Verizon Communications Inc.
Systems and methods for restricting network traffic based on geographic information

Abstract:

A system described herein may provide techniques for a geographically-based traffic handling policy. An originating device may mark traffic with geographic restriction information, such as in a header of network traffic, indicating a geographic restriction on the propagation of the traffic. The geographic restriction may indicate a geographic region in which the traffic may be forwarded, or a geographic region in which the traffic is prohibited from being forwarded. Network devices in a path between the originating device and a destination device may determine whether to drop the traffic or perform other policy-related actions based on whether such devices are inside the geographic region in which the traffic may be forwarded. In some implementations a destination device may register as an exception to such policies, based on which an originating device or a router may bypass geographically-based traffic handling policies with respect to marked traffic directed to the destination device.