How does Amazon/Audible know my country with VPN and private browsing on?

3 years ago by supercheesecake to c/privacy

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.

kadu 22 points 3 years ago

On what device? Android, iOS and Windows have a Region option where you select your country, the browser and any apps can read this trivially.

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supercheesecake 3 points 3 years ago

On iOS. My VPN is set to USA and I’m logged into amazon.com (not .com.au).

Where would this setting be?

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ddnomad 7 points 3 years ago

Settings -> General -> Language & Region -> Region
Settings -> YOUR NAME -> Media & Purchases -> Account Settings -> Country/Region

Both must be changed to a different region to fully switch. Requires a valid payment method from that region (e.g. a debit card from that region). There are consequences to changing regions too, so be careful.

From my experience, sometimes you also need to contact Apple support to finish the change process. Otherwise it may just revert back.

Overall, Amazon surely knows where you are now and it will be set in your Amazon account, I suspect there is nothing you can do.

The best way to achieve what you want is to boot something like TailsOS and create a new account while under the VPN in that region. With a payment method from that region.

VPNs are not magic. Most big companies nowadays have means of detecting actual user locations, which is pretty trivial if you use an app or an operating system that leaks data when under the VPN.

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InverseParallax 3 points 3 years ago

Disable location services.

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supercheesecake 3 points 3 years ago

Neither Amazon or Audible apps have any location services permissions.

Regardless, disabled it system-wide and didn’t make a difference. Thanks though.

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jet 4 points 3 years ago

If you're using apps they could be leaking your information from local Wi-Fi information, Bluetooth information, DNS if it's not routed through your VPN properly.

I'm not sure about the internals of iOS itself but they certainly may have tattletales built in available to apps

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InverseParallax 3 points 3 years ago

They could just have a VPN detector, that's harder to work around, sec.

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gerbler 1 point 3 years ago

It's definitely this. I often forget that my Amazon account is tied to Canada (even with a .com.au email address) and it's only when I see how cheap shit is that I realise I'm actually on amazon.com not amazon.ca

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skillissuer 9 points 3 years ago

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supercheesecake 1 point 3 years ago

This might be it. I gave up and purchased from my desktop and the same steps worked straight away without issue. Maybe Amazon has access to phone info that I’m unaware of.

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maxprime 8 points 3 years ago

Do you have a credit card on your account?

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supercheesecake 2 points 3 years ago

US credit card but am using an audible credit

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nieceandtows 1 point 3 years ago

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

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supercheesecake 1 point 3 years 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.

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Pika 8 points 3 years ago

As someone who jumps between the US and Canada (since on the border) I've found that, Amazon will block purchases from Canada to the US and visa versa, it doesn't care about ip, it uses your accounts region, Canada and US have seperate regions in your account settings that you need to do. Sadly this means you would need two different accounts. One for CA and one for US. It's likely the same deal with audible

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DrPen 4 points 3 years ago

@Pika @supercheesecake dont wanna butt in but in case this is relevant: I use at least 3 Amazon regional accounts here in Europe: UK, Germany and Italy (I live in another EU country). I sign in with the same username/password. Currency of products changes for UK from EUR to GBP, and often different ranges of products can show up. I have multiple addresses listed for delivery and just select the one I want.

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Pika 2 points 3 years ago

that's similar to how I do it, change the region and then pay, but some items I've noticed block sale if the originating payment method is in a different region

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DrPen 3 points 3 years ago

@Pika Id have to log into the new region from he start, go find the same product, then order. I dont think it would work if I change region half way through a purchase.

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Pika 3 points 3 years ago

oh sorry if I was unclear, yea since it's still a different account I would need to login when I change regions as well, I can't change halfway through.

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newpuritan 1 point 3 years ago

How are you setting up new accounts? I just tried to create a new one using a VPN but can't because it asks for my phone number for verification which has already been used.

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DrPen 2 points 3 years ago

@newpuritan Its the same account, I just sign in to different Amazon regional sites.

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supercheesecake 1 point 3 years ago

Audible and Amazon accounts are the same. I have an AU account and a US account. But I’m only using the US account to buy the audiobook in the US store, using VPN and private browsing. No CC or similar involved.

But from Australia. So how does Amazon know I’m in Australia?!

From a privacy point-of-view I thought VPN masks such things. I’m trying to understand how Amazon is detecting my physical country.

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Pika 3 points 3 years ago

Aside from device ID, or maybe if you're using a billing address as something from Australia, I can't see how they would be, you've stated location services are off, VPN will mask the ip.

I didn't even need to use a VPN in my cases between Canada and the US, changing to an account that was in the region that allowed the purchase was all I had to do.

That being said if I changed my Canada account to use the billing address of my US residence instead of my Canadian residence when on the Canadian region, I would get region locked I found, so if you have a primary payment method on file using your AU address you could try temporarily removing or modifying it to have a different address

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supercheesecake 2 points 3 years ago

Nah the CC and billing address for my US account are fully local there. My AU and US accounts are totally seperate and everything is local for each.

I’ve tried both using their apps on my phone and the browser (Safari with privacy relay) with the same result (with VPN etc etc).

I agree, I can’t se how they’re doing this. Must be something I’ve overlooked. Or some new internet black magic they’re employing.

EDIT: Or the search result for the book I want isn’t actually available in the USA and they’ve just messed that up (since I’m searching from the US as far as they can see). I guess I could try buying a different book

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Pika 3 points 3 years ago

yea that was my next question, if the title was actually available in the country selected, I had that issue with Netflix searches constantly

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the_d0c_is_in 8 points 3 years ago

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

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supercheesecake 0 points 3 years ago

Do any VPN providers cover this?

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the_d0c_is_in 3 points 3 years ago

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

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supercheesecake 1 point 3 years ago

I see. Thanks.

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Loki 3 points 3 years ago

Probably DNS?

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Kissaki 2 points 3 years ago

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?

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supercheesecake 1 point 3 years 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.

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mishamouse 1 point 3 years ago

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

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supercheesecake 1 point 3 years ago

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

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mishamouse 1 point 3 years ago

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

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supercheesecake 1 point 3 years 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.

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privacy

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privacy

@lemmy.ml

login for more options

A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

Posting a link to a website containing tracking isn't great, if contents of the website are behind a paywall maybe copy them into the post
Don't promote proprietary software
Try to keep things on topic
If you have a question, please try searching for previous discussions, maybe it has already been answered
Reposts are fine, but should have at least a couple of weeks in between so that the post can reach a new audience
Be nice :)

Related communities

much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

go to feed...