Websites that use location-aware browsing will ask where you are to bring you more relevant information or to save you time while searching. Let's say you're looking for a coffee shop in your area. A website will be able to ask you to share your location so that simply searching for "coffee" will bring you the answers you need... no further information or extra typing required.
Or, if you're mapping out directions to get somewhere, the website will know where you're starting from so all you have to do is tell it where you want to go.
How Does it Work?
When you visit a location-aware website, your browser will ask you if you want to share your location.
If you consent, the browser gathers information about nearby wireless access points and your computer's IP address. Then the browser sends this information to the default geolocation service provider and Google Location Services, to get an estimate of your location. That location estimate is then shared with the requesting website.
If you say that you do not consent, the browser will not do anything.
How to Disable Location-Aware Browsing
Here is how to disable this feature in most common browsers.
Internet Explorer 9
Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing > Internet Options > Privacy tab and check the box next to 'Never allow websites to request your physical location' and click OK to save the settings.
Firefox
- Type about:config In the URL bar and hit enter.
- Confirm the security warning and type geo.enabled in the filter field.
- Double click on the geo.enabled to disable Location-Aware Browsing.
Google Chrome
- Click the three vertical dots in the upper right hand corner of the browser and click settings.
- Click Security and Privacy > Site Settings.
- In Site Settings, click Location.
- Click "Don't allow sites to see your location".
Opera
- Click the three horizontal lines in the upper right hand corner, scroll to the bottom, and click on "Go to full browser settings"
- Under the Security and Privacy section, click on "Site Settings".
- In Site Settings, click on Location.
- "Don't allow sites to see your location" may be enabled by default. If it is not, enable it to turn off location-aware browsing.
If the directions above do not match your browser settings, you would need to contact support for your browser for current instructions on disabling location-aware browsing.