Source: https://mindstamp.com/help/why-is-viewer-location-inaccurate
Generated from the Help Center records: 2026-10-05

# Why is the viewer location wrong or in another country?

Topic: [Reporting and integrations](https://mindstamp.com/help/reporting) · Updated: 2026-09-25

## Short answer

By default, Mindstamp estimates location from the viewer’s network address. That address often belongs to a VPN, a company network or a mobile carrier in another city or country, so the location is only approximate. For an exact location, turn on **Collect precise viewer location** and ask viewers for permission.

## Why the network address can point elsewhere

- A VPN or privacy relay sends traffic through a server that can be in another country.
- Company and school networks often send all traffic through one office or data center.
- Mobile carriers route traffic through regional hubs that can be hundreds of miles away.
- Cloud and hosting regions, such as northern Virginia in the United States, carry a large share of traffic, so many addresses resolve there.
- Location databases are updated from time to time and can be out of date for a new address range.

## How Mindstamp sets the location

Each view gets a city, region and country from its network address when the session starts. If the address has no match, Mindstamp tries a second location service after the view is finished. Neither method uses GPS or asks the viewer.

## What to do

- Read location as a country or region trend, not a fact about one person.
- To get an exact location, open the video **Settings** > **Advanced** and turn on **Collect precise viewer location**. See [collect precise viewer location](https://mindstamp.com/help/collect-precise-viewer-location).
- If the location matters for a workflow, ask the viewer directly with a question or a lead capture field.

## Go further

- [Reporting tutorial](https://mindstamp.com/tutorials/reporting)

## Related answers

- [How can I collect the exact viewer location?](https://mindstamp.com/help/collect-precise-viewer-location)
- [What does each exported field mean?](https://mindstamp.com/help/exported-fields-explained)
- [How do I view interactive video analytics and reports?](https://mindstamp.com/help/how-to-view-interactive-video-data-analytics-and-reports)

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