Privacy is of great concern to a majority of Internet users — and legitimately so. After all, not all of the companies that handle personal data reveal where they use the information. Privacy is one of the primary reasons for the use of VPNs, proxies, and even Tor.

But while those technologies offer privacy benefits, those on the traffic's receiving end may suffer certain disadvantages such as digital rights abuse, fraud, and freemium abuse. For those reasons, companies may be looking to detect VPN, proxy, and Tor connections.

In this post, we explore how tools like IPIFY's VPN Detection API can help.

What Is a VPN Detection API?

Tools like VPN detection APIs can tell if the traffic entering one's network uses a VPN, proxy, or Tor connection. It essentially tells a network owner if an IP address is masked or seems to be coming from somewhere else it is not. VPN detection API calls can keep potentially unwanted traffic from entering one's network.

How Can a VPN Detection API Help?

With a VPN detection API's help, users can:

• Reinforce their digital rights management (DRM) strategies: Companies like streaming service providers can use a VPN detection API to prevent unauthorized subscribers from accessing content they're not allowed to. The shows and movies that subscribers can access are usually geo-restricted. But VPN, proxy, and Tor users may bypass restrictions by changing their locations with a simple IP address modification.
• Prevent fraud: Payment portals and transaction processing systems can more easily detect fraudsters who may be using stolen customer identities and credentials. Banks can use a VPN detection API to check if a client is who he or she claims to be by determining his or her IP address. A change in it or sudden employment of a proxy can be indicative of fraud.
• Enhance traffic filtering: Organizations can keep potentially dangerous users who may have bypassed built-in network protections via IP spoofing. A VPN detection API can be configured to automatically keep proxy users out, lessening a network's chances of getting breached.
• Avoid free trial abuse and fake account signups: VPN, proxy, and Tor users' masked IP addresses can't be used to abuse freemium offers. As with traffic filtering, integrating a VPN detection API to block signups from users with masked IP addresses can keep potential freemium abusers away from one's network.

How Does IPIFY's VPN Detection API Work?

IPIFY's VPN detection API is easy to use. When an IP address attempts to access your network, the API can serve as part of a screening process that lets IT administrators know if the address is masked via a VPN, proxy, or Tor client.

In terms of API outputs, an IP address that isn't masked in any way would give this result:

{
  "ip": "54.37.156.208",
  "proxy": {
    "proxy": false,
    "vpn": false,
    "tor": false
  }
}

The mention of "false" here indicates that the IP address does not hide behind a VPN, proxy, or Tor service.

An IP address that utilizes a proxy server, meanwhile, would be detected as such:

{
  "ip": "193.93.193.23",
  "proxy": {
    "proxy": true,
    "vpn": false,
    "tor": false
  }
}

In this case, the VPN and tor fields remain "false" why the proxy field states "true" for the IP address. Following the same logic, the API can also spot Tor users and give out a result like:

{
  "ip": "91.218.203.59",
  "proxy": {
    "proxy": false,
    "vpn": false,
    "tor": true
  }
}

Integrating IPIFY's VPN detection API into payment portals, login pages, and perimeter alert systems can help companies avoid threats that can harm their business or put their data at risk of a breach.