Location tracking might seem something out of the movies, but what if, it is actually true in real life. The growing use of location by different software and Apps has put user’s privacy at great risk. Even various web browsers are able to track your geographic location. This means that governments, ISPs, and tech corporations have access to data about your whereabouts.

Given this precarious situation, it is important that you spoof your location. However, that is easier said than done. Numerous apps require your location to function properly. It’s almost a necessity for many users to switch on location tracking. But do not worry; here are some ways to bypass location tracking on browsers and mobile devices.

1.    Use a Location Spoofing Software

Location spoofing software such as VPN is excellent at changing your virtual location. A VPN tunnels your internet data through its own servers, masking your IP address during the process. This in turn changes your IP address to the address of the VPN server. Hence, your location remains concealed to the outside world.

Using a VPN is also beneficial in terms of accessing various content on the internet. Websites such as Hulu, Pandora, and BBC iPlayer are geo-blocked. To unlock such websites, you can spoof your location using a VPN service.  The best part of using a VPN is that they are compatible on various platforms, including mobile and computers. Some even offer exclusive add-ons for browsers. Here are some VPN providers you can consider:

2.    Turn off Geo-Location on Browsers

While location spoofing tools are excellent at hiding your location, but at times they fail to mask your IP address on web browsers. This is because latest browser versions use geo-location API, which is enables them to detect your location. However, using the following steps, you can switch off geo-location on different browsers:

Google Chrome

• Click on the menu button (three dots / lines) located at the top right corner
• Go to ‘Settings’
• Now access ‘Advance Settings’
• Under the ‘Privacy’ section, click on ‘Content Settings’
• Navigate to Location and select ‘Do not allow any site to track your physical location’
• Click ‘Done’ to apply the settings

Mozilla Firefox

• Type ‘about:config’ in the URL bar
• Now search for ‘geo.enabled’
• Double-click on ‘geo.enabled’ to disable geo-location (the value should change from ‘true’ to ‘false’)

Apple Safari

• Navigate to preferences in Safari
• Go to the ‘Privacy’ tab
• Now select ‘Deny without prompting’ located next to ‘Limit website access to location service’

3.    Avoid Geo-Tagging on Social Media

As fun as it is to tag the locations you Visit on social media, it’s a great risk to your privacy as well. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and other platforms keep logs of the places you visit. This could be dangerous and the best thing to do is avoid geo-tagging, no matter where you are and whom you are with.

4.    Turn Off Location on Android

You can turn off location tracking on Android devices to keep your identity safe. For Android version 6.0 and higher, go to ‘Settings’ and navigate to ‘Location’. Toggle off ‘Location’ to stop all apps from accessing your location. However, this will switch of location for the entire device.

If you want to switch off location for individual apps, just follow these steps: Settings > General > Apps > Configure Apps / App settings > App permission. Now you can customize and select the apps that require permission.

Conclusion

Geo-tracking can reveal potentially dangerous information if not handled carefully. That’s why it is important that you spoof your location on all the devices. We have highlighted certain methods that you can use to hide your location. It will help to protect your identity and safeguard your device from numerous cybercrimes.