PSOT: Query with Dezor

Post by Woody
I am in the process of trying out the Dezor surfing software.
I have set the home page to bbc.co.uk/news which comes up when I open
the client but after a few seconds it switches to bbc.com/news which is
the international version.
Anyone any ideas (1) why this is happening and (2) how to stop it happening?

1 The BBC thinks the IP address you are coming from is not from the UK.

2 Unless you can get a UK IP address you cant stop it.

This happens when I go to France for holidays and use French WiFi

Graham J

2024-03-06 09:03:12 UTC

Post by Woody
I am in the process of trying out the Dezor surfing software.
I have set the home page to bbc.co.uk/news which comes up when I open
the client but after a few seconds it switches to bbc.com/news which
is the international version.
Anyone any ideas (1) why this is happening and (2) how to stop it happening?

1 The BBC thinks the IP address you are coming from is not from the UK.
2 Unless you can get a UK IP address you cant stop it.
This happens when I go to France for holidays and use French WiFi

A few seconds googling reveals that Dezor has a "built-in VPN"

If the endpoint of the VPN is outside the UK then this explains (1) above.

(2) is achieved by not using Dezor.

--
Graham J

Woody

2024-03-06 10:51:20 UTC

Post by Graham J

Post by Woody
I am in the process of trying out the Dezor surfing software.
I have set the home page to bbc.co.uk/news which comes up when I open
the client but after a few seconds it switches to bbc.com/news which
is the international version.
Anyone any ideas (1) why this is happening and (2) how to stop it happening?

1 The BBC thinks the IP address you are coming from is not from the UK.
2 Unless you can get a UK IP address you cant stop it.
This happens when I go to France for holidays and use French WiFi

A few seconds googling reveals that Dezor has a "built-in VPN"
If the endpoint of the VPN is outside the UK then this explains (1) above.
(2) is achieved by not using Dezor.

I think you are right for (2).
As such there is no way to turn the VPN off, in fact the available
settings are very limited.
Methinks I will ask them about it, and then delete it if and when they
reply.

Andy Burns

2024-03-06 11:04:45 UTC

Post by Woody
As such there is no way to turn the VPN off, in fact the available
settings are very limited. Methinks I will ask them about it, and
then delete it if and when they reply.

With such little info about the product on their website, I'm amazed
they expect anyone to try using it ...

Woody

2024-03-06 10:49:35 UTC

Post by Woody
I am in the process of trying out the Dezor surfing software.
I have set the home page to bbc.co.uk/news which comes up when I open
the client but after a few seconds it switches to bbc.com/news which
is the international version.
Anyone any ideas (1) why this is happening and (2) how to stop it happening?

1 The BBC thinks the IP address you are coming from is not from the UK.
2 Unless you can get a UK IP address you cant stop it.
This happens when I go to France for holidays and use French WiFi

I have a UK address - I'm on VM in the UK, but it still does it!

Andy Burns

2024-03-06 11:00:46 UTC

Post by Woody
I have a UK address - I'm on VM in the UK, but it still does it!

But Dezor includes VPN functionality, so it makes you look like you're
*not* in the UK.

grinch

2024-03-06 15:57:44 UTC

Post by Woody

Post by Woody
I am in the process of trying out the Dezor surfing software.
I have set the home page to bbc.co.uk/news which comes up when I open
the client but after a few seconds it switches to bbc.com/news which
is the international version.
Anyone any ideas (1) why this is happening and (2) how to stop it happening?

1 The BBC thinks the IP address you are coming from is not from the UK.
2 Unless you can get a UK IP address you cant stop it.
This happens when I go to France for holidays and use French WiFi

I have a UK address - I'm on VM in the UK, but it still does it!

Just because you are that does not mean where VM connects to the
internet is .

Try looking up the public address you get and see which RIR it is
registered with it should be RIPE for Europe and not ARIN which is the us.

Woody

2024-03-06 17:08:45 UTC

Post by Woody
I am in the process of trying out the Dezor surfing software.
I have set the home page to bbc.co.uk/news which comes up when I
open the client but after a few seconds it switches to bbc.com/news
which is the international version.
Anyone any ideas (1) why this is happening and (2) how to stop it happening?

1 The BBC thinks the IP address you are coming from is not from the UK.
2 Unless you can get a UK IP address you cant stop it.
This happens when I go to France for holidays and use French WiFi

I have a UK address - I'm on VM in the UK, but it still does it!

Just because you are that does not mean where VM connects to the
internet is .
Try looking up the public address you get and see which RIR it is
registered with it should be RIPE for Europe and not ARIN which is the us.

My local node (router) connects as far as I know to the network at
Wythenshawe in Manchester. I once did some microwave link tests there
for them.
Their fallback access for most nodes is in Luton.

I am puzzled when contributors think I am outside the UK? Virginmedia
AFAIK is wholly a UK operation in terms of their main network.

The attitude from Dezor is to tell me to turn the VPN off - which they
show as MVP in the settings. The only other option is 'Native' so I set
that but as soon as I try it again it reverts to the MVP setting.

So I have now solved the problem - I have uninstalled it!

Tnx for all contributions.

Java Jive

2024-03-06 18:16:59 UTC

Post by Woody
My local node (router) connects as far as I know to the network at
Wythenshawe in Manchester. I once did some microwave link tests there
for them.
Their fallback access for most nodes is in Luton.
I am puzzled when contributors think I am outside the UK? Virginmedia
AFAIK is wholly a UK operation in terms of their main network.

I think you must be misunderstanding how VPN works, but, as you've
uninstalled it anyway, I'm not going to try and explain it myself, but
you may care to read an explanation online, such as this:

https://www.fortinet.com/uk/resources/cyberglossary/how-does-vpn-work

"A VPN masks a user’s true location to the one they set their VPN to.
This enables them to access content or websites typically restricted to
that region. For example, a user in the U.S. can set their location to
the United Kingdom and watch content from streaming websites aimed at
British audiences. A U.S. citizen can also continue streaming their
favorite shows even when they are away from the country on holiday."

So the BBC thinks you are abroad because your VPN tunnel is 'surfacing'
into the normal web somewhere abroad.

--
Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website:
www.macfh.co.uk

Theo

2024-03-06 18:28:59 UTC

I think you must be misunderstanding how VPN works, but, as you've
uninstalled it anyway, I'm not going to try and explain it myself, but

'grinch' was suggesting that Woody's Virgin IP might be geolocated somewhere
that isn't the UK. As Woody says above that seems unlikely, especially
since Virgin has a substantial network in the UK (unlike say Starlink, which
might be terminated in the wrong country). It can also happen if an ISP
buys a block of IPs from a company in some other country and a geolocation
database hasn't caught up, but that's fairly rare.

But the problem Woody had is much more likely to be to do with the fact that
the 'surfing' software implemented a VPN and the exit node of the VPN was
abroad. Turning off the VPN would have been a solution to that.

Theo

Java Jive

2024-03-06 20:34:25 UTC

Post by Theo

I think you must be misunderstanding how VPN works, but, as you've
uninstalled it anyway, I'm not going to try and explain it myself, but

https://www.virgin.com/virgin-companies

Post by Theo
But the problem Woody had is much more likely to be to do with the fact that
the 'surfing' software implemented a VPN and the exit node of the VPN was
abroad. Turning off the VPN would have been a solution to that.

Which was exactly what I was suggesting, but you snipped!

--
Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website:
www.macfh.co.uk

Theo

2024-03-07 09:23:05 UTC

I think you must be misunderstanding how VPN works, but, as you've
uninstalled it anyway, I'm not going to try and explain it myself, but

https://www.virgin.com/virgin-companies

"Virgin" is just a brand name rented out by companies these days. Virgin
Media O2 is a joint venture between Liberty Global (owners of Virgin Media
nee NTL Telewest nee ...) and Telefonica (owners of O2). That doesn't mean
VM customers randomly geolocate to the US (HQ of Liberty Global) or Spain
(HQ of Telefonica), or indeed the British Virgin Islands (seat of Mr
Branson, who has nothing to do with the running of VMO2).

Which was exactly what I was suggesting, but you snipped!

I snipped it because everyone aside from 'grinch' is agreeing on the likely
cause, and suggesting the errant geolocation idea was a red herring.

Theo

Java Jive

2024-03-07 09:53:19 UTC

I think you must be misunderstanding how VPN works, but, as you've
uninstalled it anyway, I'm not going to try and explain it myself, but

https://www.virgin.com/virgin-companies

Sure, but that doesn't alter the fact that a VPN endpoint could be
abroad but still within a Virgin labelled network, whereas you seemed to
be implying that because it was called Virgin, it had to be British.

Post by Theo

Which was exactly what I was suggesting, but you snipped!

I snipped it because everyone aside from 'grinch' is agreeing on the likely
cause, and suggesting the errant geolocation idea was a red herring.

If you agreed with that part, it would have been less confusing to leave
it in situ unreplied to, or else to snip it all, not snip the part where
I said something that you agreed to, but restate it yourself, thus
making it look as though you were trying to correct me.

--
Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website:
www.macfh.co.uk

grinch

2024-03-09 20:10:50 UTC

Post by Theo
I snipped it because everyone aside from 'grinch' is agreeing on the likely
cause, and suggesting the errant geolocation idea was a red herring.
Theo

Which is why I suggested you prove it to rule it out

Its a trivially simple thing to do find the public IP you are
coming from and see who it belongs to.(Whois)

If the RIR is ARIN its likely to be American and if its RIPE it European.

If someone can post the IP address range it can see who is advertising
it to the internet.

RayG

2024-03-06 15:41:59 UTC