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Why do you claim to support privacy issues but have geolocation turned on by default?

  • 5 replies
  • 3 have this problem
  • 3 views
  • Paskiausią atsakymą parašė the-edmeister

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Two issues. First, firefox should give geolocation functions as options, not on by default. Second, once one has decided one way or the other, the decision should be preserved through future updates. I had turned it off, only to find that, after an update, it is back on. This undermines trust in firefox as a private browser. Further, it can have dangerous implications for journalists, activists etc. Please address.

Two issues. First, firefox should give geolocation functions as options, not on by default. Second, once one has decided one way or the other, the decision should be preserved through future updates. I had turned it off, only to find that, after an update, it is back on. This undermines trust in firefox as a private browser. Further, it can have dangerous implications for journalists, activists etc. Please address.

All Replies (5)

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Further, navigating the options to switch off geoloction functions is way to baroque for the average user (like me).

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I have a user.js file to preserve the settings I want to stay put. It saves a lot of bother with switching things back after someone decides to change settings arbitrarily.

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You always need to confirm via a notification bar at the top that you want to share your location with a website. This is never done automatically.

Note that websites can do a reverse DNS look up on your IP to determine your location as reported by your ISP.

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That does not narrow down to your street address, however, does it?

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finitarry - wi-fi geolocation information can be very accurate, like within a meter, iirc. IP address lookup less so, like maybe 1/2 kilometer depending upon the ISP or it can be off by hundreds of miles.