IP adress location by Google and others

[Gary]

So according to Google I live near Kirkcaldy and Facebook thinks I live in Loughborough  How do they work out via IP where they think you live? Also how do they get it so wrong!

[Technical Ben]

AFAIK they don't know your IP. The locations are the last place they can identify (usually IDNet I think, or one or the peering thingies? I'm not at that level of "Technicality" training. ).

[Gary]

AFAIK they don't know your IP. The locations are the last place they can identify (usually IDNet I think, or one or the peering thingies? I'm not at that level of "Technicality" training. ).

I thought they did, bans can be put on peoples IP addresses cant they. If GCHQ and the NSA can I'm sure Facebook and Google know your IP.  No idea why IDNet peering is around kirkcaldy area, but even speedtest.net puts me in the Midlands now. 

[Simon]

Might be better weather there...   

[Lance]

AFAIK they don't know your IP.

Any website can get your ip. On the forum, all ip addresses are recorded with each post.

[Technical Ben]

I'm probably thinking of back in the day when they were more dynamic/new on each dial up.
It's just the location information that only tracks back to IDNet or one of the routing servers, is that right?

[colirv]

It's just the location information that only tracks back to IDNet or one of the routing servers, is that right?

I think so. My speed tests show my server as being in London, whereas I'm the other end of the country.

[Gary]

Might be better weather there...   

[Technical Ben]

On topic, I just got an email checking security telling me I've logged in from HITCHIN ENGLAND GB.