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Or did they block it simply because I used a VPN ?

Which would seem to indicate the VPN worked.

I'll try this again using another browser.

INT21.
 
Or did they block it simply because I used a VPN ?

Which would seem to indicate the VPN worked.

I'll try this again using another browser.

INT21.
Also, try another search engine.
 
Admittedly it usually places me about five miles away.

But I just did a test.

VPN on
Firefox. Google search.. Term 'Horny grandads'. (All in the name of science, you understand.)

It blocked the search.

Back to Desktop
VPN on
Avast Secure Browser. Same search term.

Went straight through.

VPN off
Firefox, Google search. same term.

Went straight through.

Avast Secure Browser. Same term.

Went straight through.

Back to beginning. term 'MGTOW'.

Straight through whether VPN on or off.

All very strange.

INT21.
 
And Google blocked the search. I got this message.

About this page

Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. This page checks to see if it's really you sending the requests, and not a robot. Why did this happen?

IP address: 5.62.39.226
Time: 2019-01-14T19:53:47Z
URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=mgtow&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Bearing in mind I was doing an inoccous search on a perfectly legit subject. Not looking for hard core granny porn or anything like that.

Yes, Big Brother really is watching you.

INT21.

I believe that this message appears when they see lots of different computers/people connecting from the same IP address, as happens with a VPN. They claim that this could be due to some kind of malicious action (e.g. bots trying to game their advertising in some way) which sort of makes sense. And, of course, it probably makes it harder for them to sell you as an advertising target.

I'm pretty sure it's nothing to do with search terms (at least not directly).

I prefer to use https://duckduckgo.com instead.
 
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Not so much a problem, but an observation.

A few minutes ago I called up Google search from Firefox. and entered the acronym 'MGTOW'.

and it supplied half a dozen links (on the first page, there were more). so that was working ok.

Then I scrolled right down to the bottom of the page and found that Google had helpfully printed my home location. Accurate to about half a mile.

Hmmmm. I wonder.

So, I fired up the VPN (set the IP to Belgium) and did the same as above.

And Google blocked the search. I got this message.

About this page

Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. This page checks to see if it's really you sending the requests, and not a robot. Why did this happen?

IP address: 5.62.39.226
Time: 2019-01-14T19:53:47Z
URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=mgtow&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Bearing in mind I was doing an inoccous search on a perfectly legit subject. Not looking for hard core granny porn or anything like that.

Yes, Big Brother really is watching you.

INT21.
Are you logged into Google services (eg Chrome login, Gmail?)
 
I believe that this message appears when they see lots of different computers/people connecting from the same IP address, as happens with a VPN. They claim that this could be due to some kind of malicious action (e.g. bots trying to game their advertising in some way) which sort of makes sense. And, of course, it probably makes it harder for them to sell you as an advertising target.

I'm pretty sure it's nothing to do with search terms (at least not directly) ...

Are you logged into Google services (eg Chrome login, Gmail?)

Yep - the error message INT21 reported is pretty obviously justified by security issues (regardless of other motivations). Google's sensitivity to double-checking such situations would be understandably heightened if the person were logged into a Google account.
 
Yep - the error message INT21 reported is pretty obviously justified by security issues (regardless of other motivations). Google's sensitivity to double-checking such situations would be understandably heightened if the person were logged into a Google account.
I sometimes have trouble logging into things from foreign countries – it's like if you try and use a debit card in a foreign country without telling the bank first. They'll lock you out for your own security. If you access google from one place and then five minutes later access it from (what looks like to them) somewhere 500 miles away, I guess they'll think it's suspect and prevent you from accessing the service in case it's not you.
 
... I guess they'll think it's suspect and prevent you from accessing the service in case it's not you.

Precisely ... It's essentially impossible to trust a particular party when they seem to be in multiple mutually-distant places within a short timeframe. If you wish to operate with anonymity of location, you'd better be prepared to be treated as if you have no singularity of identity (and hence suspicious).
 
There's another pesky side-effect of operating from multiple and / or generic locations ...

If multiple people happen to use the same IP address (e.g., a public wifi hotspot or identical pseudo-locations provided via a VPN) all will be flagged as spam suspects if that IP address has been recorded as the point of origin for spam or other mischief.

We screen all new registrants against known spammer databases and listings. There have been instances in which I've rejected registrations from IP's flagged as 'bad', in the absence of any other clues supporting the registrant's legitimacy.
 
...It's essentially impossible to trust a particular party when they seem to be in multiple mutually-distant places within a short timeframe. ..

The key point here though, is that you are being tracked all the time. And if the tracker (Google) loses you, it retaliates by denial of service.
It is telling you, in effect, where you can go and where not. If you want to use Google, that is.

One reason why I will not bother with Google Earth any more as you have to use Google Chrome browser to download it.

INT21.
 
... The key point here though, is that you are being tracked all the time. And if the tracker (Google) loses you, it retaliates by denial of service. ...

No - that doesn't necessarily follow ... All it can be demonstrated to mean is that a given visitor is showing up from 'this' direction (location) at one time, from 'some other' direction next, and the apparent lines of approach are sufficiently disparate to suggest more than one party using one set of credentials.

Questioning identity based on multiple points of origin doesn't necessarily mean that identity is being continuously tracked all the time. I don't need to know your actual path to choke when you seem to be incoming from opposite sides of the planet within the space of (e.g.) a few minutes.
 
Let's do a test.

Where am I coming from now ?

INT21
 
Yes.

But interestingly Google via Firefix didn't attempt to block it.

Going back to normal now.
 
Near enough. ...

If I go to a different site (IP geolocation; not the site we use here for IP checks) I get 2 town / city hits on B*********, one hit on S*********, and one hit on O****** M******.

These 4 hits are drawn from 4 different geolocation databases using 4 different software platforms / services.
 
It does get rather confusing.

My internet does come via Virgin, and it appears to have a local node in a village about five mile away.

It has never shown the true location.

Can you give me the last letter of each of the 'encrypted' locations. I'd like to see if I recognise them.
 
You've convinced me - I need a VPN.
 
... Can you give me the last letter of each of the 'encrypted' locations. I'd like to see if I recognise them.

I don't want to do that on the open forum. I'll PM you with the listing I got from a cursory search on the first geolocation site I happened to visit.
 
...It's essentially impossible to trust a particular party when they seem to be in multiple mutually-distant places within a short timeframe. ..

The key point here though, is that you are being tracked all the time. And if the tracker (Google) loses you, it retaliates by denial of service.
It is telling you, in effect, where you can go and where not. If you want to use Google, that is.

Well, immoral though Google may well be, it's their service and they can offer it on any terms they want.

This is certainly little to do with security and more to do with maximising revenue.

This is why I recommend DuckDuckGo.

One reason why I will not bother with Google Earth any more as you have to use Google Chrome browser to download it.

I just checked and I can download the desktop version of Google Earth using Waterfox.
 
Odd thing happened today.

We have a landline phone with call blocking facilities. Stops people trying to sell me double glazing etc. Anyway. it appears to not be working. So we plugged in a normal handset.

A few minutes later my wife shouted up to me,'Oi, there has just been a call. The recorder voice said if you don't contact your internet provider they will shut down the broadband in 24 hours. They say your number is compromised and is appearing all over Europe. It's you and your weird friends on the web'.

(So now you know, you're all weird; but you already knew that)

So, I contacted Virgin via their 150 number and the nice lady said 'it's a hoax call, ignore it. We have been getting a lot of them lately'. I mentioned that I sometimes use a VPN. 'Doesn't matter'.

SO, two things.

First, It appears that my call blocker was stopping this call from getting through.

Second, I wonder if this is linked to Google putting up messages that show they can't track me when the VPN is running ?

I'd like to know if anyone else has had this dire warning over their landline.

INT21.
 
Markrkingston1.

Just looked into Waterfox. Seems it is for W7 or later. I run XP.

Thanks anyway.

INT21.
 
Odd thing happened today.

We have a landline phone with call blocking facilities. Stops people trying to sell me double glazing etc. Anyway. it appears to not be working. So we plugged in a normal handset.

A few minutes later my wife shouted up to me,'Oi, there has just been a call. The recorder voice said if you don't contact your internet provider they will shut down the broadband in 24 hours. They say your number is compromised and is appearing all over Europe. It's you and your weird friends on the web'.

(So now you know, you're all weird; but you already knew that)

So, I contacted Virgin via their 150 number and the nice lady said 'it's a hoax call, ignore it. We have been getting a lot of them lately'. I mentioned that I sometimes use a VPN. 'Doesn't matter'.

SO, two things.

First, It appears that my call blocker was stopping this call from getting through.

Second, I wonder if this is linked to Google putting up messages that show they can't track me when the VPN is running ?

I'd like to know if anyone else has had this dire warning over their landline.

INT21.
Had the call. Hung up.
 
Sounds like a standard phone scam to me. If they phone enough numbers they are bound to find someone with weird friends on the web.

Don't worry about it, I'm 100% sure it was a totally random attempt at fraud. Your call blocker probably was blocking those type of calls.
 
Odd thing happened today.

We have a landline phone with call blocking facilities. Stops people trying to sell me double glazing etc. Anyway. it appears to not be working. So we plugged in a normal handset.

A few minutes later my wife shouted up to me,'Oi, there has just been a call. The recorder voice said if you don't contact your internet provider they will shut down the broadband in 24 hours. They say your number is compromised and is appearing all over Europe. It's you and your weird friends on the web'.

(So now you know, you're all weird; but you already knew that)

So, I contacted Virgin via their 150 number and the nice lady said 'it's a hoax call, ignore it. We have been getting a lot of them lately'. I mentioned that I sometimes use a VPN. 'Doesn't matter'.

SO, two things.

First, It appears that my call blocker was stopping this call from getting through.

Second, I wonder if this is linked to Google putting up messages that show they can't track me when the VPN is running ?

I'd like to know if anyone else has had this dire warning over their landline.

INT21.

I had one of those - just ignored it. Also had a couple recently from 'HMRC' - automated artificial voice recording informing me that they have a court action against me for money owed and to press 1 to speak to them. Ignored those as well. As if Revenue & Customs contact people in that way..

A while back I had one of those 'you have a virus' calls & to go to a website to sort it out. I told them I wasn't online & would have to go upstairs & switch my computer on. Kept them hanging on for ages while I went upstairs, booted up the computer then spent another age 'going to the website' before telling them I was just playing them along to waste their time. It didn't go down well.

I'm on the telephone preference list which blocks most calls but some get through which probably means they're originating from somewhere scaly.
 
I'm on the telephone preference list which blocks most calls but some get through which probably means they're originating from somewhere scaly.
Same and ex-directory. If I can be mithered to play along I ask where they got the number from, but I admit my usual tactic is to put the phone down and leave it sat there until the other end hangs up as (a) it costs them money and (b) they can't be calling anyone else while they wait for me. Sometimes I just hang up.
 
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