Geolocation

[b***@hotmail.com]

How does a website know where in the world I am....? I've been to sites which ask me (Firefox pops up the box on the top left), and then OTOH, there are sites which seem to identify where I am just fine, though I never told them....???!!!

I would like to get to the bottom of this - how is this pulled off exactly? Did they give a latitude and longitude co-ordinate to every router on the internet or something?


Thanks.

[Lew Pitcher]

On Sunday October 4 2015 12:56, in

Post by b***@hotmail.com
How does a website know where in the world I am....? I've been to sites
which ask me (Firefox pops up the box on the top left), and then OTOH, there
are sites which seem to identify where I am just fine, though I never told
them....???!!!
I would like to get to the bottom of this - how is this pulled off exactly?
Did they give a latitude and longitude co-ordinate to every router on the
internet or something?

They typically use your IP address to make an /educated guess/ as to your
location. Since IP addresses are /not/ assigned by specific geographic
location, the guesses give, at best, approximate locations. The guess /may/
be refined by
- determining which registry authority provided the IP address
- determining the location (from whois data) of the ISP that assigned the
address
- following a traceroute to decode the path that packets take to get to you
and decyphering physical route clues from that
- asking your web client for your location (fed by GPS or by configuration)

Take a look at https://www.iplocation.net/
They explain the process quite well.

HTH