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My real location is detected when connected to VPN. How to disable geolocation?
Most modern browsers implement the geolocation API as defined by the W3C which enables browsers to detect the geographic location of the device. This enables web services that rely on location information to function correctly. The specification doesn’t define the location sources but the following are commonly used:
- Global Positioning System (GPS)
- Available Wi-Fi networks and signal strengths
- GSM/CDMA cell IDs
- IP address
If you are connected to IVPN the IP address lookup should return the location of the VPN server. However, if your browser is configured to use any of the alternate location sources then your actual location may be revealed to web services. Most commonly your Wi-Fi network information will be used as there are large databases that map Wi-Fi networks to a geographic location (usually created by cars with GPS & Wi-Fi e.g. Google Street View cars).
How to disable geolocation in browsers?
Google Chrome
- Click the Chrome menu button on the browser toolbar (with the 3 dots).
- Click on
Settings
. - Scroll down and click on
Advanced
. - In the ‘Privacy and security’ section, click
Site settings
. - Click ‘Location’ and toggle ‘Ask before accessing’ to ‘Blocked’.
For further information see Google’s location sharing page.
Firefox
- In the URL bar, type
about:config
. - In the search bar type
geo.enabled
. - Double click on the geo.enabled preference. Location-Aware Browsing should now be disabled.
For further information see the Firefox Location-Aware Browsing page.
Internet Explorer
- Open the Tools menu by clicking on the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
- Open the
Privacy
tab. - Under Location, select the option
Never Allow Websites To Request Your Physical Location
.
Microsoft Edge
- Hit the
Windows
button & selectSettings
- Navigate to
Privacy
->Location
and toggle location toOff
For further information see the Windows 10 location service and privacy: FAQ.
Apple Safari
- Choose
System Preferences
from the Apple () menu. - Click the
Security & Privacy
icon in the System Preferences window. - Click the
Privacy
tab. - If the padlock icon in the lower left is locked
, click it and enter an admin name and password to unlock it
- Select
Location Services
. - Uncheck ‘Safari’ to disable geolocation.
Opera
- In the URL bar, type
about:config
. - In the Preferences Editor, expand the
Geolocation
section. - Uncheck
Enable geolocation
.
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