Geo-Targeting

Geo-targeting is the selection of a proxy exit in a requested geographic area so traffic carries an IP associated with that area. A destination can then localize content or apply access rules based on the exit IP’s mapped location.

Country-level targeting asks for an exit whose address maps to a chosen country. More precise claims, such as state or city targeting, require a pool with reliable coverage at that level and geolocation data that supports it. IP geolocation is an estimate, not a physical-location guarantee. Different databases can assign the same address to different places, and mobile or corporate routing can move traffic far from the subscriber.

Clients should verify the observed country before location-sensitive work and decide how to handle a location that is unavailable. Silent fallback to another country can produce incorrect prices, languages, search results, or regional content while appearing technically successful.

PacketStream uses the _country-XX auth-key modifier for country targeting and does not fall back across countries when the requested country has no available exit. The country-targeting documentation gives the format, and the locations hub lists supported country pages.

Related terms: geo-blocking and exit node.