The Advanced VPN detection use of VPNs and proxies by fraudsters, data thieves, and other online bad actors puts a premium on accurate IP geolocation for businesses that depend on it. Whether they are building customer-facing applications or enhancing internal security systems, VPN detection helps them optimize their threat and fraud prevention by accurately identifying user connections that could be coming from a proxy or VPN.

When a user connects to the internet using a VPN, their device’s original IP address is replaced by the VPN server’s location. In turn, the data sent from their device is encrypted to make it nearly impossible for anyone but the VPN service to read or tamper with. When the data reaches the destination website or other content provider, it is decrypted and presented to the end user.

How Proxy and VPN Detection Protects Your Platform from Fraud

Streaming Services
Some streaming services have complex licensing agreements that restrict content availability based on geographic regions, and users often try to bypass restrictions by connecting through VPNs or proxies. Privacy detection APIs help these companies enforce their policies while maintaining compliance with their agreements and ensuring that the experience is fair for all users.

Using a variety of techniques, the API analyzes data packets to identify unique patterns that indicate VPN usage. These include looking for time zone discrepancies between the device’s system clock and the expected time of day for that IP location, as well as comparing data sizes and analyzing packet header information to identify characteristics associated with VPN behavior.