Discover how to control access to your physical location settings. Geolocation is the process of determining the location of a device using a combination of digital information. Websites and web applications can access the geolocation API that is implemented in most popular browsers to learn your whereabouts.
This information is then used for a variety of reasons, such as providing content specific to your neighborhood or general area.
While it’s sometimes nice to receive news, ads, and other items relevant to your particular location, some Internet users are uncomfortable with apps and sites that use this data to personalize their online experience.
With this in mind, browsers provide you with the opportunity to control location-based settings accordingly. The tutorials below detail how to control access to your physical location settings in several different popular browsers.
This guide applies to Chrome 83.0.4103.116, Edge 83.0.478.58, Firefox 78.0.1, Internet Explorer 11, Opera 68.0.3618.173, Safari for MacOS 10, and Vivaldi 3.1.
Setting your location in Google Chrome
Google Chrome is one of the most popular browsers available. Here’s how to disable your geolocation services:
Select the main menu button from Chrome , marked by three vertically aligned dots. It’s located in the upper-right corner of the browser.
Choose Settings .
Scroll down and click Site Settings .
In permissions select Location .
Move the slider Ask before accessing (recommended) to turn it on or off. Turn it on if you want websites to ask for your permission before accessing your location.
Below that, you can see the section Block and the section Allow . Here, you can see which websites you have granted geolocation permissions to and revoke them, if necessary.
MozillaFirefox
Location-based browsing asks for your permission when a website tries to access your location data.
Follow the steps below to disable this feature completely.
select the button Menu .
choose preferences .
click on Privacy & Security .
Scroll down to permissions and select Setting beside Location .
This opens the dialog Settings – Location permissions . From here, you can see which websites have requested access to your location and choose to allow or block them.
Microsoft Edge monitor location
Next, it is explained control access to your physical location settings and which websites can access your location using the latest Microsoft browser.
select the button Settings and more (represented as three horizontal dots) in the upper right corner of the screen.
Choose Settings .
Click on site permissions on the left side of the screen.
Select Location .
Move the slider Ask before accessing (recommended) to turn it on or off. Turn it on if you want websites to ask for your permission before accessing your location.
In the section Block Y Allow you can see which websites you have granted geolocation permissions to and revoke them, if necessary.
Turn location on, off Opera
Opera uses Google location services to track your whereabouts. The first time you access a website using your browser, you are asked to accept the GLS terms and conditions. After that, Opera will give you the option to send your location data, or not, whenever a website requests that information.
But, if you want to disable it completely, go to Setting (Preferences on Mac)> Websites > Location and uncheck Allow websites to request my physical location .
internet explorer 11
Here’s how to disable geolocation services in Internet Explorer 11
Select the icon gear in the upper right corner of the browser window.
When the dropdown menu appears, select Internet Options .
Select the tab Privacy .
Look for the section Location in privacy options and click the checkbox next to Never allow websites to request your physical location .
When enabled, this option tells the browser to reject all requests to access your physical location data.
The button delete sites is also inside the section Location . Every time a website tries to access your location data, IE11 prompts you to take action. In addition to allowing or denying that individual request, you have the option to block or safe list the corresponding website.
The browser stores these preferences and uses them on subsequent visits to those sites. To remove all those saved preferences and start over, select the button delete sites .
Safari for Mac
Safari is the default web browser that ships with all Mac computers. To access or deny access to your physical location in Safari:
Click on the option preferences of system in the Apple menu or in the Dock.
Select security and privacy .
Click on the tab Privacy and select location services in the left pane.
Click on the padlock icon to change the settings and enter your admin password if you get a prompt.
Enable or disable location services by placing (or removing) a check in front of Enable location services .
Place a check in the box in front of Safari to enable location services for the browser. Clear the check mark to prevent Safari from sharing your location.
Vivaldi
Vivaldi is a free cross-platform web browser that was released in 2016. It is the most customizable of the popular web browsers.
Click on the Settings gear in the lower left corner of the screen.
Select Websites on the left.
In Default permissions open the menu next to Geolocation . You have three options:
Allow : All the sites you navigate to can see your location.
I asked for : Vivaldi will ask you before granting location permission to a site.
Block : No site can see your location.
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