this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2023
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Privacy

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How does Amazon/Audible know my country with VPN and private browsing on? (aussie.zone)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by supercheesecake@aussie.zone to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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Title.

Trying to buy an audiobook with my US account from Australia. Am using a VPN and a fresh log in using a private browsing window. Still getting the “not for sale in this country…”

How does Amazon/Audible still know my country?!

EDIT: Thank you everyone for your suggestions, but I feel like we’re no closer to figuring out how Amazon is detecting my physical country. If they have some new “trick” surely this is a privacy issue as well?!

EDIT 2: Important details, this is on my iPhone using both the Amazon and Audible apps, and via the web with Safari (mentioned below). Doesn’t work.

I gave up and went to my desktop and was able to complete the purchase following the same steps without issue. So 🤷‍♂️ ?!

Clearly Amazon is scraping some information from the phone to region lock the purchase. Still would love to know given VPN isn’t masking my location apparently.

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[–] Onihikage 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

iOS up to at least version 16 has leaked VPN traffic for years. If you only turned on the VPN to make the purchase, that might be how Amazon still knew where you were. The only workaround (always-on VPN mode) apparently is an enterprise feature in iOS that most users don't have access to.

Alternatively, since it worked on a desktop, your VPN's mobile version or iOS support may be flawed. The ones I hear the most about from privacy advocates are Mullvad VPN, IVPN, and Proton VPN. If it's a free VPN, well, you get what you pay for. If it's one of the ones I mentioned, they might be interested to work with you to figure out how Amazon was bypassing them, if the issue can still be replicated, or they might already know.

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Cheers, thanks for the very helpful info.

We paid for Nord quite a while ago with some special deal. I haven’t heard great things about them since though so might be time to ditch and pay for something better. I’ve heard Proton is good as well.

[–] tm404@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Full disclosure, I don't use Nord so I am not an authority. The following is just what I have been told. Take from it what you will, and research what you like. I believe Nord has a somewhat checkered history, including a security mishap that caused privacy concerns amongst users, making it harder than necessary to delete your account, and even charging for renewal after canceling the sub because they kept the card on file (happened to a mate from work). They opted to leave Nord a while back when their split tunneling broke or something like that. I also heard Nord was purchased by a company (name escapes me atm) that was buying up other VPN services and also had their hands in selling targeted ads. 🤷

Proton or Mullvad are typically my 2 recommendations. If you also have a desire for an entire ecosystem, Proton will provide that as well for marginally more than the price of just their VPN (mail, cloud storage, calendar, password manager, email aliasing). I have also had nothing but good experiences with Mullvad VPN and they come at a consistent price of $5/mo.

Helped my coworker (mentioned above) make the leap from Nord to Mullvad and they seem very pleased with it. Easy to use and very affordable. Mullvad also has a very functional Linux client if interested. Proton's Linux GUI is very lackluster, but their CLI is reliable if I remember correctly.

Hope this helps! 🍻

Edits: spelling and links.

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 2 points 1 year ago

Yes! Much appreciated!

[–] StalksEveryone@lemmy.villa-straylight.social 2 points 1 year ago

VPNs don’t guarantee anonymity. There’s no reason they cannot sell your data. Last I heard there isn’t any contractual obligation. Organizations like nord and surfshark are fully capable of saving your data, as well as selling it off to the highest bidder, if they choose to do so. Only services like Mullvad can guarantee anonymity because even they don’t know what you’re doing with their service.

[–] arthur@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

By "fresh login" do you mean "new account"?

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Open private browsing window, make sure I’m fully logged out of Amazon. Then log in.

Ie wasn’t previously logged in before the VPN started or private window was opened.

[–] StalksEveryone@lemmy.villa-straylight.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

so its your original account? the same one you started with before getting the vpn

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I have a US Amazon account linked to a US home address and credit card. But I now live in Oz.

Audible uses your Amazon account. And regardless, I’m using an Audible credit for this purchase, so no actual payment anyway.

EDIT: and just to clarify, this is my US Amazon account I’ve had for years

[–] maxprime@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do you have a credit card on your account?

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

US credit card but am using an audible credit

[–] nieceandtows@programming.dev 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They use your payment method to determine which country you are from

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah my payment method is US credit card. But Audible members get a credit (book) each month to buy a book with in addition to use physical money.

Everything for that account is US.

[–] the_d0c_is_in@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Your vpn provider is only working with ipv4. Your phone has both ipv4 as well as ipv6 addresses. That's how....

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do any VPN providers cover this?

[–] the_d0c_is_in@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

On phones? Maybe proton with their app? Its easier, though, to just disable ipv6 on your phone.

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 1 points 1 year ago

I see. Thanks.

[–] Loki@lemmy.beyondcombustion.net 4 points 1 year ago

Probably DNS?

[–] mishamouse@artemis.camp 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

i didn’t see if anyone else asked already; was your phone connected to the internet via wifi? or cell data?

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes it was. It needed to be connected somehow to make the purchase.

[–] mishamouse@artemis.camp 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

which one though? i was wondering, if you are connected to a cell tower, if that tower still reported the region or carrier network.

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 1 points 1 year ago

Aah I see. Both. Didn’t think to disconnect from either and try separately.

I’ve already got the book now. But will remember this if I have the problem again in the future. Thanks.

[–] Mikelius 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you have geolocation enabled or don't block location requests, that could be another way. VPN can't protect you from geolocation.

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 2 points 1 year ago

Thanks. Still happened with location services disabled phone-wide.

[–] Kissaki@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

To verify assumptions, are you sure it's available in your impersonated country? "in your country" isn't specific and can apply to both.

with my US account

Isn't that the reason they deny?

Did you not change your accounts and browser sessions country?

[–] supercheesecake@aussie.zone 2 points 1 year ago

It’s the version that comes up from a search for that book when using the USA Amazon or Audible site from my USA account plus with a USA VPN on. So I’m assuming the search results are for USA available titles.

As far as I know, Amazon should see me as being in the USA. Hence why I’m confused.

Appreciate the suggestions though.