I have a very bizarre two-part question. I've got a sample report in my possession that suggests that a company can geotarget a user to area and even postal/zip codes.

The only way that I could see that this could be possible would be through a user's IP address, and I've always understood IP geotargeting to be an inexact science at best, particularly as it pertains to AOL (where everyone seems to come from Virginia.) So I'm extremely skeptical.

I'm hoping someone can either confirm my skepticism or prove me wrong on the IP address geotargeting issue, please and thank you.

The problem lies in whether it is actually the person's ip. Naturally, a proper firewall or someone running a static will not give their actual IP. Having their actual IP can give you a lot more info than just their address and zip code. I have pulled up their personal ISP account information, as well as their name, address, and phone number. It has been several years, but I am sure the technology surpasses what it was years ago, its hard telling what you can pull up now.

I don't know how this is done (exactly how you generate this information) but I do know that it has gotten slightly better over the last few years.
But this does make me wonder how do you get the users address and zip code with their IP address?

Software will give you the trace. I don't know if it's a good idea to post the names of the software, especially with this being a webmasters forum, but look around a bit and you will find it.

They can definitely trace you through your ip address...there are plenty of websites that can do this for you....

PC Catastrophe: I'm not a mod, but I think it's a good idea for the information to be posted since there are certain personal liberties at stake here...i.e. that postal/zip code tracking opens up a real can of worms as far as privacy goes.

I have a hard time believing your zip can be traced reliably, though I'm sure it can be traced with a fair amount of accuracy.

I have a dynamic IP assigned to me as I'd guess is the case with many of us here. Most of the stats programs I've used for my site will show me as Boulder or Denver and sometimes a few of the areas in between. I would think you would need information from the ISP to determine the zip since your ISP should always know.

Maybe it is possible and personally I don't have a problem seeing links to the software since I believe in information being open and freely available. You can always PM me if you want me to take a look and decide if it's appropriate.

I used Commview, as a packet sniffer, and Neo Trace is the name of the software I specifically used to pull-up info. It was a few years ago, but like I said I pulled up not just the location, but their phone and ISP account info, including their actual account number. I called the person to insure accuracy. They used Sprint at the time for phone and DSL service. I have no idea if it still works as well as it did. I did find some free things online you may be interested in. Neo Trace is a paid for software, so I wanted to see if I could find some freebies, so you guys could see. I tested them on myself. They came within an hour of my location.

http://www.geobytes.com/IpLocator.htm?GetLocation

http://www.ip-adress.com/details.php...hjRzlzYVhNPQ==


You can also do a tracert in your command prompt for web sites and ips if you need info.

example:
tracert www.webmaster-talk.com

Interesting tools. Both of the links did come pretty close to where I am. One had me about an 45 minutes north of where I am and the other 15 minutes south of here. That was how I figured they would be.

So Neo Trace was what you used to get the exact location? Or did you need to combine it with Commview to get the location?

It's interesting and a little scary at the same time that someone could know your address, phone number, and account number just by visiting their site.



I just did some searching on each and see how they work together. Neo Trace needs the packets to trace. Do you find Neo Trace is a better packet sniffer than some of the free alternatives like Ethereal?

I have never used any of the free sniffers.
I needed to use Commview for IP addresses. Commview was excellent for packet sniffing anything coming into your pc. It is such a good idea to keep an eye on what is traveling in and out of your pc, especially if it is acting a little strange. Neo Trace alone will give a good location. I cannot remember how it was that it was giving me account info, it was purely accident while poking around in the software. LOL, no skill involved with that one.

It is scary to think of everyone having a web site knowing exactly who is viewing it. IP addresses are just to easy to get ahold of. Click on a link and who knows who is receiving your personal info.

Once an old friend sat down and looked for me online. All he could remember was my first name and what town I had lived near ten years prior. After several hours of searching, he was able to contact me. In ten years I had moved multiple times and had only been in the current house for maybe two months. Just some advise for anyone reading this, if someone wants to find you, they will!

Originally Posted by PC Catastrophe

http://www.geobytes.com/IpLocator.htm?GetLocation

http://www.ip-adress.com/details.php...hjRzlzYVhNPQ==

The first link gave me my local exchange which is round 5 miles away, while the second link gave me an address about 2000 miles away.

The only way I can see someone getting an exact address is if you have a static IP address. Dynamic IP addresses are changing all the while, so I would find it difficult to pin point an exact address. OK maybe you can get the exchange, but I would like to see someone getting an address from an IP address.

I asked around a bit today about other software for ip tracing. Everyone I asked said NeoTrace hits the best. No one knew of any software that worked better, or that was even worth trying.

I downloaded trial versions of each, but I haven't installed them yet. It should be interesting and I can test on myself and a few friends and family members.

Hamesy even in the case of dynamic IP it's still coming from the same ISP and while your IP changes it doesn't change all that much. That's why it might not be perfect though because your ISP covers a range of locations.

The two programs Brandy mentioned are locating things a little differently than the online application. Online I think they just compare your IP to a database of IPs, which is good, but not perfect.

Brandy I've always heard Ethereal given as the packet sniffer of choice for most, but I can't claim to have a lot of experience with it. I suppose you could try it in combination with Neo Trace and see how it compares. Commview did look pretty good though.