- NordVPN has released a new free browser app
- “My Location” shows your location in close proximity to the physical location
- The tool seeks to help users understand their digital privacy risks
Location information can provide a lot more than the coffee shop you’re sitting at. It reveals the places you visit most often, your daily habits, and when you are away from home. Now, to help users better understand what data they are publishing, the team behind one of the best VPN services has released a dedicated monitoring system.
NordVPN has officially announced My Location, a free web app designed to allow you to instantly monitor your physical location and the visual space displayed on the websites you visit. Working entirely at the browser level, the app aims to clarify how different types of location data affect your digital privacy.
Marijus Briedis, CTO of NordVPN says: “Location is one of the most sensitive types of personal information because it can reveal where you are and where you are in your daily life. Once this data is exposed or shared widely, it can be used for profiling, targeting, and other purposes beyond the original reason it was collected.”
Virtual space vs
One of the main goals of the My Location app is to educate users about the important difference between their real and virtual locations.
Yours virtual space it is identified using device-based methods such as GPS or your website’s API, which applications often use when they ask you where you are.
Yours virtual spacehowever, it depends on the IP address attached to your Internet traffic. This is the data that websites rely on by default to estimate where your link is coming from.
Why is this difference important? Providing this information may lead to targeted advertising and regional price discrimination, where websites show you different prices based on your location. In more extreme cases, a time-stamped geographic history can invite temptation or capture by making it easier to identify where you live and how you live your daily life.
Using the app is very easy, but there are certain steps you should follow to protect your privacy.
When you go to the My Location page, you will see a button to test your location. If you’re using Google Chrome, clicking “Test” will bring up a browser warning, “Can I give NordVPN your site?” Besides this warning, Chrome will give you three options: “Block,” “Only this time,” or “Always.”
Users should choose “Just this time.” By doing this, you allow the app to use your web API to find your real location and map it to your IP-based location for that one session. Because you haven’t granted permanent access, the app won’t automatically reactivate, keeping your long-term privacy intact.
Most importantly, you don’t have to worry about the service provider constantly watching you. NordVPN has confirmed that the app only works in browser settings and “does not store or store any location data revealed through its use.”
How to protect your site information
Beyond just looking at what information is visible, taking effective steps to lock down your data is important.
Briedis recommends a few simple hygiene practices for your equipment. You should check your device permissions regularly, to ensure that you are only allowing access when you are using the device. Additionally, it is highly recommended to turn off geotagging in your device’s camera settings and choose privacy-preserving devices wherever possible.
Finally, although a private network (VPN) cannot hide GPS-based tracking, it is the best way to protect your location. By routing your internet traffic through an encrypted server, a VPN changes the IP address seen on websites, ensuring that your overall browsing activity remains securely encrypted.
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