My location according to the internet

[buddysbuddy 12]

right here is one for the boffins. according to what I hear and read we are bieng watched by the internet companys. so no.1 I had a facebook page that i closed down because I felt that it had been hacked. according to f/book this account was operating from burgess hill , way down south. I set up another account in a different name and f/book tells me this one is based in lancaster. so I am actually on the outskirts of sheffield, any ideas how this location system works?

[Cyclone 10]

The location as 'detected' by facebook depends on where your ISP network ends and the general "internet" starts.

 

https://www.iplocation.net/

 

This has me as in Sheffield, but if I run it at work it will probably show up as London.

 

In fact, my laptop is next to me, on the work VPN, and it says... London, as I suspected. Correctly identified the employer though!

[altus 538]

right here is one for the boffins. according to what I hear and read we are bieng watched by the internet companys. so no.1 I had a facebook page that i closed down because I felt that it had been hacked. according to f/book this account was operating from burgess hill , way down south. I set up another account in a different name and f/book tells me this one is based in lancaster. so I am actually on the outskirts of sheffield, any ideas how this location system works?

Your connection gets routed through BT's wholesale network to your ISP's hub where they connect to the rest of the internet. The rest of the internet will only know the location the ISP's hub unless something has told them your location more precisely. Your ISP might have multiple hubs but which one you get connected to is a mystery of BT's wholesale network.

[Cyclone 10]

Interestingly my phone says Leicester (once I took it off wifi), correctly identified the mobile network as well.

[altus 538]

Interestingly my phone says Leicester (once I took it off wifi), correctly identified the mobile network as well.

 

That site has me in four locations, non as Sheffield and only one at my ISP's location. It looks like most geo-ip services can't be relied on more than country level.

[Ghozer 112]

That site has me in four locations, non as Sheffield and only one at my ISP's location. It looks like most geo-ip services can't be relied on more than country level.

 

As has been the case since the start of the internet....

 

Although, if (as an example) Virgin Media provided an ip-geolocation service, they would be able (should they choose) to give a more accurate location of their own connections IP's....

[buddysbuddy 12]

so it would appear that the "experts" who have been telling us that we are constantly watched are spreading doom and gloom to frighten us.

[RollingJ 2,001]

so it would appear that the "experts" who have been telling us that we are constantly watched are spreading doom and gloom to frighten us.

 

'Experts' is the exact opposite of the true description of those individuals.

[Ghozer 112]

so it would appear that the "experts" who have been telling us that we are constantly watched are spreading doom and gloom to frighten us.

 

not really, as your ISP can pinpoint your IP to your address, so if the fuzz hold a warrant and can request that info, then yes, it can be pinpointed to you...

 

But that's private information only the ISP's hold, I believe they keep a log of who had which IP and when for a few years...

[altus 538]

so it would appear that the "experts" who have been telling us that we are constantly watched are spreading doom and gloom to frighten us.

Loads of companies are still trying to track you, you only have to look at all the other sites pages link to. It just means they can't get your location based on your IP address.

 

As Ghozer indicates, the authorities can get your location and other things when they want - including which cell phone towers your phone has connected through.

[Cyclone 10]

so it would appear that the "experts" who have been telling us that we are constantly watched are spreading doom and gloom to frighten us.

 

Who told you that you were constantly watched? Sounds more like conspiracy theory than expert testimony.

[Guest]

not really, as your ISP can pinpoint your IP to your address, so if the fuzz hold a warrant and can request that info, then yes, it can be pinpointed to you...

 

Well the address anyway, if there are multiple occupants it'd be more digging to try and work out who made whichever request they're interested in.