how to fix incorrect GeoIP data?

Fri May 1 21:39:17 UTC 2009

I wouldn't mind create LOC records for our IP address ranges, but doesn't
make much sense if the "GeoIP people" don't look at it or care.  Hence the
need for someone who is relevant to them to open the dialog.

I've never received a negative comment when submitting a correction request
to "GeoIP people".  Of course, they don't make it really easy to do so and
it seems that half the time it needs to be done via back-channels.  

Of course the "GeoIP people" are going to vet the submissions, but if
existing entry is Spain or Germany and the traceroute shows that the
previous hop was somewhere in the US midwest, I think they can figure it
out. =)  I'm sure they have mechanisms to track changes and new allocations,
but some things will slip through the cracks or in the case of use sales
data, be delayed.

The process that I'm suggesting is for corrective action, not to be the
basis for the "GeoIP people" to build their database.  That's why I'm
suggesting a comprehensive form that gets sent to all the "GeoIP people".
It's a way they can receive requests in a systematic way that can help them
improve the accuracy of their database.  

Frank

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Beckman [mailto:beckman at angryox.com] 
Sent: Friday, May 01, 2009 4:23 PM
To: Mikael Abrahamsson
Cc: nanog at nanog.org
Subject: Re: how to fix incorrect GeoIP data?

On Fri, 1 May 2009, Mikael Abrahamsson wrote:

> On Fri, 1 May 2009, William F. Maton Sotomayor wrote:
>
>> LOC records too. :-)
>> 
>> dig @prisoner.iana.org hostname.as112.net any
>
> Have this seen any widespread use? I mean, there needs to be tens of
percent 
> of users having these before they'll get used by the GeoIP people.

  People who are evil (or people seeking privacy) will intentionally put bad
  data, thus ruining the whole thing.

  I don't think self-reporting is the answer.

  You MIGHT be able to determine location based on a traceroute, though
  anycast would surely derail such attempts.  I suspect most people rely on
  3rd party GeoIP databases, and that those companies aren't interested in
  hearing from you about your location change, mostly because they are
  worried that if they do, the evildoers will overrun them with bad
  requests, or bait and switch, making their data less accurate than it is
  now without your block being correct.

  Which I can understand.

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Peter Beckman                                                  Internet Guy
beckman at angryox.com                                 http://www.angryox.com/
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