# ? regarding pop up ads that know your location **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-pop-up-ads-that-know-your-location/330577 "2005-11-11T15:25:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Capa84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8edcca/32.png) [@Capa84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capa84)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-pop-up-ads-that-know-your-location/330577/1 "2005-11-11T15:25:29Z")
I know this was discussed a few months ago, but I never printed or saved the thread. My gf keeps using my computer, and whenever one of those adultfriendfinder pop up ads pops up, with your location, she flips out and accuses me looking for girls. How do those (and other similar) pop ups work? FWIW, I can show her the browser history, and the website is nowhere, but if she sees the popup, all hell breaks loose. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-pop-up-ads-that-know-your-location/330577/2 "2005-11-11T15:43:03Z")
They can figure out where you are (roughly) by your IP address. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-pop-up-ads-that-know-your-location/330577/3 "2005-11-11T15:55:38Z")
Yeah, by knowing your IP address, you can (sometimes) get an awful lot of info about where someone is, their ISP, etc… To reduce thisd problem ,you could use a different browser (that is, if you are actually still using IE.) Firefox has better built in pop-up control, and there are a couple extensions you can download for it to improve that even more, and block non pop-up ads as well. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-pop-up-ads-that-know-your-location/330577/4 "2005-11-11T16:19:15Z")
I love those things, because of the fact that my IP block has changed hands a few times with all of the crap surrounding Adelphia’s mergers and bankruptcy, so it’s funny as hell to see just how far away from my current location Adult Friend Finder thinks I am. Depending on the day, it’s generally either New Castle, PA or Atlanta, GA. Sometimes it’s St. Louis, MO. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-pop-up-ads-that-know-your-location/330577/5 "2005-11-11T16:33:03Z")
> [@Capa84](#): > > I know this was discussed a few months ago, but I never printed or saved the thread. My gf keeps using my computer, and whenever one of those adultfriendfinder pop up ads pops up, with your location, she flips out and accuses me looking for girls. > > How do those (and other similar) pop ups work? > > FWIW, I can show her the browser history, and the website is nowhere, but if she sees the popup, all hell breaks loose. The pop ups in many respects are no different than a TV commercial, its sent by the website you are visting NOW not by where you were and you have no control over the conent of such an ad… IIRC personal ads are the #1 business on the net now and advertising for them is VERY common ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-pop-up-ads-that-know-your-location/330577/6 "2005-11-11T16:39:58Z")
You could try showing her [this](http://www.geobytes.com/IpLocator.htm) site, which shows you the information your IP address provides about your “location”. Companies like Akamai sell this sort of service wholesale, and that’s how the ads work. This is also how things like iTunes can detect which country you’re in, and prevent you buying from the “wrong” store accordingly. Or, for fun, you could try broaching the subject of threesomes. Depends how masochistic you’re feeling, I guess. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-pop-up-ads-that-know-your-location/330577/7 "2005-11-11T17:49:18Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > just how far away from my current location Adult Friend Finder thinks I am. > > Depending on the day, it’s generally either New Castle, PA or Atlanta, GA. Sometimes it’s St. Louis, MO. My IP often comes up in Virginia, which is probably where the company that owns one of the backbones my ISP uses is located. Occasionally, they’ll at least get the city right for where my ISP is located, but they never get my actual city. It’s all pretty pointless as my ISP serves the whole state of California, but every one of their customers will erroneously resolve to Santa Rosa, CA. (except of course, their customers that are actually in Santa Rosa, which is a fairly small city. Resolving to VA is totally wrong.