Can Websites Track Your Physical Location?

By Author: alexis
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You might have noticed that whenever you visit websites using any browser, it asks for your location. Though you accept or deny the same, websites can access your location in a few ways. The precise location is hard to track, but the IP address tracks your general area.

A public IP address is given to the user by the internet service provider. The address is used for all the devices of your home and is unique on the internet. In simpler words, whenever you open a website, your IP address is accessed by the same. Your device gets connected to the website’s IP, and the data is sent back to your IP. The network routers use packets, and the IP address on these packets inform the routers their path.

However, your unique IP address can not be traced by the websites. Therefore, the precise location remains unknown, but websites you visit can link your IP to the internet service provider, which is why you see local ads online.

If you ever visit a website, for instance, IP Location Finder, you’ll notice that the website may use your IP address to figure out your service provider’s name. Not only this, but it ...
... can determine your region, city, or country. However, this is all a website can track.

As mentioned above, when you visit websites, it asks for your precise location. Therefore, a website can only determine your physical location when you choose to permit for the same. For instance, you visited a weather forecasting website. The website could use your exact location to provide you further information regarding the weather in your area.

It is essential to mention that once you permit the location access to a website, it never comes up with permission again. Instead, it uses the same permission for each time you visit the website. So, you must allow permission to websites you trust or visit often.

If you had never paid attention to which websites currently use your location, you could check the same in the browser’s settings. The steps are as follows:

Visit any browser that you use.
Click on the ‘Menu’ option depicted by the ‘ellipses’ icon in the top right corner.
Select the ‘Settings’ option from the drop-down menu.
Click on the ‘Site Settings’ option under the ‘Privacy and Security’ section.
Tap on the ‘Location’ button.
Further, you’ll see all the websites that are using your location currently.

Can Your Devices Find the Precise Location?

Yes, devices you use can find your precise location if your phone or tablet has a built-in GPS radio. This is how the location services work on devices like iPhone, iPad, Android, etc. Further, your location is provided on the website.

Some of you might have a question that, how about using a computer? In such a case, your device uses Wi-Fi based services. Your accurate location can be tracked by scanning nearby internet connections and their signal strengths, further provided to the website if you permit the same. Notably, when the in-built GPS radio is absent on your phone, the same tech is used.

If you’re using a computer without Wi-Fi, the website cannot determine a precise location.

Surprisingly, websites and advertising networks can cross-reference data. For instance, you’re using multiple devices that are linked to a single IP address. Now, when you visit a website from a particular device and allow access to your location, the website will know the location linked with the IP. On the other hand, when you visit the same website using a different device and deny location access, the website may not act as if it knows your location. However, it does.

Hide Your Location Using VPNs

If you do not want any website to access your location, you can use a Virtual Private Network. Whenever you visit a website using a VPN, you get connected to the VPN server, and the server gets connected to the website. Therefore, your location remains unrevealed. A similar technique is used when you are trying to reach location-restricted content. The website can view VPN’s IP address in place of your IP.

Now, you’re well familiar with the concept of location tracking by the websites. In conclusion, as long as you don’t permit the sites to access your location, precise location cannot be tracked.

Source: Websites Track Your Physical Location?