web page responds with knowledge of the town I live in. How?

[Guest]

I completed a google search regarding automobiles. Then I clicked on one of
those links. The web page that appeared had auto information and a link to
"click here to buy automobiles in Atlanta Ga". How did it know the town I
live in?? I'm running zone alarm but obviously I have something set wrong.
Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE]

I completed a google search regarding automobiles. Then I clicked on
one of those links. The web page that appeared had auto information
and a link to "click here to buy automobiles in Atlanta Ga". How did
it know the town I live in?? I'm running zone alarm but obviously I
have something set wrong. Any suggestions appreciated.

It has to know the IP address of your computer and that address often (not
always) localizes your geographic location.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/

 

[Charlie Tame]

Right click on your post in the list and hit properties, then the details
button.

You will see there something like NNTP posting host and that is the IP
address of the machine you posted from.

This collection of data is impossible to do without since the server would
have no way to respond with the data you requested if it were not for that
address, in effect it would be like mailing an anonymous letter. The
Internet is a peer to peer service (despite the fact that web servers have
many "Peers") in the sense that it's not broadcast like TV - it is many
simultaneous conversations between two specific machines. Really just like
cellphones, they use "Radio" but it's not intended to be heard by everyone.

Although you can tell a little bit about a person by looking at webserver
logs it's quite limited and really no more invasive than someone like USA
Today targeting local ads for Texas in the Texas edition, Arizona ads in the
Arizona edition. As long as the info appears on the webpage you are reading
it's nothing I'd worry about - every web server can do that. It's generally
more an attempt at "Personalization" than spying.

You could browse via a "Proxy" to eliminate this - in the case you mention
browsing via a Proxy in Alaska you'd probably get ads for snowmobiles (if
they had any ads like that to serve up).



Charlie