Localization Blocks...and wireless providers..is this just a fluke?

[Lucid1]

Hi all! First time poster and newly registered user. Although in the past I have come to this site and read the forums whenever I have questions about cam sites. Just to clarify, I'm a male in my early 50's and frequent cam sites to fulfill my needs.

I recently augmented my local telephone company's internet service with a separate wireless provider for my mobile internet needs. I've been visiting cam sites for well over a decade and I'm a member on roughly half a dozen or so sites that I visit frequently. MFC, CB and Streammate are my most visited sites. In all the time that I was using my local telco's internet I noticed that there were never any models whose stated location was from my own state or, in many cases, surrounding states. This is when I learned(through googling) about most web sites using geo-blocking. I understand it, and respect it fully and hence the reason for this post. Last week I logged into a certain camsite using my new wireless connection and began leisurely surfing through the many pages of models. All of a sudden I come across a models room and her profile pic caught my eye enough to visit her room. After entering her room I realized that I knew this model from a previous job we both worked at. Knowing about geo-blocks, and having never seen this model on this site using my telco's internet I decided to check a few things.

I went to an internet speedtest website and after it loaded it showed my IP and location as being in a mid-western state. I live in a southeastern state, so I decided to logout of my wireless device and try again. Upon logging back in on my wireless device the speedtest site showed my IP and location to be in my home state, so I logged back into the camsite and her room wasn't listed. I did the logout/login thing several more times, and in some cases my IP and location would change at random to other states, allowing me to see her room if the state was far enough away(I'm guessing here..??).

I know a lot of models post here, so I wanted to know if this is an issue that is known about, and wanted to ask if anyone would think it inappropriate if I discreetly contacted this model to let her know this is occurring, or just let it be?

 

[uncoveredmanhole]

...I wanted to know if this is an issue that is known about, and wanted to ask if anyone would think it inappropriate if I discreetly contacted this model to let her know this is occurring

she knows it's happening. it's a feature, not a bug: she's using her ability to choose which countries or states within the US can see her cam to block her home state, in hopes of avoiding exactly such things as this, I would say.

allowing me to see her room if the state was far enough away(I'm guessing here..??)

I only know about CB, which goes by country and US state. I doubt other sites go by radius or anything like that, though (that would only help people like you triangulate someone's place within a state)

 

[Lucid1]

I totally get why geo-blocks are used, and that they are a "feature" for models on certain sites. I've just never experienced being IP located in another state before this, let alone seeing a model I know in RL. I have to wonder if all wireless providers use this practice as some means of bandwidth allocation/cost savings? Beyond that, it makes no sense why my wireless provider would say that I am in X City of Y State, when I'm not.

 

[JoleneBrody]

Yes it is a known issue to most, but if anyone is unaware here is a reminder.

 

[JoleneBrody]

she knows it's happening. it's a feature, not a bug: she's using her ability to choose which countries or states within the US can see her cam to block her home state, in hopes of avoiding exactly such things as this, I would say.


I only know about CB, which goes by country and US state. I doubt other sites go by radius or anything like that, though (that would only help people like you triangulate someone's place within a state)

His question is if models are aware that mobile Broadband will often use out of area IP's thus rendering geo blocking useless.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

I have to wonder if all wireless providers use this practice as some means of bandwidth allocation/cost savings?

Yes, they do. Every time you start your phone it could be a different IP address. As you move drive around and connect in different areas, it could be a different IP address. Also most phone companies buy blocks of IP addresses for a given area. You could be given one of those that has nothing to do with where you actually are. You could also be given an IP address for the corporate headquarters. IP addresses mean nothing.

Then there's the problem with IP mapping. There's nothing actually saying an ip address has to be from a certain location. So there's companies that purposely drive vehicles around the whole country looking for open wifi hotspots. Then they register the IP address they get and map it to that location. They try to make their best guess where it's coming from. If they are out in the country and it's the only house around, they know that belongs there. If they are in a big city they have to guess it's coming from a certain office or apartment.

To add to the trouble, if they run across an IP they can't figure out they just assign it to the center of the country. There's a farm in northern Kansas near the Nebraska border that has been assigned as the location for over 600 million IP addresses. So people getting pissed off at scammers look up the IP and see it comes from there. Then they make that families life a hell for no reason.

Then there's software that lets you change your IP address to be all over the world at the click of a button.

I know a lot of models post here, so I wanted to know if this is an issue that is known about

IP addresses really mean nothing if you get right down to it. They are easily confused or faked out. It's not an issue, it's just the internet. It's the way it works.

 

[nikeairmax90]

I know a lot of models who use geo blocking, mostly to not broadcast on states they are living in to not be found by family or friends. I had a model I frequented and chatted a lot with later show offline for a while. Reached out on Twitter and she added me as a friend, and that unblocked it and she told me it was she blocked my state because of family.