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Learn about IP geofeeds standardized in RFC 8805 through this 33-minute conference talk that examines their accuracy, trustworthiness, and potential for abuse. Discover how network operators self-publish geolocation data for their IP prefixes and understand the growth from approximately 400 feeds in 2020 to over 3,300 in 2025. Explore how major geolocation providers like MaxMind and IPinfo consume geofeed data while examining fundamental questions about accuracy and trust in self-published geographic information. Analyze geofeed accuracy through two research approaches: active RTT measurements from a global probe network spanning 1,100 probes across 143 countries, and ground-truth validation using GPS-equipped mobile devices. Examine findings showing 92% country-level consistency for active measurements (96.6% IPv4, 79.6% IPv6) and 84.5% for mobile networks, while understanding why city-level accuracy drops significantly to 79.6% for active measurements and only 29.9% for mobile networks. Investigate the gap between infrastructure location and actual user location, with top mismatches coming from CDNs, tier-1 networks, VPNs, cellular providers, and IP leasing services. Address the emerging problem of adversarial geofeeds through real-world examples, including feeds mapping approximately 101,000 IPv6 prefixes to 249 countries and 80,000 cities, plus online guides instructing users to manipulate geolocation databases. Consider potential improvements to the geofeed ecosystem, including format updates with validity periods and standardized location identifiers, validation mechanisms, and hosting options to enhance accuracy and coverage while mitigating abuse.
