Used a VPN to my home while in Mexico. Returned a week ago and all my devices (including those that have never been in Mexico) now show they're in Mexico. Google's IP correction form says it can take a month to fix.

all 38 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 56 points 5 months ago (9 children)

Why does the browser go through all the trouble of sending out your language when Google is going to ignore it anyways?

  • source
  • hideshow 9 child comments
  • [–] [S] 26 points 5 months ago (4 children)

    I believe Google specifically does this to discourage VPN use. It screws up their primary reason for existing: advertising revenue.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 7 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    So this is just Google punishing you?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] [S] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

    Do you believe a multinational company's business polices are targeting you specifically each time you have a problem?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 6 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Not always, but sounds like in this case it seems plausible

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] [S] 3 points 5 months ago

    Others report the same issue including someone commenting in this posting. From what I can tell Google is targeting private VPN servers on residential IPs.

    I've used a different private VPN running on a commercial cloud server when traveling internationally. Google has never fucked with the location of that IP.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 11 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    I don't understand why a lot of websites go long ways into getting country from IP and then language from country instead of using directly the language reported by browser.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago

    A lot of Japanese websites I visit are the opposite. They look at my browser's language setting and display everything in "English" even though I'm clearly accessing from Japan.

    The problem is, their "English" sites are often machine-translated messes that I have to manually select the language. Even more annoying is when that language setting gets reset every time I click on a link.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    As much as I hate it, I'm 90% sure that they did some analysis (probably 10 years ago now) and found that there are enough people that don't properly configure their computer that IP location is actually a better indicator than the Accept-Language header.

    ...which of course perpetuates the problem.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 21 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    i wouldn't "help" them by submitting a correction. they're the ones that assumed wrong, they can sort it out.

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] [S] 14 points 5 months ago* (2 children)

    My neighbors (on the same Spectrum subnet) aren't seeing this so it only affects my IP address. Google doesn't give a crap about single user problems, in fact I think they're doing this to discourage VPN use.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    if you've cleared your browser histories (cookies, mainly) and it persists and bothers you, you can try to force a new ip from their dhcp. process would vary depending on what gear you have. at home, i use my own and only need to give the router a different wan mac and reboot the modem. with their gear, might need to just unplug the stuff overnight or something as i dont think you can get at the settings--hell, you need their stupid app to change the wifi password.

    but like i said, i'd just let them deal with it. it probably only affects their own determination of your location. if it does spread elsewhere because they're 'sharing' that data with others--just roll with it. i actually love it when we hop on a weather site or something and they're way off, like michigan or missouri.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 11 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    You sure deleting your cookies wouldn't fix it?

    Very possible it wouldn't, but it'd be the first thing I'd try.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] [S] 10 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 child)

    This happens on devices that have never been in Mexico. On those I took with me I've deleted cookies, cache, and used different browsers. Even allowing location on our phones and PCs and then updating the Google location on their website is only a temporary fix and as soon as cookies are cleared everything's back in Mexico.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 10 points 5 months ago* (1 child)

    I've experienced the same a couple weeks ago. Which is weird,because the Netherlands (where I live) hasn't been Spanish territory in almost 500 years.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 10 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Hey see if netflix thinks you’re in mexico. Subscriptions services are sometimes cheaper if you sign up in other countries

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    This happened to me and it was insanely annoying because so much content is 'blocked in your country'.

    The fix is easy though, just logout of netflix from all devices and log back in.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    I somehow got the best of both worlds and was able to sign up with Mexico netflix pricing but then when I was in the states it switched to U.S. content. I don’t know how to recreate this though.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago

    It's dependent on your IP Address. So, if you login to Netflix with a device that registers a public IP in the EEUU, you get US content until that login on that device times out and requires you to login again.

    So, take your laptop to the states and logon to netflix, it'll stay EEUU bound for as long as that session is allowed, regardless of whether you return to MX again.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 9 points 5 months ago (3 children)
  • [–] [S] 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    It's already my primary search engine, but unfortunately it's not a full Google replacement.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 3 months ago (1 child)

    StartPage is a wrapper on Google and it respects privacy

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] [S] 1 point 3 months ago

    I use Startpage but haven't found a replacement for Google Maps that functions nearly as well. Once Google decides my residential IP is in another country the Maps interface language changes. Google also sells IP geolocation info some companies use and those website often behave the same way.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    Try removing any yellow filters from your screen

  • source
  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Orale compa! Welcome to the old changarro! My huarache es su huarache!

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago*

    Bwahahaha, remember when their company motto was "Don't be evil?" Pepperidge Farm remembers!

    Half the time my IP is messed up anyway, because whenever I use the Safari browser, it goes random places. Which I always forget when doing speed tests and then freak out because I think the speed is off (but it's really Apple's MITM network that is maxing out under a gigabit).

  • source
  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago

    It’s a message. “I know where you’ve been, you’re not slick. Now repent.”

  • source
  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Vibes based whois DB lookup

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 0 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Do you sign in? Google uses all sorts of data to determine your location.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] [S] 1 point 5 months ago

    I don't sign in unless there's some reason to. In this case Google is using cell towers to determine my phone's location while in Mexico (and on my VPN) and then applying that location to everything on my Spectrum IP.

    Interestingly Google has never done this when I'm using a VPN on a cloud server instead of my home server.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] -4 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Get a VPN. What year is it, dude?

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment