3 ms·

Looks great, but inaccurate geo blocks are pointless

by throwaway67743 5y ago

Oras 5y ago
Thank you. Do you recommend a service for better geo accuracy?
- throwaway67743 5y ago
  None really, relying on labelling IP space as originating from X country doesn't really work when adjacent IP addresses can be on the other side of the planet, it works for most domestic isps but that's about it, also consider expats who might want to be returning to the UK (like me) and are browsing from correctly flagged foreign IP space, better would be to just ask for confirmation of residence (or target residence) without actually checking. If ineligible persons apply then that isn't really your responsibility and easily gamed by vpns anyway.
  - Oras 5y ago
    I understand your frustration, but the way it works is I have partnerships with providers to aggregate the jobs. The quality of clicks are determined by some factors including the candidate’s location. Geo restrictions might not be the most accurate solution but it’s a starting point. I talked to many employers complaining that they state on their job ad they don’t accept application outside their country yet they still receive applications from other countries. Your point about confirmation is my long term plan, but I’m afraid it will take some time to see the light.
    - throwaway67743 5y ago
      I get it, the problem is there is no way to verify residence or citizenship in a non-privacy violating way, and yes I've been on the other side getting foreign applicants so I understand their frustration too, but I'm not sure what the solution is - either way you exclude potentially good candidates. The other side of that is, remote work is (and had been long before COVID) a thing, so accepting foreign applicants (at least those from countries with tax treaties) might not be a bad thing, if you can convince companies of that.
      - Oras 5y ago
        Accepting remote workers is not an easy one. I worked remotely before and I remember it was a challenge for the company as in the UK there was no legislation of a remote worker outside the UK. Full time has to be on payroll with national insurance, pension and other factors. So the only way is to consider the work as contracting instead of a permanent job. This was several years ago though, not sure if that has changed now.
        throwaway67743 5y ago
        Well this is it, it's just education - hiring remote workers has been covered by UK legislation for a couple of decades, if a taxation treaty is in place (which is practically everywhere) then either the employee is taxed at source (uk) or at consumption (their country) and HMRC will supply relief if the rate differs. I think it's mostly a lack of education from payroll departments. (I've been remote for well over a decade, btw)
    - throwaway67743 5y ago
      Alternatively, you could request that your customers do third party verification before accepting an application, doesn't solve the privacy issue but does side step the responsibility for you, but again this all comes down to contracts and commercials.
- throwaway67743 5y ago
  As an aside, my own ip space is flagged as no less than 4 countries depending on which IP in a single block is used, networks are global, so IP based geolocation is really quite useless.

Looks great, but inaccurate geo blocks are pointless

Oras 5y ago

Thank you. Do you recommend a service for better geo accuracy?

throwaway67743 5y ago
None really, relying on labelling IP space as originating from X country doesn't really work when adjacent IP addresses can be on the other side of the planet, it works for most domestic isps but that's about it, also consider expats who might want to be returning to the UK (like me) and are browsing from correctly flagged foreign IP space, better would be to just ask for confirmation of residence (or target residence) without actually checking. If ineligible persons apply then that isn't really your responsibility and easily gamed by vpns anyway.
- Oras 5y ago
  I understand your frustration, but the way it works is I have partnerships with providers to aggregate the jobs. The quality of clicks are determined by some factors including the candidate’s location. Geo restrictions might not be the most accurate solution but it’s a starting point. I talked to many employers complaining that they state on their job ad they don’t accept application outside their country yet they still receive applications from other countries. Your point about confirmation is my long term plan, but I’m afraid it will take some time to see the light.
  - throwaway67743 5y ago
    I get it, the problem is there is no way to verify residence or citizenship in a non-privacy violating way, and yes I've been on the other side getting foreign applicants so I understand their frustration too, but I'm not sure what the solution is - either way you exclude potentially good candidates. The other side of that is, remote work is (and had been long before COVID) a thing, so accepting foreign applicants (at least those from countries with tax treaties) might not be a bad thing, if you can convince companies of that.
    - Oras 5y ago
      Accepting remote workers is not an easy one. I worked remotely before and I remember it was a challenge for the company as in the UK there was no legislation of a remote worker outside the UK. Full time has to be on payroll with national insurance, pension and other factors. So the only way is to consider the work as contracting instead of a permanent job. This was several years ago though, not sure if that has changed now.
      - throwaway67743 5y ago
        Well this is it, it's just education - hiring remote workers has been covered by UK legislation for a couple of decades, if a taxation treaty is in place (which is practically everywhere) then either the employee is taxed at source (uk) or at consumption (their country) and HMRC will supply relief if the rate differs. I think it's mostly a lack of education from payroll departments. (I've been remote for well over a decade, btw)
  - throwaway67743 5y ago
    Alternatively, you could request that your customers do third party verification before accepting an application, doesn't solve the privacy issue but does side step the responsibility for you, but again this all comes down to contracts and commercials.
throwaway67743 5y ago
As an aside, my own ip space is flagged as no less than 4 countries depending on which IP in a single block is used, networks are global, so IP based geolocation is really quite useless.