A Chat with Josh Anton, Chief Strategy Officer at IP Intelligence Company: Digital Envoy

Digital Envoy is the leading provider of privacy-sensitive IP-based geolocation data and location intelligence. Our core offerings reside within our main business units – Digital Element and the newly acquired Outlogic – and are dedicated to individual needs and audiences. Our global geolocation insights help businesses by providing relevance and context to online initiatives, be it desktop or mobile.

These insights are delivered in real-time, anytime, and anywhere, without infringing on individual user privacy – an especially important industry focus of late. This kind of data is vital for businesses for a variety of purposes: to localise content, enhance analytics, target advertising, detect and prevent fraud, and manage content rights.

When it comes to fighting a growing issue such as cybercrime, for example, IP data can detect users connecting via a proxy, identify what kind of proxy it is, as well as evaluate what this information means for a company. Differentiating between connection types, tracking log-in locations, and recognising suspicious speed patterns goes a long way to protect a company from these kinds of fraud and cyber attacks.
 
 

 

What do you think makes this company unique?

 
Digital Envoy was the first company to initiate non-WhoIs IP geotargeting technology into the advertising marketplace, meaning the data and insights we secure cannot be traced back to someone and there is no personally identifiable information included. This is a non-invasive method that identifies a geographic location by an IP address and nothing more; something we have delivered for 20 years. We have also diversified and extended our services to include connection speed, domain name, ISP, language and other characteristics, but the principle remains the same.

In 2002 – just 3 years into our existence – we were named Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, a great feat at that time. We were offering something totally different from anyone else, and we are now both leaders and experts in the field. We are patenting our own technologies – such as our automated traceroute technology – and have continuously adapted to the times, becoming the industry’s first mobile-centric IP targeting solution. We are quality, safety, and privacy-first, which sets us apart from other industry actors.
 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

 
The company has evolved alongside the ever-changing legal landscape around data collection, including GDPR and CCPA legislations. Our continued dedication to delivering the best service while protecting consumers through privacy, security, and data ethics, has been at the forefront of our decision-making when it comes to new hires and acquisitions.

We hired Michael Kercher – a 20-year veteran in legal and global data privacy leadership with extensive experience and success in corporate counsel, strategic planning, and programme management – as General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, to bolster our commitment to individual user privacy. Our acquisition of Outlogic also enhances our fraud prevention and targeting solutions through high quality, consent-based location data.

Our Data For Impact programme, meanwhile, provides vital insights and information into some of the most pressing issues of our time: human rights, environmental concerns, and economic uncertainty. Each of these topics relies on accurate data – from human trafficking and heat maps to public policy and infrastructure – and through our offering we hope to level the playing field and give back to the public.
 

What can we hope to see from Digital Envoy in the future?

 
As a company we are always looking for ways to deepen and enhance the insight and intelligence we offer to our clients and, as such, we have a number of exciting new projects that we are working on.

We are especially focused on growth and adding value to our products and services, and we’re doing this in part through strategic acquisitions. A recent example is Matchbook, which works in tandem with our other products to tie targetable IP address data to a location ID, with or without mobile device ID. By doing this we are able to activate the next evolution of IP data, through which we can deliver more detailed insights – such as footfall analysis and high-quality visitation data – without infringing on privacy regulations.

We are also taking our cyber security and ad fraud capabilities to the next level, be it helping companies manage the impact of remote working or intelligence for governments. Our Vice President of Research and Development, Jonathan Tomek, joined us in 2021 and has offered a lot of expertise in the cybersecurity department already. We’re excited about the future, to say the least.