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I'm currently in China, and accessing the Internet via a VPN in the USA. When I access Google maps or other location-based web services, they all show my location as that of the VPN server. However, when I accessed a web site - http://www.ikea.com - the site redirected me to the local China site.

I've installed NoScript, Ghostery, set enable.geolocation=false, cleared all history and cookies, and verified that all traffic is sent via the VPN gateway, but despite all this, I'm always routed to the local site.

How is this being done??

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  • What language is your browser in? Some websites check the browser language to send you to the appropriate website, maybe Ikea uses this method too.
    – Stan
    Commented Jun 3, 2013 at 10:37
  • My browser (Firefox) shows 2 languages: en-US and en.
    – Paul484
    Commented Jun 3, 2013 at 11:00
  • Try installing FireBug and inspecting the traffic between you and e.g. ikea.com . Even better if you can sniff the traffic from the browser to anywhere (e.g. the Google servers). I don't believe in magic, so there must be something that is either spontaneously sent, or queried of your browser, and that something has to travel through your connection.
    – LSerni
    Commented Jun 3, 2013 at 11:16
  • @Adnan Since Google Maps is showing the VPN endpoint, it's a different mechanism at play.
    – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'
    Commented Jun 3, 2013 at 11:43

1 Answer 1

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Something isn't adding up here. I've tried so many combinations and I wasn't able to reproduce your situation. This leads me to believe that your VPN provider is leaking your original IP address.

1. I opened ikea.com using a clean browser (fresh portable Firefox). It took me to to the default locale selection page.

enter image description here

2. Using another clean browser, I opened ikea.com using a Chinese proxy, I was redirected to ikea.com/cn/en

enter image description here

3. Using the same browser from step #2 (to ensure that any detection cookies or configurations are preserved) I went to ikea.com using my normal connection. I was taken to the default locale selection page.

4. Again, I used another Chinese proxy and I was redirected to ikea.com/cn/en.

5. Finally, I tried a U.S. proxy, and I was taken to the same locale selection page.

You're either falsifying or withholding some information, or your VPN provider is somehow revealing your IP.

In all cases I used the same browser language configurations you're using

My browser (Firefox) shows 2 languages: en-US and en.

enter image description here

Update:

I've just performed another test. Using my normal connection, I've disabled JavaScript to make sure that there's no JavaScript hocus pocus going on. Then I modified the HTTP Accept-Language header to zh-CN,zh. I was still taken to the locale selection page.

It's safe to assume that IKEA website is pretty dumb and it's only using the IP address to determine the locale.

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