Google search is pegging my location without consent
I see this in firefox about:config
https://www.googleapis.com/geolocation/v1/geolocate?key=%GOOGLE_LOCATION_SERVICE_API_KEY%
Google search is accessing my location. Example Search: Homes Results are showing all realty sites as Homes in Washington Twp. But DuckDuck Go, and Startpage.com yield google results too. The same realty sites are NOT showing Washington Twp, but homes for sale. I want choose my area code on these sites directly.
I believe it has something to do with the GOOGLE_LOCATION_SERVICE_API_KEY in the about:config. It seemed pretty obvious. I'm familiar with about:config. I just want to stop google, and any other search or site, from accessing any data that pertains to me.
All Replies (2)
Hi TOR, Firefox shouldn't allow sites to obtain your coordinates without your first granting them specific permission. To see whether you granted Google permission, click the lock icon on a page on the Google site and see whether the drop-down mentions any customized permissions.
I assume you are testing Google in an anonymous way (logged out, maybe in a private window). Without other information, websites generally will do the first level location customization based on your IP address, which usually is assigned by your network service provider. There are public services to trace IP addresses to particular areas, and I assume Google has its own database that is not public. To get an idea of what is out there for your IP address, you can check a site like:
https://www. iplocation. net/ (spaces added due to link filter)