Passport control in cyberland

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by Michael Citrome

Impersonating a Japanese schoolgirl on the Web just got a lot harder. A Montreal company is set to release software that tells anyone with a Web site exactly where their visitors are from, providing they're willing to pay.

The company is called Border Control, a name that evokes images of AK-toting guards and remote checkpoints. The reality is only a little less creepy--this is software that lets you choose which parts of the globe can access your Web site. "The purpose of Border Control is to identify the country of visitors to the Web site," says company founder Farrel Miller.

The first major application of Border Control will be a site called JumpTV.com, expected to launch within the next few months. Miller's JumpTV is based on iCraveTV, a site shut down amidst copyright lawsuits last year. Although they don't as yet have approval from the Copyright Board, JumpTV has filed an application to broadcast Canadian TV over the Internet. JumpTV will use Border Control to keep Canadian eyes glued to their monitors, while shutting Americans out, a strategy that should help it avoid the litigation that doomed its predecessor.

Border Control isn't based on new technology. But while it has always been possible to tell where most Net users come from, rarely has the technology been used to restrict access to Web sites. Now it's in the hands of anyone with the lucre. :

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