IP Database Country – How to Assess the Evidential Value of IP Geolocation
IP database country is a key piece of information when it comes to identifying the location of a device connected to the internet. There are several free and commercial database options available, but their accuracy varies. A commercial database will be run by a third party that specializes in providing this type of data and they will usually have better collection methods to ensure regulatory compliance.
Does an IP address show your country?
The distribution of IP addresses on the global Internet is a fascinating insight into how the Internet is structured and governed. These critical numbers act as digital postal codes, pinpointing the location of devices that connect to the network and allowing traffic to be routed accordingly. The allocation is managed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which divides the address space into blocks and distributes these to regional Internet Registries, who then allocate them to local registries, which then assigns these to ISPs who then provide access to individual devices.
These ISPs are then able to identify the true geographical location of these devices through their IP address. This is a vitally important piece of information that can be used to determine the location of a device and even the person it belongs to. The problem with this method is that it can be tampered with.
The purpose of this article is to introduce a solution to assess the evidential value of IP geolocation using free and constantly updated data. The method is demonstrated using historical evidence for several countries over 8 years.
