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Plus Net selling location data to third party databases

idonno
Champion
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Registered: ‎22-10-2015

Re: Plus Net selling location data to third party databases


@jab1 wrote: Still can't understand what the original OP is on about though.

More likely a browser setting. Like @Baldrick1 I've found the so called location data to be way out. The nearest one has got was Sheffield....still quite some way away - 60 mins driving. Certainly if I'm logged into Google, well, it is spot on. But logged out, it's lost.

 

One reason I tend to run No script, Adblock, Privacy Badger etc. Even mobiles can give locations some miles away. Depends if you have location enabled. And one thing that never happens is when that little box comes up (rare nowadays) asking for access to my location. If I'm just visiting - no chance.

Ever helpful. Grin Sure, I’d love to help you out. Now which way did you come in?
jab1
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Re: Plus Net selling location data to third party databases

@idonno I run uBlock Origin, mainly to block ads, but that's to block them on certain sites that seem to be overrun with them. I'm not bothered about anyone 'knowing' where I am - in fact sometimes I want them to, as I've said before.

John
Anoush
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Re: Plus Net selling location data to third party databases

Dynamic IPs are assigned from relatively small pools specific to your location. Sometimes, geo-location databases can be out of the date though. 

This is my personal Community Forum account to help out around these parts while I'm at home. If I'm posting from the 1st March 2020, this means I'm off-duty with no access to internal systems.
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himmal
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Re: Plus Net selling location data to third party databases

@dvorak:  I don't use google Android or Iphone.  My phone runs custom AOSP with no Google Apps and all gelocation hard-coded disabled.  And I made sure my phone was off before testing OBVIOUSLY.

himmal
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Re: Plus Net selling location data to third party databases

Wired.  I'm gonna try VPN or TOR when testing the IP to see if it's browser fingerprinting.  The maxmind site allows me to type a set of IPs to check.

himmal
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Re: Plus Net selling location data to third party databases

@idonno: I use all the blockers; I don't use anti fingerprinting add-ons but I do use the Firefox browser anti-tracker settings.  I'm gonna look into it later...

himmal
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Re: Plus Net selling location data to third party databases

@ anoush:  So you assign scopes to geolocation?  Is that data passed on or datamined?

himmal
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Re: Plus Net selling location data to third party databases

@ mook.  Interesting nick btw.  OK I shouldn't have said ANY.  The ones I am testing specifically, GEOIP2 and Google, are the ones I'm concerned with.  Even if the data is sold to just one the principle is the same.

himmal
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Re: Plus Net selling location data to third party databases

I suppose I should also point out that this is on a fresh install of Windows 10 1909 with geolocation disabled and privacy at maximum, a third party firewall with all ports blocked except DHCP(67 UDP), DNS(53 UDP), Time (123 UDP) and a few applications (including Firefox) and all windows firewall rules are disabled.  I only have 3 ports in use and 80 TCP is only allowed from Firefox but I'll try blocking most of this during a test and fiddle with Wireshark. 

It could be an action in windows giving me away that occurs when my IP is changed.  The local DHCP server is the router and DNS is third party (not Plus Net name servers) so it could be Windows time service if it's not fingerprinting.

Recent news from the USA is that Mobile providers and ISPs have been selling location data without consent and I'm wondering if the same is going on in the UK.

RIP Act allows all this for the security services but Google and Maxmind GEOIP2 are supposedly private companies.

 

Oh and thank you all for your input; it is much appreciated.

 

 

ejs
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Re: Plus Net selling location data to third party databases

The Maxmind GeoIP2 database appears to have a resolution limited to blocks of 128 IP addresses. Try changing the last number of your IP address and looking that up - I think all 128 IP addresses in a /25 block will give the same location.

 

You may not be sending your location to Google, but plenty of others in that block will have smartphones that will be, and also previous users of your IP address will have been in the same area as you.

 

Plusnet are definitely not supplying the location data - when people end up on a block of IP addresses new to Plusnet, they'll be people complaining about their geoip location being in some other country where that block of IP addresses was previously registered, causing its own problems with various websites and services thinking that they're not in the UK.