VPN does not hide my location
-
leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by Nov 14, 2018, 10:29 PM
By default you need to allow a site to get your geolocation.
-
A Former User last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 1:43 AM
leocg
By default should that not be the exit server? -
A Former User last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 3:53 PM
I mean shouldn't the exit server somewhere in the US (if the VPN is set to the Americas) provide its geolocation to the outside world?
-
blackbird71 last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 4:02 PM
@leocg said in VPN does not hide my location:
By default you need to allow a site to get your geolocation.
I'm not sure what you mean. I've operated Windows systems with geolocation disabled for years and not encountered any problems. If a site wants a visitor's location, they can always look up the listed location of the visiting data-packet's IP, which for a VPN will be that of the VPN exit portal. That may, of course, result in inappropriate regional content/ads or languages being served if the site script uses the IP location to tailor such things.
-
leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 4:06 PM
Geolocation isn't necessarily based only on your IP address. Even your phone's GPS can be used, depending on the geolocation service provider.
-
leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 4:07 PM
I mean that the default setting for geolocation in Opera is 'ask first'. So when a site wants to use it, you will see a dialog asking you to allow or deny the site access to your location.
-
A Former User last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 4:20 PM
OK, apparently I used the wrong term, it's exit portal not exit server.
Anyway, if the target site (in my case it was huffingtonpost.com) "sees" the geolocation of that exit portal it should not be able to find out my real location, just the geolocation of said exit portal, right? Maybe I'm too dense to understand this, it's entirely possible. -
leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 4:42 PM
Here with the VPN enabled, the original site is loaded, while that with VPN disabled, the local site is displayed.
So I guess the VPN is working in this case.
-
A Former User last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 4:56 PM
I don't know what you mean by "original site' and "local site".
-
leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 5:08 PM
Original: http://huffingtonpost.com/ Local: the localized version of the site for your country if there is one.
-
A Former User last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 5:17 PM
OK, thanks.
If the exit portal is located in the US, I should get the US version of the site, right?
Just looking at the Washington Post website and the first thing I see is an ad, referring to my home town, a little hamlet in the Texas boondocks.
Scary! -
leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 5:35 PM
I think so, and this is what seems to be happening here.
-
leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 5:38 PM
I have the ad-blocker enabled but disabling it makes an ad not related to my real place shows up in the right of the page.
-
A Former User last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 5:47 PM
Just out of curiosity: Are you located in the US and do you have your VPN set to the Americas?
-
leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 6:07 PM
No and no. I'm not in US and my VPN is set to optimal location.
-
leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 6:11 PM
Setting the VPN to Americas didn't seem to make any difference.
-
A Former User last edited by Nov 15, 2018, 6:22 PM
OK, then you cannot appreciate my frustration with this VPN thing.
Thanks for all the input. -
blackbird71 last edited by blackbird71 Nov 15, 2018, 6:44 PM Nov 15, 2018, 6:39 PM
@esebm Try using the VPN to visit https://ipleak.net/ and it may give some information about what is leaking your location. Give it a few moments to accumulate information, and it should show you data about what information is available to a website and from what.