Can Websites Track Your Location?
A majority of our lives these days are spent online accessing various websites, whether you are working, relaxing, or learning new things. As we use the internet daily, concerns about whether or not websites can track our location might arise. Our article is here to give you more information on whether or not a website can track your location, and how your location might even be received by a website in the first place.
How Might a Website See Your Location?
All websites have an IP address, something that identifies that website and sends information back and forth across the internet. Your personal devices, such as your computer and your smartphone, also have IP addresses, and these are used to help identify your device to the network or website you are visiting.
Your IP address is unique to you, so when you visit a website, the website will be able to pick up basic information about where you are connecting from. Most of the time, this gives the website a general location for your device, such as the country, state, or even the city you are located in. However, most websites and online services can’t see your location with any type of specificity, so you shouldn’t be worried about your street address being given away by your IP address every time you connect up to the internet.
Will Websites Pinpoint Your Location Automatically?
The majority of websites will not be able to pinpoint your location, nor will they be able to automatically access your exact location. In fact, most websites or online services will ask for your permission to access your location when you first use them. This is typically a prompt before you enter the web page, and you have the choice to say no and either use the website in a limited fashion or not at all. Because websites must ask for location permissions, you won’t have to worry about your location being automatically accessed and shared with others online.
Will Websites Track Your Location With Your IP Address?
Websites will not be able to track your location with your IP address, as the information provided by the IP address and sent back and forth to the website via GPS satellites is simply not enough information. Websites must ask for permissions before accessing your location or at least notify you that your location services are necessary to operate the website, and your precise street address won’t be shared when you access websites online.
Protecting Your Online Information
If you are concerned about your online information and protecting your location history, there are a few steps you can take to make sure that you maintain privacy when using your various devices to access the web. One of the most popular options is investing in a VPN, a tool that protects your devices’ unique IP addresses and makes your location appear to be from other parts of the world.
In addition to a VPN, you may also want to utilize an email lookup tool, like this one, to find out where your information has been spread online. A tool like this will pull all publicly available information about the email address you enter, including information about websites that your email address may be connected to. Once you have this information, you can delete accounts you don’t use, remove accounts that don’t belong to you, and clean up your online presence to ensure you have the utmost security when browsing online.
