I am not tech savvy at all.
I’m looking at my sdmb profile preferences for my account and I noticed that under the header Recently used Devices were a couple of unfamiliar locations listed that apparently accessed my phone. Akron Oh and Linden Mi?
Has my IPhone phone been hacked? Or just my sdmb account hacked? I removed the suspicious ones from the list
Who what where why did this happen? Should I use two factor authentication to sign in here? Anybody using it?
Just ignore it.
The location data is completely inaccurate.
Thanks I thought so.
But when I started getting spammy red box warnings when visiting the Daily Mail, ( i get a kick from the sensationalism and celebrity gossip) it kind of worried me that indeed my phone was targeted.
Been hacked before on my laptop, so a bit wary.
Seems very unlikely.
What phone are you using?
Iphone 12. My Apple ID remains linked to my old iPhone 6 which I only use as a backup around the house when the 12 is charging.
The likelihood of an iPhone 12 being “hacked” is basically zero.
I’d think using a VPN would also create a variety of location data.
I am guessing that some who is “not tech savvy at all” would not be using a VPN from an iPhone.
I haven’t downloaded a vpn app, I do use private browsing on occasion is that similar?
No.
That just clears your history and cookies after you are finished your session.
Good to know, why use a VPN? I never use free wifi, and I don’t live abroad.
Mostly, paranoia.
Or, to obscure your browsing activities if you are visiting sites that you shouldn’t be.
Are you talking about SDMB profiles? Because mine are totally accurate.
Eh, I’m not tech savvy, and my employer required VPN.
Rn mine says Akron OH ( again) I’m in Grand Rapids mi
In general there is nothing about the internet that tells anyone where an IP address physically is.
But there are services available that guess. Which can end up with comical things like you sign on to wi-fi at a Starbucks in Texas that uses an ISP whose HQ is in Chicago and now your history shows you were in Chicago.
For awhile in the early days of this location awareness silliness there was a prominent service in this space that defaulted to the geographical center of the USA whenever it had no better idea where the IP address might be.
Which was in Kansas near a farm belonging to a little old lady. Who kept getting served warrants and such, and being harassed in general by agencies and companies and people who believed the location data was 100% reliable and so her farm must have been the source of the spam, or DOS attack, or whatever.
IIRC the industry finally figured out what was going on. That supplier moved their “I have no clue” default position a few miles to the center of a large lake. It probably didn’t stop clueless agencies & people from trying to blame the lake, but it did make the old lady much happier. 
When I use Panera’s on-line ordering, it always picks my last-used restaurant to start my order, shows it on a map, and then says:
Phoenix - E Cactus Rd
Cafe# 601913
Info · 906.5mi · 4512 E Cactus Rd, Phoenix AZ
In-Cafe Pick-Up Only
Right, I’ll pick up my sandwich in two days.
Do you access the Dope from outside your home? That could be a difference because no matter what device I use it’s used from home.
Well, this is why i usually use a VPN, because my employer requires it.
When i get notified that some account has been accessed from “the USA” i ignore it, because that happens a lot, and it just means i was someplace where Google couldn’t guess the location. I take more notice if the ip address puts me in a specific place i wasn’t.