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In computing, geolocation software is used to deduce the geolocation (geographic location) of the other party, for example on the internet. One simple approach to geolocation is looking at the IP address and determining what country, organization, or user it has been assigned to, and guess the user's location based on that. Other means may be a check on the mac-address, the camera or creditcard that is used.
Database
Building the database is done voluntarily (you agreed on the licence) by downloading what weather is it today software for the taskbar or start filling in your personal page on the web and provide the zipcode and housenumber to become a member or to adjust the weather software. Later on, the data might be used for geo. Many companies sell geolocation databases. The databases are swapping listings to filter out anomalies.
The major geolocation companies claim accuracy of 80 percent or more for city-level data and 99 percent for country targeting, though the figures are misleading because they generally exclude the addresses known to cause trouble. (Wired).
Critics
Critics note that geolocation software is inherently inaccurate (2002), easily manipulated and conflicts with the global nature of the Internet.
Workaround
Technical measures for ensuring anonymity, such as proxy servers, can be used to circumvent restrictions imposed by geolocation software. geo software tracks techniques like proxies and will mark them as an alien computer.
Problematic addresses are often flagged, so websites can assess how much credence to give. RealNetworks, for instance, often rejects all anonymizer traffic and may ask AOL subscribers to provide additional verification. Google won't deliver targeted ads at all when location is in doubt. (Wired)
Distinction
A distinction can be made between co-operative and oppositional geolocation. In cases, it is in the interest of users to be accurately located, for example so that they can be offered information relevant to their location. In others, users prefer to not disclose their location for privacy or other reasons.
- Note: Not filling in this information on one site, doesn't help if you did it on some other sites.
Legislation
It has been suggested that legislation should mandate the use of geolocation software, for example for companies distributing pornography considered obscene in some jurisdictions or to enforce international trade agreements (see Geolocation).
Banks, software vendors and other online enterprises are now subject to strict new “Know Your Customer” laws imposed by the USA PATRIOT Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and other regulatory entities in the US and Europe. These laws are designed to prevent money laundering, trafficking with terrorist organizations and trading with banned nations. By identifying where online visitors really are, geolocation can protect banks from participating in the transfer of funds for illicit purposes.
Applications
Fraud detection
Online retailers and payment processors use geolocation to detect possible credit card fraud by comparing the user’s location to the billing address on the account or the shipping address provided. A mismatch – an order placed from Indonesia on an account number from Indiana, for example – is a strong indicator of potential fraud. Banks can prevent “phishing” attacks, money laundering and other security breaches by determining the user’s location as part of the authentication process.Government, law enforcement and corporate security teams use geolocation as an investigatory tool, tracking the Internet routes of online attackers to find the perpetrators and prevent future attacks from the same location.
Censorship
Geolocation software is used to limit distribution of certain information to people from certain areas.Geo marketing
See Geo (marketing)Regional Licensing
Internet movie vendors and online broadcasters who serve live streaming video of sporting events are permitted to service viewers only in their licensed territories. By geolocating viewers, they can be certain of obeying licensing regulations. Online casinos must also know where their customers are or risk violating national laws against Internet gambling.Jim Ramo, chief executive of movie distributor Movielink, said studios were aware of the shortcomings going in and have grown more confident now that the system has been shown to work. (Wired).
Target content
Other use
Geolocation is not only used on the Internet. Some mobile telephone service providers offer services that accurately determine the location of a mobile phone on their network and provide location-based services.History
Geolocation technology has been under development only since 1999, and the first patents were granted in 2004. The technology is already widely used in multiple industries, including e-retail, banking, media, online gaming and law enforcement, for preventing online fraud, complying with regulations, managing digital rights and serving targeted marketing content and pricing.
See also
References
- Seth Finkelstein (November 10, 2003. Expert report of Seth Finkelstein on the Nitke v. Ashcroft case. Retrieved 2004-11-15.
External links
- Hostip.info Free community-based project to geolocate IP addresses
- Cybertelecom's notes on geolocation and its relevancy for federal policy
- SVANTESSON.ORG Dr Svantesson's website contains further information about geolocation
- GeoTool Geolocation tool using the free MaxMind database, and showing results on a Google Map
- Introduction to geolocation by IP address
"Geolocation software"