[arch-d] Re: IP Address Geolocation Considered Harmful

Stephen Farrell <stephen.farrell@cs.tcd.ie> Mon, 23 March 2026 20:04 UTC

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From: Stephen Farrell <stephen.farrell@cs.tcd.ie>
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Subject: [arch-d] Re: IP Address Geolocation Considered Harmful
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On 23/03/2026 19:54, John Mattsson wrote:
> It is, but even if it was perfect, it would still be a privacy
> violation and a risk to the end-users. As Phillip Hallam-Baker
> wrote, "the decision to leak location information should be a user
> choice”. I therefore do not think the IAB or the IETF should do
> anything to improve the accuracy of IP Address Geolocation. Rather,
> the opposite, I think the IAB and the IETF should publicly declare
> that IP Address Geolocation is Considered Harmful and support work
> that makes it difficult or impossible to use.

I agree.

Cheers,
S.