Preventing Google from accessing home IP address
Hello, Q1: Is there a way to prevent Google search engine from accessing and sharing the city I live in via my IP address?
Q2: Can I block my IP address from Amazon, Google and other shareware/spyware garbage AND still access and use the internet?
At the bottom of a Google search result page I can read the city I live in based on my IP address. I would rather not have this shared as I search for products in different stores. I am signed into Google.
When I ran the "Privacy tab" in Firefox the Google search results still showed the city I live in.
I use a VPN, three security extensions("No-Script, Privacy-Badger & FaceBook Container) and Mozilla Firefox set at the "Strict" Browser Privacy level.
Thank you for reviewing these questions, Oliver
Gekozen oplossing
Hi Oliver, your IP address is determined by the service provider you use to connect to websites. That could be your home ISP, your company if you are at a workplace, or the coffee shop if you are using a public hotspot.
Websites always need the IP address to respond to, so you can't block your IP address
If you want to mask your true IP address, you normally would use a VPN service. That lets you choose a server someone where in the world as your off-ramp to websites so it appears you are at a different IP address.
If Google still knows your real location, are you sure your Firefox connection is running through the VPN? What if you try a private window (i.e., where you are not signed in to your Google account or sending your normal Google cookies)?
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Gekozen oplossing
Hi Oliver, your IP address is determined by the service provider you use to connect to websites. That could be your home ISP, your company if you are at a workplace, or the coffee shop if you are using a public hotspot.
Websites always need the IP address to respond to, so you can't block your IP address
If you want to mask your true IP address, you normally would use a VPN service. That lets you choose a server someone where in the world as your off-ramp to websites so it appears you are at a different IP address.
If Google still knows your real location, are you sure your Firefox connection is running through the VPN? What if you try a private window (i.e., where you are not signed in to your Google account or sending your normal Google cookies)?
Hello Jscher2000, Thank you for your clear response. I thought my VPN was running....It wasn't. I'm an idiot. You are correct. Los Angeles showed up at the bottom of the Google search result instead of the city I live in when I confirmed the VPN was running. Apparently when I clicked on the VPN icon for my laptop I didn't confirm it was running. Thank you for your patience in typing out the a few approaches to my issue. Take care, Oliver