What Is a Relay?
RelayOverview of Relay
A relay functions as a privacy-providing intermediary, passing traffic from one network location to another without revealing the true IP address's origin to the destination server, but still preserving general location information. Privacy relays are offered by major companies like Apple's iCloud Private Relay or Google Fi.
Why Relay Detection Is Important
Relays act similarly to VPNs, but they preserve the user location (i.e. all users in the same region are assigned the same IP address) and they're typically not malicious traffic (in opposition to more classical VPN providers). IPinfo tags them differently than VPNs since blocking these privacy relays could risk blocking a large, legitimate user base.
How IPinfo Detects Relays
IPinfo includes the is_relay flag in its privacy detection datasets to indicate when an IP address is associated with general relay infrastructure. We also have a relay tag. This detection is powered by a combination of our proprietary ProbeNet internet measurements, open intelligence sources, and observed traffic patterns. In the IPinfo Plus dataset, the privacy_name field can also reveal the specific service or network operating the relay when identifiable. Combined with other flags such as is_vpn, is_proxy, and is_tor, relay detection gives security teams a clearer picture of anonymized or masked traffic and allows them to apply tailored access policies.