: How do I block US users from my website without interfering with SEO? My website uses Apache 2.2.14 (which forwards all requests to Tomcat underneath). I need to block all US users from accessing

@Looi9037786

I wrote an algorithm to detect iranian IPs. It can be changed to detect Visitors from US. article is in Persian and you can use google translate to read it, link is here.
full algorighm:

<?php
$ips[1] = array (42991616,45088768,520568832,520585216,521717760,521725952,521754624,521758720,521764864,521791488,522002432,522715136,523182080,523763712,528658432,531247104,531355648,532185088,532770816,532779008,534368256,772995072,773148672,773605376,773849088,774004736,774021120,774135808,774275072,778305536,781123584,781459456,782516224,783792128,785448960,786432000,787808256,788013056,788094976,788242432,788518912,1044152320,1046904832,1052835840,1054629888,1294237696,1296908288,1298677760,1307394048,1307418624,1307959296,1311113216,1315815424,1315860480,1315897344,1318723584,1318920192,1319018496,1333723136,1334099968,1336578048,1336901632,1346547712,1346760704,1346859008,1347092480,1354694656,1358036992,1358790656,1358794752,1359740928,1360797696,1360801792,1360916480,1361027072,1361031168,1361043456,1364889600,1364951040,1364955136,1369636864,1382268928,1383268352,1402191872,1412415488,1425080320,1426669568,1427046400,1434812416,1438187520,1439039488,1446576128,1449992192,1466630144,1475137536,1475846144,1475903488,1485250560,1502642176,1503985664,1505280000,1507676160,1508589568,1533149184,1538801664,1538965504,1540258304,1540327936,1540400384,1540485632,1540624384,1540625152,1540684800,1540883456,1540964352,1541164800,1541325824,1541434880,1541451776,1541485568,1541595136,1541717248,1541789184,1541808128,1541947392,1541948416,1541949440,1542010880,1546268672,1546780672,1547546624,1547612160,1559412736,1567490048,1572739072,1581940736,1583710208,1583722496,1583738880,1586208768,1588985856,1589116928,1589149696,1592305664,1592885248,1596325888,1599111168,1599160320,1599209472,1599225856,1602369536,1602416640,1603198976,1833484288,1833623552,1834956800,1834958848,1835868160,1835966464,1835999232,1836761088,1836941312,1839366144,1841889280,1842061312,1843494912,1843806208,1844359168,1844379648,2151784448,2156658688,2193180672,2197798912,2453831680,2654648320,2668912640,2684297216,2765563904,2765568000,2765586432,2953592832,2955837440,2956496896,2956890112,2957197312,2959417344,2959421440,2959532032,2967277568,2967289856,2987730944,2987761664,2987804672,2994929664,2996633600,2997714944,3000434688,3000754176,3001819136,3001991168,3002044416,3002607616,3002847232,3002892288,3002925056,3156344832,3159048192,3160227840,3161866240,3162071040,3162079232,3162406912,3163062272,3164471296,3166679040,3170172928,3170697216,3238562560,3239884032,3244824064,3244872704,3244884480,3244885504,3244999680,3250420224,3258770432,3264386048,3269525504,3272902656,3277372416,3278775808,3281133568,3282739968,3284093440,3285396480,3287631360,3556884480,3557834752,3558981632,3560103936,3562012672,3562422272,3563028480,3564683264,3583213568,3585081344,3585089536,3585097728,3586326528,3587162112,3587776512,3588857856,3641380864,3642265600,3642306560,3644887040,3645030400,3645034496,3650277376,3651858432,3651952640,3652063232,3654942720);
$ips[2] = array (43253759,46137343,520585215,520589311,521719807,521727999,521756671,521760767,521766911,521793535,522010623,522717183,523190271,524025855,528662527,531251199,531357695,532201471,532772863,532783103,534370303,772997119,773152767,773607423,773857279,774012927,774029311,774143999,774283263,778371071,781189119,781463551,782532607,783794175,785514495,786563071,787841023,788021247,788103167,788250623,788520959,1044185087,1046908927,1052844031,1054638079,1294270463,1296924671,1298694143,1307402239,1307426815,1307963391,1311244287,1315819519,1315864575,1315901439,1318731775,1318928383,1319026687,1333755903,1334108159,1336580095,1336918015,1346551807,1346764799,1346863103,1347096575,1354760191,1358041087,1358794751,1358798847,1359773695,1360801791,1360805887,1360920575,1361031167,1361035263,1361051647,1364893695,1364955135,1364959231,1369638911,1382285311,1383276543,1402208255,1412431871,1425096703,1426685951,1427062783,1434845183,1438253055,1439055871,1446608895,1450000383,1466695679,1475139583,1475854335,1475911679,1485254655,1502658559,1504018431,1505288191,1507680255,1508605951,1533280255,1538809855,1538973695,1540258815,1540328447,1540400639,1540485887,1540624639,1540625407,1540685055,1540883711,1540964863,1541165055,1541326847,1541435391,1541452287,1541486591,1541595647,1541717503,1541789695,1541808383,1541948415,1541948927,1541950463,1542011903,1546270719,1546797055,1547550719,1547616255,1559420927,1567555583,1572741119,1581957119,1583714303,1583726591,1583742975,1586216959,1589116927,1589149695,1589182463,1592307711,1592901631,1596391423,1599127551,1599176703,1599225855,1599242239,1602371583,1602418687,1603203071,1833488383,1833627647,1834958847,1834960895,1835876351,1835974655,1836007423,1836777471,1836957695,1839398911,1841897471,1842069503,1843511295,1843822591,1844363263,1844383743,2151792639,2156691455,2193182719,2197815295,2453833727,2654650367,2668916735,2684299263,2765565951,2765570047,2765619199,2953596927,2955845631,2956500991,2956892159,2957201407,2959421439,2959423487,2959540223,2967281663,2967291903,2987732991,2987763711,2987806719,2994995199,2996649983,2997747711,3000451071,3000758271,3001823231,3001995263,3002048511,3002609663,3002849279,3002908671,3002941439,3156410367,3159064575,3160229887,3161882623,3162079231,3162087423,3162415103,3163095039,3164602367,3166681087,3170238463,3170729983,3238562815,3239884287,3244824319,3244872959,3244884735,3244885759,3245000703,3250420735,3258771455,3264387071,3269591039,3272902911,3277372927,3278776319,3281141759,3282740223,3284093951,3285397503,3287631871,3556886527,3557842943,3558989823,3560112127,3562020863,3562430463,3563036671,3564691455,3583221759,3585089535,3585097727,3585114111,3586342911,3587178495,3587784703,3588866047,3641384959,3642269695,3642310655,3644891135,3645034495,3645038591,3650281471,3651862527,3651960831,3652067327,3655073791);
if(isset($_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR']))$TheIp=$_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR'];else $TheIp=$_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];
$TheIp=ip2long(trim($TheIp));
$count = count($ips[1]);$found=false;
for ($i = 0; $i <= $count; $i++) {
if ($TheIp>=$ips[1][$i]){
if ($TheIp<=$ips[2][$i]){
$found=true;
break;
}
}else if($TheIp<$ips[1][$i]){$found=false;break;}
}
unset($ips);
if ($found==false){ Code goes here }
?>


and you can get the US IPs here and change IP array to detect Visitors from US.

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@Ravi8258870

You have to use mod_geoip from Maxmind. Read manual and config sample

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@Murray432

You're looking for a Geoloction (Geoblocking) database which would give you access to the typical IP ranges for the countries you need to block.

This is not absolute or completely trustworthy information though. Country level geoblocking is mostly effective but anything like city/state/zip code level information should be treated with great caution.

I've worked with major multinational media providers using expensive paid services and discovered that the information in these databases is a very long way from correct and that users individual circumstances often prevent geoblocking from being effective, and that these blocks are fairly trivial to circumvent.

e.g. Virgin and East Coast trains in the UK use T-Mobile Germany as their onboard internet provider so you appear to be in Germany to many sites and payment processors.

You'd also need to find the IP ranges commonly used by search engine robots and explicitly allow them in to index your site.

There are quite a few free geolocation databases, MaxMind springs to mind (though this is not a recommendation of their service), google discuss the issue of verifying the google bot on their blog and IP lists offer some information on common IP ranges of search engine robots (though I don't know how reliable this is) so some more research is advisable.

You can find some thoughts on implementing geoblocking here

I would say that if you're doing this for copyright reasons or to avoid DMCA takedowns allowing indexing from US search engines may not have the desired effect as the law in this area is unclear. DCMA seems to be feared by all US based companies, they takedown first and refuse to answer questions later.

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