Adding Source Region information in the HTTP request for data residency

Overview -

Data residency has become increasingly important due to the distributed nature of businesses. With the global exchange of files and their storage in various cloud storage systems, it is crucial to have measures in place to ensure data remains within specific regions.

Data residency can have several impacts on an HTTP call, particularly regarding the storage, processing, and transmission of data. Here are some key considerations:

1.???? Data Storage: Data residency requirements may dictate where data can be stored. If the HTTP call involves storing data, such as uploading files or persisting information, you need to ensure that the data is stored in compliance with the applicable regulations. Certain jurisdictions may require data to be stored within their borders or specific approved locations. It's crucial to assess whether the storage location aligns with the data residency requirements.

2.???? Data Processing: The processing of data within an HTTP call may also be subject to data residency regulations. If the processing involves sensitive or regulated data, such as personally identifiable information (PII) or financial data, you need to ensure that the processing is performed in accordance with the relevant regulations. This may involve restricting data processing to specific jurisdictions or implementing appropriate safeguards when processing data in non-compliant regions.

3.???? Cross-Border Data Transfers: Data residency requirements often address cross-border data transfers. If the HTTP call involves transmitting data from one jurisdiction to another, it's essential to consider the applicable regulations governing such transfers. Some countries may require additional safeguards or legal mechanisms, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or Binding Corporate Rules, to facilitate compliant data transfers. Ensuring that the transfer adheres to the data residency requirements is crucial to avoid violations.

4.???? Encryption and Security: Data residency considerations often involve data security and protection. It's important to ensure that appropriate encryption and security measures are in place during the HTTP call, especially when transmitting or storing sensitive data. Encrypting data in transit using protocols like HTTPS and implementing strong security practices can help protect data and ensure compliance with data residency requirements.

5.???? Data Subject Rights: Data residency regulations may grant individuals certain rights over their personal data. These rights could include access, rectification, deletion, or portability of their data. If the HTTP call involves handling personal data, it's important to understand and comply with the data subject rights granted by the applicable data residency regulations.

In today's global distributed computing landscape, the inclusion of source region information in HTTP requests for calls originating from a regions is essential. This will help the target server situated in different region take appropriate action whether to serve the request or not, depending upon the data residency requirement. Despite the absence of a built-in mechanism to identify these regions within standard HTTP calls, it is crucial to address this limitation. Therefore, I propose explicitly inclusion of the source regions of an HTTP call, along with their corresponding IP information. By incorporating this additional information, we can enhance transparency and compliance with data residency requirements in the ever-connected world of internet-based communications.

State of art –

The identification of the source region for an HTTP call lacks an inherent implementation, making it challenging to determine without the inclusion of additional header information in the HTTP request. While external API services like GeoIP can be used to make an educated guess about the source region, it's important to note that these estimations may not always be accurate and unnecessarily incur addition cost. Therefore, relying solely on such methods may result in potential inaccuracies regarding the actual source region of the HTTP call.

Propose Solution –

Here I am proposing adding source-region information at the HTTP call itself from the OS information. Let’s understand how source and target IP are added as part of the HTTP call, so we can leverage the same mechanism for adding the source region itself.

In a typical HTTP call, the source and destination IP addresses are not directly added as part of the HTTP request itself. The IP addresses are handled at a lower networking layer, specifically the Internet Protocol (IP) layer.

When we make an HTTP request, our computer or device forms the HTTP message containing the request headers and optionally a request body. This message is then passed to the networking stack of the operating system.

At the networking layer, the operating system adds the necessary network information, such as the source and destination IP addresses, to the HTTP message. The IP addresses are crucial for routing the message over the Internet.

The source IP address is typically determined by the network interface of your device, which represents the network connection through which the request is being sent. This IP address identifies your device to the recipient.

The destination IP address is obtained by resolving the hostname or URL of the server you are trying to communicate with. This process involves DNS (Domain Name System) resolution, where the hostname is translated into an IP address.

Once the source and destination IP addresses are determined, the operating system encapsulates the HTTP message into IP packets. These packets contain the source and destination IP addresses along with other information required for routing, such as port numbers.

So I am proposing to add source-region information to the HTTP call at the time when source IP is getting added to the HTTP request.

Once the source-region information is available in the request, we can implement various HTTP firewall rule in the target server to block the HTTP traffic for a restricted region. Check the diagram below