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Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

Mars2050
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Registered: ‎03-11-2016

Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

About 3 days ago I were on a typical 87 IP as that's all I keep getting, as in another thread. My connection must of dropped as when I got up and checked, I now had a 146 IP that I have not had for about 6 Months. I were so pleased to get a 146 but that soon faded, as now there seems to be another issue I need to get to the bottom of.

 

In the past once in a while, I would check whats My IP is and used many sites to tell me. When I did this yesterday, I were horrified to see, that this 146 IP, now shows where I live in, shows my area. It always used to say London.

 This were never the case before and only ever showed the main hub, London or Sheffield if you live near there.

This has only just started but having trouble finding out why, as it never did this before and not happy about it for privacy and security reasons. I use Youtube and google notified me, I logged in from an unknown location and that's because, it now show where I live. I don't want google knowing that much detail or any site.

I am not pleased about this and want my place where I live, removed or I may have to move to another ISP. I called plusnet and first adviser told me things I already know. The obvious answer were to change IP and get a new one. Well I did this and have a 91 IP now but has the same issue. I called again today and appears that the 87 IP's from my history don't show my location but 146 and 91 IP's do.

 

Try These

http://www.tracemyip.org/

https://www.iplocation.net/

http://whatismyipaddress.com/

 

Ether way I don't like this but need to get to the bottom if it's plusnet or BT implementing this, as the IP show ISP BT.

 

Can I ask plusnet users who are on dynamic IP to try many IP sites and confirm if it shows where you live or the main hub it's connected to. I don't need to know where exactly you live. Also if you are on BT Broadband, can you post and let me know as well if you can, so we can rule out if BT are doing this,

 

 

 

78 REPLIES 78
LifeonMars
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Registered: ‎07-04-2016

Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

Yes 

Using those links shows my home town.

Browni
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk


It's Google!

They know more about you than Plusnet ever will, especially if you have an Android mobile where they can pinpoint your location within a few tens of metres.
Mars2050
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

It's nothing to do with Google or android. It's to do with a wired Plus net fibre connection, broadband. Google just confirmed what I already know that my IP is showing, a different location, because Plus net no longer show London but where I live.

At least with most android phones you can switch the Geo locator off. I would like plus net to offer a On/Off switch location feature in the user control panel.

 

It's a pity bob pullen plus net staff, could not of respond to this, instead of giving you thumbs up to that incorrect post.

I would advise any customers considering joining plus net, not to join if you value your privacy,security, while plus net continue to screw up releasing it's customers real Geo location, on it's wired broadband services. Crazy2

Jonpe
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

When I use Google there is a line at the bottom of the page giving the first part of a postcode + London, however, this is not where I live.

Browni
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

If Plusnet are supplying the location for an IP address (they aren't) can you explain why none of the geolocation providers you listed were able to even get the county correct for my static IP address?

Mars2050
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

 I can't but you are on a static IP, while residential customers like me, are on dynamic IP. Best take it up with PN, if you can get a good adviser to help you.

 

All them IP services above worryingly show correctly for me. I don't want it to show where I am I want it to show the main hub like it did before.

 

Try this one as well

http://iplocationtools.com/

Jaggies
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

Similar here - they didn't even get the country right, and showed about six different locations depending on where I looked.

 

Also on a static IP here.

Browni
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

I'm a residential customer!

Your latest one brings up this

This IP address 81.xxx.xxx.xxx is located in United Kingdom, England, Wigan. ISP of this IP address is British Telecommunications PLC. The area code is 01942. The postcode is WN3 4QG. The IDD code of this country (United Kingdom) is 44. The current time is 13 Mar, 2017 10:44 PM (UTC +00:00).

I'm not in Wigan and my area code is not 01942 Funny

LifeonMars
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

The last link  mars2050 supplied did not give my home town, however all the others did.

when I google my public ip address Most links will show the correct location. ----- agree bit of a security risk I suppose.

PeeGee
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

First thoughts are that static IPs are still issued centrally, so no change regarding location (I get London for mine), dynamic IPs are being moved to being issued locally (new network) so the location data is known somewhere.

Whether it is Plusnet or BT or ? releasing the data ....

Phil

Plusnet FTTC (Sep 2014), Essentials (Feb 2013); ADSL (Apr 2009); Customer since Jan 2004 (on 28kb dial-up)
Using a TP-Link Archer VR600 modem-router.
Mars2050
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

BrownI would not mind if my IP's showed in Wigan as I don't live there either. Lol
 
Thanks LifeonMars. Yes it is a security risk, a risk we are unable to stop at this moment in time.
 
It's almost like the local exchange is broadcasting  the town, City, Village of where you live. The postcodes shown on them checkers, seem to show the exchange postcode in the area you live in.
DS
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

My IP is dynamic and....

tracemyip is close, but not close enough for me to worry*

iplocation shows me as in London = not even close

whatsmyipaddress is close, but again not close enough for me to worry*

iplocationtools shows all of the incorrect locations, or:

IP Address Country Region City
146.xxx.xxx.xxx Not Available Not Available Not Available

 

*if I was that worried, I'd power the router down for about an hour, then reboot as this seems to be the best way I've found to completely change my location, rather than a quick powercycle.

All of our Android phones are not set to give out our location Smiley

Strat
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

 Apparently my computer is in Milton Keynes  but I'm sitting in my house 130 miles away Cheesy

Edit: added Static IP and residential.

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Robot
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Re: Plusnets IP's Now reveal your Location, to close to home. Security and privacy risk

Try using the Opera browser - that offers a VPN and iplocation.net shows I'm in Amsterdam - which I'm not, and my ISP is Surfeasy - which it isn't.

With VPN turned off, it still thinks I'm 250 miles from where I actually am. However, the VPN solution is pretty much guaranteed, whatever the IP Plusnet gives you.