Questions About Physical Location & the Internet

[Joe]

I have a friend named Paul who is a graduate of Yale Divinity School. He writes a blog which is often highly critical of what goes on at Yale University. He lives in Vermont.

He recently wrote a column about Yale's expulsion of the captain of the basketball team, Jack Montague, in the middle of his senior year. Paul sent me an e-mail a few days later saying he learned that Jack went to high school near where I live in Tennessee.

So I found two articles in local online newspapers about Jack's expulsion. I send Paul an e-mail with the URLs.

He writes me back saying one of the newspapers, the Tennessean, blocked his access, demanding that he subscribe to the newspaper before he could see the article. I do not subscribe to the newspaper, yet I had access to the article on their website. (I made a copy of the article for Paul, and file attached it to an e-mail back to him.)

How do businesses with websites like the Tennessean discover the physical locations of the people who visit their website over the internet?

And why would they have different rules to access it for people from Vermont (like Paul) as contrasted with someone who lives less than 15 miles from their office (like me)?

 

[Capstan]

My understanding is, the location of your internet service provider (IP address) is transmitted, when you access a website. It gives a general location of your PC; that is, can determine whether you are nearby (local) or non-local. It can't pinpoint your exact address, but reveals the general area you're in. In the case of a local newspaper, I suppose they might want to prevent 'outsiders' from commenting on their articles; that is, to keep it a close-knit, community discussion. I don't really know what their motivation is.

 

[Joe]

My understanding is, the location of your internet service provider (IP address) is transmitted, when you access a website. It gives a general location of your PC; that is, can determine whether you are nearby (local) or non-local. It can't pinpoint your exact address, but reveals the general area you're in.

This makes sense. I wonder whether there is any way to block or disguise this information.

In the case of a local newspaper, I suppose they might want to prevent 'outsiders' from commenting on their articles; that is, to keep it a close-knit, community discussion. I don't really know what their motivation is.

This seems a little doubtful to me. It seems to me that restricting non-subscribers from posting comments is quite different from restricting them from reading the articles at all. I am not sure that the comments reflect a "close-knit community." A lot of comments are just hate-filled and nasty. That seems to be the nature of lots of communication on the internet.

 

[robert99]

"I wonder whether there is any way to block or disguise this information." It's called using a proxy server Proxy server - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Many use them for watching TV/films from outside their own country.
Try for free at Proxy Server and ProVPN protect your data and identity online | ProxyServer
Some media websites track users by cookies so that you can only read a certain number of articles for free. Then you have to sign up or .... delete the cookie (but you did n't hear that from me! )

Websites have to know what browser you're using (Explorer, Safari etc) so the content can be read Web browser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Second Summer]

"I wonder whether there is any way to block or disguise this information." It's called using a proxy server Proxy server - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Many use them for watching TV/films from outside their own country.

You'd have to find a proxy server in Tennessee in order to read that newspaper, though, I would think.

Some media websites track users by cookies so that you can only read a certain number of articles for free. Then you have to sign up or .... delete the cookie (but you did n't hear that from me! )

One of the newspapers that do this that I read occasionally, I have found that I an get around the problem by going into incognito mode in the browser. (It's called "Private Window" in Firefox.)

 

[Joe]

"I wonder whether there is any way to block or disguise this information." It's called using a proxy server Proxy server - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Many use them for watching TV/films from outside their own country.
Try for free at Proxy Server and ProVPN protect your data and identity online | ProxyServer

https://www.proxyserver.com/

Thank you. I was unaware of this.

BTW, Google puts a box on the bottom of certain searches showing your location. If you click on "Learn More" it tells you how to change your location for the purpose of doing Google searches. I somehow doubt that this would affect changing your location for websites like the Tennessean's, though.

Some media websites track users by cookies so that you can only read a certain number of articles for free. Then you have to sign up or .... delete the cookie (but you did n't hear that from me! )

Thanks.

I found a listing for a cookie from the New York Times, which only allows you so many visits per month. It sends you an e-mail if you near your limit. I also found a cookie from the Tennessean newspaper. There are plenty of individual cookies grouped from that site, but I'm guessing firefly_akamai_meter is the one tracking the visits. These were still there after Norton Internet Security did a scan and eliminated 62 tracking cookies. Why some cookies were spared yet 62 were deleted, I do not know.

Websites have to know what browser you're using (Explorer, Safari etc) so the content can be read Web browser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Well, my default browser is MS Internet Explorer, but I actually use Firefox 99 percent of the time.

 

[Joe]

One of the newspapers that do this that I read occasionally, I have found that I an get around the problem by going into incognito mode in the browser. (It's called "Private Window" in Firefox.)

Just so people will know, in Firefox you click on Tools | Options | Privacy | Use Tracking Protection in Private Windows | Learn More to learn how to do this.

Tracking Protection in Private Browsing | Firefox Help

 

[robert99]

I run CCleaner which is free at CCleaner - PC Optimization and Cleaning - Free Download
This gets rid of cookies, temp files etc. Also can clean up the registry.Norton has a problem clearing out cookies apparently.
Windows does track everything you do too see 5 ways Windows secretly tracks your activities

 

[Joe]

I run CCleaner which is free at CCleaner - PC Optimization and Cleaning - Free Download
This gets rid of cookies, temp files etc. Also can clean up the registry.

Interesting. I've heard of it but never tried it.

Norton has a problem clearing out cookies apparently.

Either that or it has some sort of selective criteria.

Windows does track everything you do too see 5 ways Windows secretly tracks your activities

Thanks.

 

[veg1973]

This makes sense. I wonder whether there is any way to block or disguise this information.

Tor Browser

HTH

 

[Joe]

Tor Browser

HTH

Yes, thank you.

 

[robert99]

NSA likely targets anybody who's 'Tor-curious'
Snowden warned about the NSA, GCHQ etc targeting Tor users as "people who don't want to be seen" are not always "nice" people.
And if you get stung with a ransom virus/ware New ransomware employs Tor to stay hidden from security don't be surprised - "people who don't want to be seen" are not always "nice" people.

 

[Joe]

NSA likely targets anybody who's 'Tor-curious'
Snowden warned about the NSA, GCHQ etc targeting Tor users as "people who don't want to be seen" are not always "nice" people.

Gee, I already visited the Tor website. I guess I'm not a "nice" person.

 

[robert99]

Gee, I already visited the Tor website. I guess I'm not a "nice" person.

the SWAT team will be coming through your front door in ... 3 ...2 ... 1 ...
I did write "not always" though.

 

[ledboots]

What is Tor? (Hesitant to google it now!)

Edit: read the link. I use duckduckgo to search sometimes, and I've thought before it might just be a trap lol.

 

[robert99]

I use duckduckgo too - "Primarily funded by the US government (that should be a warning in itself) , the Tor network anonymizes Internet traffic by relaying the communication through a series of encrypted, anonymizing hubs called nodes. It's often used by reporters and activists, and it was estimated in 2012 that 50,000 to 60,000 Iranians use the service daily." NSA likely targets anybody who's 'Tor-curious' (how they know so many Iranians use Tor is a good question)
Tor wiki at Tor (anonymity network) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for all the details.
Question, where's the best place to put a virus bug on a PC? Answer, in an anti-virus program!

 

[veg1973]

Try searx searx.me

duck duck go is hosted by Amazon:

DuckDuckGo hosted by Amazon!!?? | Trisquel GNU/Linux - Run free!

HTH

 

[robert99]

Shame ...

 

[Joe]

I found this article about "controversies" surrounding Amazon to be interesting.

Amazon.com controversies - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[robert99]

I found this article about "controversies" surrounding Amazon to be interesting.

Amazon.com controversies - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Amazon announced that it had removed from its website the aforementioned T-shirts as well as "I love Hitler" T-shirts that they were selling for women and children ..." damn! That was going to be the wife's and little Timmy's Xmas present ...