Why doesn't Spur provide a single risk or reputation score for an IP?
Risk tolerance varies significantly by use case — a bank, an ad network, and an ecommerce platform each weigh the same signal differently. Rather than compress this into one score, Spur exposes the underlying signals so customers can build risk models suited to their own use case.
Similar questions
Should Spur data be used as a blocking list?
Generally, no. Spur is designed to provide context and intelligence rather than a simple allow/block decision. Most organizations achieve the best results when Spur data is incorporated into broader risk models and decisioning workflows.
How can Spur IP intelligence help prevent payment fraud?
Spur IP intelligence adds context about the infrastructure behind a transaction, including VPN usage, proxy activity, network type, geographic consistency, and historical risk indicators. These signals can be incorporated into fraud models to improve decision-making and reduce both false positives and false negatives.
Can Spur IP intelligence help reduce account takeover risk without creating friction for legitimate users?
Rather than blocking traffic solely based on IP addresses, organizations can use Spur IP intelligence as a risk signal within adaptive authentication workflows. Signals such as VPN usage, proxy activity, infrastructure type, and geographic inconsistencies can help determine when additional verification is appropriate while allowing low-risk users to proceed normally.
Does Spur identify legitimate privacy-focused users as well as malicious actors?
Spur identifies infrastructure characteristics and anonymization technologies, not intent. Organizations determine how to use those signals based on their business requirements, risk tolerance, and policies.
Should transactions be blocked simply because a VPN is detected?
VPN usage is a risk signal, not proof of fraud. The most effective approach is to evaluate VPN usage alongside other contextual signals such as transaction history, geography, account behavior, and infrastructure characteristics before acting.