Topic: Advertisers could locate IP addresses to within 100m

[Simon]

Advertisers and authorities could be able to locate a computer down to the postcode, without asking users for any data, according to a computer scientist.

Accurate tracking via IP addresses has been a holy grail for advertisers and publishers who want to deliver targeted content depending on location, but it has until now been woefully inaccurate.

Whereas current network analysts can track down an IP address to within a 25-50 mile radius, computer scientist Yong Wang has developed a method that he claims gets to within 690 metres on average - and as close as 100m.

Read more: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/security/366658/advertisers-could-locate-ip-addresses-to-within-100m

[Clive]

I consider it to be an invasion of privacy.  Nothing annoys me more than advertising!

[Simon]

I know, especially when they seem to know where you live!

[sam]

Indeed.

In Canada there is laws against this sort of thing.

[Simon]

I thought there was here!

[sam]

might be... then again Twitter can tell where you are from your ip address pretty effectively... to test it out.. it knows I'm in Downtown Calgary...

[davy51]

There are IP search engines on the net that will show where you live and even give pictures of your house

All just from entering the IP  address

[Clive]

That's amazing! 

[davy51]

I use them to  find out if new sign-ups on forums are spammers lol

[Simon]

Do spammers have a sign on the roof of their house, then?   

[davy51]

No but if its an office building with no apartments you can bet its a spammer

Then you check all blacklists for the ip



I had one sign up last week that was in the middle of a desert with no houses for miles around nothing but sand

[sam]

why not do it other way around, blacklist first?

[sam]

less fun I guess.

We have software on here that tells us what the chances are that they are a spammer.

[davy51]

Some can make it on a blacklist while not doing anything

One of my email services got hacked and i made a blacklist without doing anything

[Simon]

A similar thing happened to me.  My O2 IP address (for mobile internet) was blacklisted by my ISP, because it was part of a range that spammers had used, so I couldn't send any emails from my phone, while away from my home network.  Luckily, I know my ISP quite well, so they managed to remove the block for me.