Locate That Pesky Web Server
August 17, 2013
Where are Web sites hosted? The average user has no idea how to harness the right tools to locate where a server is located, but there might be a common solution. Makeuseof.com, gotta love that Web site, wrote the article, “Find Out Where A Web Site’s Server Is Located With FlagFox And Flag For Chrome.” Made for two open source OS, the Flag and FlagFox plugins are rather simple. Whenever you visit a Web site, the URL bar displays its server’s country of origin. Judging by the plugin’s name you can tell it displays the flag.
Pretty neat, huh? It is also pretty useful:
“This little flag isn’t just cool to show off, but it can also serve some interesting purposes, for example it can let you know which country a server is located in (especially when the server location doesn’t match the top-level domain like .co.uk, .de, etc.), help you troubleshoot why a certain connection may be acting slow, or help you identify when you’ve accidentally landed on a phishing Web site. Say you try to visit your bank’s website which usually shows your country’s flag, but suddenly you see a completely different flag. The chances that you’ve landed on a phishing site are very high. The flag shown by the extension also serves as a reminder of where our data goes — you practically visit the world through your browsing habits!”
It does more than show colorful flags too. Clicking on the flag displays technical data about the server: postal code, Web hosting provider, location, IP Address, and ISP. It also has the Web of Trust rating and embed other techy features. That is just for the Firefox version, the Google plug-in has a few more features that are specific to Google.
For the common users, use this tool as a way to prevent identity theft and catch phishing Web sites. Another simple tool to keep your Internet experience safe.
Whitney Grace, August 17, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
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