Deconstructing Code

Quova upgrade pins down AOL users

Quova upgrade pins down AOL users
Quova on Wednesday announced an upgrade to its Internet-mapping technology that includes long hidden data on America Online subscribers. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company is releasing GeoPoint 4.0, software that identifies the geographic location of Web site visitors down to the country, state and city level. The technology maps IP (Internet Protocol) addresses--which are used to route signals over the Web to an individual's computer--with new depth, according to the company.

Posted by rshah on February 13, 2002| Comments (0)

Rise of Internet 'Borders' Prompts Fears for Web's Future

Rise of Internet 'Borders' Prompts Fears for Web's Future
It is the modern-day equivalent of a border sentry. When visitors try to enter UKBetting.com, a computer program checks their identification to determine where they're dialing in from. Most people are waved on through. Those from the United States, China, Italy and other countries where gambling laws are muddy, however, are flashed a sign in red letters that says "ACCESS DENIED" and are locked out of the Web site.

Posted by rshah on January 07, 2002| Comments (0)

Brace Yourself for the Segmented Internet

Brace Yourself for the Segmented Internet
People in many countries decry the lack of local Internet content in local languages. Segmentation would not automatically lead to the creation of such content, but combined with differences in speed or pricing, it might encourage people to patronize sites in their own country.

Posted by rshah on December 31, 2001| Comments (0)

The Internet's new borders

The Internet's new borders
Geographical lines and locations are increasingly being imposed on the Internet. Is this good or bad?

Posted by rshah on August 10, 2001| Comments (0)

Yahoo ads close in on visitors' locale

Yahoo ads close in on visitors' locale
Yahoo plans to incorporate Akamai's geographic targeting technology, called EdgeScape, to pinpoint a person's location by city, state and country. This type of mapping allows Yahoo to serve ads or other information that may be more targeted to the visitor. The deal expands a two-year relationship between Akamai and Yahoo, which relies on the delivery service's technology to enhance Web site performance.

Posted by rshah on June 28, 2001| Comments (0)

High Stakes in the Race to Invent a Bettor-Blocker

High Stakes in the Race to Invent a Bettor-Blocker
To get a license, a casino must first prove it can detect whether bettors are of gambling age and are playing where online gambling is legal. Depending on whom you ask, the technology is only months away or is such a tall order that it will not soon be foolproof. But casinos, anticipating the law, have already begun scrambling to find such technology.

Posted by rshah on June 28, 2001| Comments (0)

Ethics of net blocking according to region

Ethics of net blocking according to region
Given that the company that I am working for (which will remain nameless) has dozens of portscan attempts from foreign countries, what are the ethical ramifications of blocking whole netblocks, the users of which could not do business with the site in question anyways? on Kuro5hin

Posted by rshah on April 27, 2001| Comments (0)

Zoning the Web: Building fences, one by one

Zoning the Web: Building fences, one by one
Today, however, the development of highly sophisticated filtering and tracking software is making such limitations possible for the first time. As a result, the new technologies are resurrecting a volatile issue long thought dead: the idea that the Internet can be regulated by geographic boundaries within the United States and from country to country.

Posted by rshah on April 19, 2001| Comments (0)

GEOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION ONLINE FINDS MORE SUPPORT

GEOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION ONLINE FINDS MORE SUPPORT
The WSJ runs a story on Digital Envoy, another in a series of companies offering geographic identification online. The technology allows Web sites to target their message to specific offline geographic locations.

Posted by rshah on April 12, 2001| Comments (0)

Borders Returning to the Internet

Borders Returning to the Internet
Online advertising companies, too, are increasingly desperate to use geographic targeting tools to reinforce their clients' faith in Internet marketing. In short, for a growing number of companies, this will be the year when the borderless Internet economy becomes an outmoded concept.

Posted by rshah on April 02, 2001| Comments (0)

Jurisdiction & the Internet

Jurisdiction & the Internet
Suddenly, the seemingly borderless Internet is ramming up against real borders. The imposition of jurisdictional laws could mean that online publishers decide either to keep some material off the Internet entirely, for fear of criminal and civil charges filed in different countries or even different states, or to install online gates and checkpoints around their sites, giving access to only certain viewers, see also Slashdot