Your location data can reveal a lot more than you might think. It goes beyond just determining where you are. Over time, it can record your daily routines, the places you regularly visit, and even the length of time your home is likely to be empty.
To help you see exactly what you’re giving away, NordVPN introduced My Location, a free browser-based tool that instantly shows your physical location and the virtual location visible to every website you visit.
What is the difference between your real and virtual location?
Your actual location is determined using device-based methods such as GPS or your browser’s geolocation API. This is the data that apps typically request when they request location access. Your virtual location, on the other hand, results from your IP address. This is the identifier associated with your internet traffic, and websites use it by default to estimate where your connection is coming from.
These two can differ significantly and it is important to understand this gap. Websites may use your location for targeted advertising or regional price discrimination, showing you different prices depending on your region. In more serious cases, a time-stamped location history can enable surveillance or stalking.
Marijus Briedis, CTO of NordVPN, puts it this way: “Once this data is exposed or shared too widely, it can be used for profiling, targeting, and other purposes far beyond the original purpose for which it was collected.”
How do I use NordVPN’s My Location tool safely?
To use Nord’s free tool, go to the My Location page and click “Test Location Access.” Your browser will ask you if you want to share your location with NordVPN. You should select “Allow this time” to give the tool one-time access to your browser’s geolocation API. It will map your physical location alongside your IP based virtual location.
When it comes to privacy, you’re covered because NordVPN confirms that it does not log or store any location data revealed by the tool. Beyond the tool itself, Briedis recommends checking your app permissions regularly, such as: For example, you can only allow location access when you are actively using an app and disable geotagging in your camera settings.
While a VPN doesn’t block GPS-based location, it can obscure your virtual location by changing the IP address that websites see. To get a head start on protecting your virtual footprint, you can check out some of the best free VPNs worth trying.
