The news of 82-year-old Joyce Taylor - a resident of Kansas flew around the world, just a few days from the date of publication. The hype around the incident (I must say prolonged) is due to the consequence of a small defect in the MaxMind base, the result of which affected not only the emotional background, but also the physical health of the woman.
To everyone who is not familiar with this fact, there is a brief information that helps prevent risks and avoid the recurrence of such situations.
Details of events
Briefly about the current problem, one can say as follows - the analysis of the digitized map data MaxMind showed that an error was made when recording the base coordinates of IP addresses. Incorrect information caused the following chain of events:
- bullying and threats by phone;
- stalking;
- regular visits to the FBI;
- visits by tax authorities.
The reason for all this was the decision of the first persons of the company (including administrators) MaxMind to maximally scale the geographical coordinates - that is, to simplify the taking of readings by reducing the coverage area and reducing the main pointers. The result of “negligent” manipulation was that more than 60 million IP addresses were sent to the owner of a small suburban farm.
Of course, the problem was solved, however, its consequences, especially, such as the spent nerves of an elderly woman, will remain in the memory of millions and will still very often surface in the vastness of the World Wide Web.
How GEO IP address data is generated
Belonging to a specific location (country) of a user on the network is called geodata. The location is set using the IP address as an encoded alphanumeric index. If we consider it globally, then, in fact, this set of characters does not carry any information. For its decoding, special databases are created in which conditional combinations and their binding to geolocation are entered. More specifically, to the ISP - the first level provider.
It follows that all such services are nothing more than databases created on the basis of information received, the entry of which, in some cases, is accompanied by errors — the absence or re-registration of a specific “subject” of DNS.
Causes of Problems
The global problem of every Internet user is the criticism of the provider. Regardless of the mentality, the first thing that comes to the mind of many is the fraud on the part of the provider or almost a conspiracy of a universal scale. In fact, everything is much simpler.
- Human factor. In particular, the lack of funding or large-scale technical work. In most cases, updating the database is accompanied by the maximum removal of outdated information and the minimum entry of new information, due to the lack of "one".
- Formation of statistical tables (N / A) based on unverified or unconfirmed data. Simply put, the desire to speed up the process.
- Competition. Lack of desire to conduct a kind of "reconciliation" or borrow information from third-party resources.
- Incorrect edits. Identification of errors - does not mean their quality elimination. Or even the lack of such an opportunity. What makes them correct is "default."
- Conflicts of privacy policy. Not every first-level provider agrees to share data on the location of docking stations or servers (nodal data transfer points).
Based on this, the obvious question arises - how to be in a similar situation and who to trust, because everyone defends their interests.
Logical completion of the chain of events
It all depends, if not strange, on the user himself. A statistical IP address is a "classic of the genre" which is difficult to refuse. It is assigned to everyone who is connected to the provider. However, many reliable companies began to switch to dynamic IP addresses, opening up unlimited possibilities on the network. But they require a specific host configuration protocol, which is not always available to the provider or the consumer himself. In particular, this applies to those who acquire IP addresses for one reason or another (bypassing locks, business, surfing, etc.). Using this example, we can consider the actions of a user who seeks to eliminate risks.
You must request information on your purchase. However, not every technical support can provide a comprehensive service. In most cases, everything ends with a long wait and go-ahead, which causes the user to leave meaningless attempts.
There is a solution. You can check the registration of your geolocation yourself, using open sources, in particular MaxMind databases, links to which are present in search engines. But, returning to the sources (previously provided in this material), it is worth recalling that not all the data provided are correct and relevant. Because, many resources operate through parsing (accelerated collection and systematization of data), which means that you should use only the primary sources.
Domain names and basic facts about them
As such, DNS is used only by providers. Some people prioritize business profitability, preferring cheaper resources, but this is more an exception than a given. In this situation, the fundamental role is played by the reputation of the company - that is, the duration and quality of work. And also, responding to your requests in case of problems.
In conclusion, it is worth noting - criticism for many is a hobby or a pleasant pastime. Mistakes certainly happen, regardless of areas and capabilities. The main thing is the quality and speed of their decision. In turn, a lot depends on the users themselves. Timely treatment and loyal attitude - the key to your comfort and safety.
Indeed, such progressive resources as social networks rely entirely on geolocation data when identifying customers. Only their difference is that, based on the data collected, they can create their own databases with, in fact, a pool of information, using conclusions not only for specific IP addresses, but also for providers and subnets. And, precisely by this principle, registered users are blocked. Which leads to the need to purchase third-party IP addresses. However, do not rush to weed out everything. Like a reminder! Before stating the problem, it is worth trying to figure it out.
