Gmail lists my state next to Xerobank Canada IP

Discussion in 'privacy problems' started by caspian, Jun 13, 2010.

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  1. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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    When you login to Gmail you can go to the bottom of the page and it shows the IP address of the last login. If you click on details it shows the last several logins. It shows the IP address and the "associated location" as they put it. I get the same readings when using XB Browser and Chromium. It makes no difference.

    In Firefox with geo location disabled (what is ge.wifi.uri?),


    Geo Disabled.jpg

    while connected to Xerobank's Canada exit node (174.142.98.109), Gmail shows my actual state.

    IP and Location.jpg

    Xerobank's U.S. exit node shows MI and the Netherland exit node shows TX. Cryptohippie shows MD.


    Neth U.S. Germ.jpg
     
  2. hierophant

    hierophant Registered Member

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    Using http://www.ipligence.com/geolocation, I get Montreal for all of XeroBank's Canadian exit node IPs in your post.

    Perhaps the Gmail login IP checker ignores (or is distinct from) the geolocation features that Firefox controls.

    Are you using a wireless router?

    Perhaps Gmail associates XeroBank's Canadian exit node IPs with geolocation info previously collected for your wireless router.

    And perhaps Gmail associates XeroBank's US exit node with some wifi router in MI, XeroBank's Netherland exit node with some wifi router in TX, and Cryptohippie's exit node with some wifi router in MD.

    Perhaps some brave soul can test some of them with their Gmail account. Not me. Sorry :(

    FWIW, I just came across Phorm and Fake Geolocation ...

     
  3. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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    Haha! It has one for Buckingham Palace! That is so funny I love it. I haven't tried it yet but I hope it works.
     
  4. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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    I downloaded the latest Tor and tried it. It shows the country associated with the IP only. Why the difference? (The Germany Connections and U.K. connection are Tor....the U.S. connections are Cryptohippie).

    1.jpg

    And when I connect using Tor, the U.S. locations no longer give the state. It just says United States.
     

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  5. hierophant

    hierophant Registered Member

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    OK, here's my hypothesis. Anyone connecting to their Gmail account via these XeroBank exit nodes in Montreal ...

    174.142.36.114
    174.142.98.106
    174.142.98.109

    ... who checks their Gmail connection history will be informed that they are located in caspian's state (whatever that is).

    Any volunteers?
     
  6. snowdrift

    snowdrift Registered Member

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    I would volunteer but Gmail is creepy and I don't use it. Ever.
     
  7. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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    That would be interesting to see. I would be willing to give up my State location just to see. I mean, it's not like it's a State Secret or anything.:argh:
     
  8. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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    Or if anyone wants to correspond privately that would be cool too.
     
  9. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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    Something else I noticed when I tried the new Tor. You cannot watch videos on Youtube. Even if you tell noscript to allow the whole page. It wanted me to install a plugin. I think it was Adobe Flash. I'll try it again and see. Maybe it is that element that allows the geo.location. But I cannot do without that. I love all of the videos and media stuff. Gotta have it.

    I am hoping that the new XB beta project will take care of this geolocation issue.
     
  10. hierophant

    hierophant Registered Member

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    @caspian

    I'm pretty sure that your geolocation problem is a side-channel issue, and that no VPN will cure it. Getting a new wireless router probably would, at least temporarily. But as soon as it hosted any machine with geolocation enabled, it would show up in geolocation databases with the physical location listed for that machine's IP address.

    Yes?
     
  11. randomguy

    randomguy Registered Member

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    I just checked also using a xerobank Canada exit node and gmail did not list the location as Canada but rather a US state. I can list the state if you wish caspian. I can not try with the US exit node as it seems to be down for me.

    If this does have something to do with the geolocation feature that tied to wireless MAC addresses what if you were accessing gmail via wired connection, this MAC address should be different than your wireless one therefore not display whatever location is tied to your wireless one?
     
  12. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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    Thanks for that I sent you a PM.
     
  13. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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    I will have to check that when I get back home. I am visiting with family for a couple more weeks. Thanks for the suggestion.
     
  14. randomguy

    randomguy Registered Member

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    PM sent.

    On a related note, I notice that the various exit nodes resolve differently depending on what look-up site I am using. For example www.dslreports.com/whois will resolve to Panama when using Canadian exit node while whatismyip.com using the same node will resolve to Montreal using their whois tool.

    This leads me to believe that is may be a dns lookup/resolve/how the dns is registered issue, or maybe even working as intended by xerobank? Beats me how gmail came up with the odd locations though or what they are using to resolve.
     
  15. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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    I have also noticed that different IP tracer sites sometimes give different locations. But they are always locations that Xerobank has a server in so it must be related to DNS. And I am also curious about the odd location associations that gmail has with Xerobank.....and cryptohippie as well.

    But not Tor? I wonder why? I do know that I cannot watch a video with the new Tor even if I tell it to allow the whole page. So maybe the Tor package is stripping out what is needed for gmail to associate it with the actual country that the person is in.
     
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