all they use, they then dynamically generate an ad/popup based on your IP Address
If you really want to hide/mask your IP Address you could use one of the many free proxies available ... if you trust them
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geo_targeting

sillygoose

Virgin media (like most ISP's) actually provide you a proxy server you can use, you don't need a 3rd party one. It generally doesn't have much impact on speed either.

All you have to do is in internet explorer go Tools - Internet Options - Connections - LAN Settings - Tick 'use a proxy server..' and put in the following "webcache.blueyonder.co.uk" (there is a newer address for Virgin but its the same thing as the blueyonder one in effect.)
For port put in "8080" and then OK back out. Your IP and address as far as the website is concerned will be whereever the proxy server is based (Virgin HQ?)

You can switch it on or off just by going in and ticking or unticking the box.

jackieblack

Have you used your postcode to set pages for weather/local news etc on BBC website?

Not very techie, but I assumed that was how they knew where I lived!

tweeter

GeoIP: http://www.geoip.co.uk/

Shows I'm in Manchester not London.

DatabaseError

My guesses - the bbc used a cookie containing your postcode - which you'd previously entered (as Jackie suggests, local news/weather preferences)
the dating site just guessed location via IP, nothing new or clever there, you don't even need a new roll of tinfoil as they know nothing other than your ISP.

ShaneUK

tweeter wrote: »

GeoIP: http://www.geoip.co.uk/

Shows I'm in Manchester not London.

Are you at home, or work? I am at work at the moment, I work in Leeds, but it is showing me as Bristol - which is where out IT department are.

Stompa

tweeter wrote: »

GeoIP: http://www.geoip.co.uk/

Shows I'm in Manchester not London.

Yes, it's 150 miles out for me.

isofa

Actual geographic locations (of ADSL IP addresses) will be way out for most people with an ISP which isn't round the corner (which is the norm), or those who connect via business connections... Or for Cable broadband it'll be the nearest CMTS (Cable Modem Termination Server) location as per John's post #3.

My ISP is hundreds of miles from me, so my IP address shows a geog. location hundreds of miles away...

aidso

Guys this isnt anything to do with your IP address - your IP is dynamic and only has a lifetime of about 48hours before it is assigned to someone else.
The address they are using is infact your network address coming from the modem itself. For example i am on Virgin Media and my address will be something like "33-22-33.belf.pop3.com".

All that means is that I am on the pop3 server in Belfast. There is no identification of my house other than where that pop3 server is located and if you can get to within 30 metres then its a pure flook.

As a matter of curiosity, did the pop up look like an MSN alert but appeared in the bottom right of the browser rather than the desktop?

robt_2

aidso wrote: »

Guys this isnt anything to do with your IP address - your IP is dynamic and only has a lifetime of about 48hours before it is assigned to someone else.
The address they are using is infact your network address coming from the modem itself. For example i am on Virgin Media and my address will be something like "33-22-33.belf.pop3.com".

All that means is that I am on the pop3 server in Belfast. There is no identification of my house other than where that pop3 server is located and if you can get to within 30 metres then its a pure flook.

As a matter of curiosity, did the pop up look like an MSN alert but appeared in the bottom right of the browser rather than the desktop?

That is totally inaccurate for the majority of Virgin Media cable users - many of who keep the same IP for months on end.