Geolocation: How it works in Vivaldi
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@mscha said in Geolocation: How it works in Vivaldi:
And how about desktop computers – yes, they still exist – without WiFi and Bluetooth?
I’m presuming the device also doesn’t have a 2G/3G/4G mobile data connection? and no global navigation satellite system chip? Then it falls back to lookups based on IP addresses. IP lookups can usually pinpoint you to a city level, depending on the infrastructure of your ISP.
@lonm said in Geolocation: How it works in Vivaldi:
I just wish there was a way to set Android to do this, but I don't see Google giving up that particular stranglehold any time soon.
You can use MLS on a rooted phone by installing MLS as a location service provider. Google Location Services is implemented in the same way, but third-parties like MLS can’t request the permissions needed to provide the service on a non-rooted device.
@lonm said in Geolocation: How it works in Vivaldi:
In fact it would be nice if any system allowed you to pick which location service provider you wanted to use.
Consumer choice!? How quaint.
@chas4 said in Geolocation: How it works in Vivaldi:
How many different location APIs are there now?
You’ll see Apple, Microsoft, Mozilla, and Google in consumer devices. There are a lot more available for enterprise use-cases, however. You’ll find Mozilla in Firefox, Vivaldi, GNOME, and KDE.
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Ukrainian translation https://kurai.vivaldi.net/?p=707
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@mscha: Exactly! I was beginning to wonder if maybe i was the last Tower user left standing [sitting, actually, atm], ha.
Anyway, it's all irrelevant to me; i read all this stuff with much bemusement. Geolocation will always remain with its default of Disabled / Blocked, on all my devices.
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@steffie said in Geolocation: How it works in Vivaldi:
I was beginning to wonder if maybe i was the last Tower user left standing...
I'm awash in towers. Want some?
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@lonm There are several open source alternatives https://staging.f-droid.org/search?q=backend
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How do we completely disable this functionality in Vivaldi? I have no use for this.
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@gwen-dragon Thanks. But on that page I only have a list of sites already blocked and a toggle for "ask before accessing" which is ON.
There really should be a setting for just choosing a default of Blocked for all sites, as I have no interest in sites asking for my location. Not that I'm paranoid, I just have no use for the functionality. Like my Android Google Maps constantly asking me to turn on GPS... very annoying.
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@gwen-dragon said in Geolocation: How it works in Vivaldi:
Then do untoggle it!
OK - but I interpret that as meaning it never asks before accessing location. If "Ask" is Off it would never ask right?
Oh well, I'm sure it's fine, I don't have a laptop anyway, only use the desktop PC. Just want to avoid having enabled "features" I really don't want.
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@pathduck The only two settings available, apparently are: Blocked or, Ask First. There is no setting to always allow.
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@ayespy said in Geolocation: How it works in Vivaldi:
@pathduck The only two settings available, apparently are: Blocked or, Ask First. There is no setting to always allow.
The last thing I'd want is Always Allow
I've figured out the option now - it toggles between Blocked and Ask. D'oh. Just me not being used to the Chrome dumbed down way of doing things I guess.
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@pathduck The interface for it is far from intuitive or obvious.
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Then it falls back to lookups based on IP addresses. IP lookups can usually pinpoint you to a city level
Aaaaha, i see, ta for explaining this. My older --naive-- post in this thread snootily said:
Anyway, it's all irrelevant to me; ... Geolocation will always remain with its default of Disabled / Blocked, on all my devices
...& so this morning i had the ignorance of that remark thrust into my face.
Ever since governments the world over became fascists wrt their attitude to personal privacy, i have been using VPNs, & in phone & computers i keep anything pertaining to Location Services disabled [at least, to the extent a humble end-user who has not rooted her Android phone can, ie, not so much...]. This attitude of course includes my pc Vivaldis.
A couple of days ago i decided to change my default VPN server connection in my primary pc tower from its erstwhile location geographically proximate to me [ie, in my own country], to one in a small European country [thus the latency is now horrible (which always amazes me, given the Speed of Light, 'n all), but stuff still streams & downloads nearly as fast as before, once the latency lag finishes].
This morning i was watching some YouTube stuff, & was incensed ... really pissed off... when advertisements kept breaking into my chosen intro to Python coding video. I was annoyed for two reasons:
- advertisements kept breaking in [hate hate hate ads]
- many many of the ads were in German
#2 pissed me off not for xenophobic reasons [far from it], but coz i realised that YT must have decided that on balance i was probably a German speaker based on ... what? ... i knew i had Location blocked in Vivaldi. Then i realised of course, the bleeding obvious; it guessed i was German or spoke German because that is one of the national languages of the country hosting my active VPN server, & YT must have worked it out i presume via the current IP address.
Thus, this event made me feel like an utter galah as i reflected on that stupid naive pompous earlier remark i posted. Instant Karma's gonna get you, Gonna knock you right on the head ... & it did.
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