[Info-vax] ZIP+4

[John E. Malmberg]

On 5/6/2019 11:16 AM, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) wrote:
> In article <qapkro$asf$1 at reader2.panix.com>, Tim Sneddon
> <tsneddon at panix.com> writes:
> 
>> Dave Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
>>> We are using a service via internet for address validation which also
>>> returns geo location I believe.  Communications are via HTTPS, though
>>> why anyone demands the "S" for data that is freely available is a bit of
>>> a mystery to me.
>>
>> The data may be freely available, but the fact that you are looking at it
>> can be used as a part of a larger information gathering exercise.
> 
> Yes.  And, theoretically, you might be the victim of fake data due to
> spoofing.

ZIP+4 is totally different than geo-location.  ZIP+4 is for validation 
of U.S. mailing/shipping addresses.

It helps avoid typos in mailing addresses.

IP based geo-location is high risk to use.  The various IP to city 
databases from the major ISPs and Telcos in the U.S. is at sometimes a 
total work of fiction.  Some of the services are getting updates from 
unknown sources to supplement them.

My work devices go through a VPN that shows up with multiple world wide 
external IP addresses that are unrelated to my home address.

The IP address on my wireless phone seems to change to a different 
city/state every time I change cell towers, so I am continually getting 
alerts from google that they need verification of my new location before 
they will allow access.

My home ISP has a major network presence in Iowa.  Periodically I see 
that web pages assume I am also there.

And I have seen other weird stories about how geo-location that just 
sniffed WIFI addresses came up with very strange results.

Regards,
-John