Maybe add an error message if ipapi.co isn't reachable.
uBlock blocked it on my end, and all I see is the "learn how it works" link, and above that is invisible text saying "Browser Timezone" and "IP Timezone".
Show HN: Simple JavaScript VPN detection using timezones
11–20 of 25 posts
Re: Show HN: Simple JavaScript VPN detection using timezones
#12It's a silly check, with a silly workaround: if a website uses this, you can just change the OS'es timezone, so the browser would report the same thing as GeoIP.
Re: Show HN: Simple JavaScript VPN detection using timezones
#13I think you need to look at the offset, rather than the timezone name. For example, if I fly to somewhere in e.g. the Central Europe timezone I don't always pick a city in the same country when setting the timezone; I just pick Paris or Berlin or whatever comes to mind first.
But then if you only look at the offset, you'll have even worse VPN detection since any VPN exit in the same timezone offset won't be detected. This is not really a good way to detect VPN.
Re: Show HN: Simple JavaScript VPN detection using timezones
#14false positive as well. this is not a good idea.
Re: Show HN: Simple JavaScript VPN detection using timezones
#15Yet another false positive: When privacy.resistFingerprinting is enabled in Firefox, UTC is reported, at least for me (and even when disabled, the timezones do not match despite both being correct: CET vs. Europe/Berlin). So it seems like a cool idea, but not very practicable.
Re: Show HN: Simple JavaScript VPN detection using timezones
#16False positive.
I’m in London but I’m using my Portuguese number for 4G roaming.
Re: Show HN: Simple JavaScript VPN detection using timezones
#17Thanks for all the feedback! It was just a fun idea I had before going to bed and it's definitely not fleshed out.
I know that services like Netflix do VPN detection in much fancier ways and had noticed it when traveling abroad. There's no motivation for me to implement it in anything I do.
Thanks again and sorry for wasting your time!
Re: Show HN: Simple JavaScript VPN detection using timezones
#18It's a silly check, with a silly workaround: if a website uses this, you can just change the OS'es timezone, so the browser would report the same thing as GeoIP.
Yeah, it was just a fun idea. I even mention at the bottom of the GitHub page that you could just change your OS timezone. But given it was a small 15 minute hack, I'm not entirely surprised it doesn't work.
Re: Show HN: Simple JavaScript VPN detection using timezones
#19Same here (Tenerife Spain), false positive (fellow developer, please do not ban VPNs if you can't guarantee 0 false positive)
I promise, there's no intent to detect / ban VPN :) I just had some fun implementing this idea before going to bed.
Re: Show HN: Simple JavaScript VPN detection using timezones
#20It's a silly check, with a silly workaround: if a website uses this, you can just change the OS'es timezone, so the browser would report the same thing as GeoIP.
Yeah, it was just a fun idea. I even mention at the bottom of the GitHub page that you could just change your OS timezone. But given it was a small 15 minute hack, I'm not entirely surprised it doesn't work.
YES BUT DID YOU READ ABOUT THE FALSE POSITIVES? ;p