ZoomTerritory

Click here to download.

Please note: the developer of this application is in no way affiliated with Native Land Digital, but acknowledges their hard work to compile the data used herein.

ZoomTerritory is an app developed to help you identify the lands upon which your Zoom stream is traveling. Despite the term’s frequent use, there is nothing “virtual” about the material implications of our digital systems. Information travels through wires buried in the ground, satellites occupy space in orbit around Earth, and servers use immense amounts of energy across vast plots of land. This application lets you take a moment to acknowledge the traditional keepers of that land.

The application was developed by a white settler in Tkoronto, an area taken care of by the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Huron-Wendat, and the Métis. It was done so with the permission of Native Land Digital, a group that “strives to create and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations, through educational resources such as [their] map and Territory Acknowledgement Guide.”

Please click here to contact the developer with any feedback.

Q&A

How does this work?

Open up ZoomTerritory and open up Zoom (it doesn’t matter in what order you do those steps). Then start or join a Zoom meeting. That should be it!

ZoomTerritory runs a basic script in the background to listen for packets of data that come from Zoom servers. Those packets include an IP address—a unique identifier for each server—that can be traced to a generalized global coordinate. That coordinate is plugged into Native Land, which returns the territory data.
Can you be more specific/technical?

Sure can. The app uses Darrell Root’s EtherCapture package to run tcpdump udp src port 8801 on whichever en interface it finds highest on the list. It captures one packet and sends that IP to IPinfo, which returns coordinates that are sent to Native Land.
Why does the app ask for permission so many times when I first open it?

Firstly, it is important to note that the app has been notarized by Apple to make sure it contains no malicious code. So no need to worry about that.

Secondly, when you first open the app, you might be asked by macOS to make sure you really want to open it. Which, one assumes, you do. Then the app needs permission to read your TCP packet data. To do that, it runs an AppleScript. So first you have to agree to let it run an AppleScript. The script then double-checks you’re good with giving your admin username and password, which is what’s actually required to get the app ready to read the packet info. You’ll only need to provide these permisions the first time you run it!
Can I use this for Teams, Meet, FaceTime, Skype, etc.?

Not yet! But be sure to check for updates (via the ZoomTerritory menu) periodically (or set the app to do so automatically when you first run it), as the plan is to add that functionality in the near future.
Is there a version for Windows? What about iOS or Android?

Windows: not yet!
iOS: not possible :(
Android: TBD
(Want to help? Contact the developer.)
Will you open source the project?

Yes! Soon!
(Want to help? Contact the developer.)
Will this work if I live outside of North America?

Good question. It hasn’t been tested, but let the developer know by sending feedback (via the Help menu or here).
Why isn’t the developer’s name anywhere?

It’s not hard to figure out who wrote this, but the purpose of this app is not to center anyone except the people whose land our critical digital infrastructure occupies.
My question isn’t here.

That’s not a question, but it’s okay. Click here to contact the developer!

Page last updated: Nov 24, 2020