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Tell HN: Google is correlating location data to your IP

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Re: Tell HN: Google is correlating location data to your IP

#111

Post by Akronymus »

andreareina wrote: post #100
lucb1e wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not just that, I also constantly get German Wikipedia articles as top result when my browser and OS are set to English. If it were only the UI, that would be better because I know the buttons by heart already (not a given for every user, of course). I've always wondered what I'm supposed to do when on holiday in a country with a different script that I can't make heads or tails of. I'll have to practice my japanese o…

I believe if you're logged in it will miraculously know what language to use. Mind you I don't actually know because I stay logged out

It doesn't. For me, it still puts the local language results first.

Re: Tell HN: Google is correlating location data to your IP

#113

Post by infinitedata »

brador wrote: post #98
freitasm wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not from HTTP requests. Android has access to the network stack and location. Google grabs all visible APs around and correlate to your location. It is way before HTTP even happens. This data is collected while you are driving around, walking down the street, etc.

How can you block this?

Usa an iPhone?

Re: Tell HN: Google is correlating location data to your IP

#115

Post by achairapart »

infinitedata wrote: post #113
brador wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can you block this?

Usa an iPhone?

Doesn't Apple do something similar however? When you turn WiFi off on your iPhone a prompt appears saying that it's better to turn it on for "better location tracking" or something like that.

Re: Tell HN: Google is correlating location data to your IP

#116

Post by jen20 »

achairapart wrote: post #115
infinitedata wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Usa an iPhone?

Doesn't Apple do something similar however? When you turn WiFi off on your iPhone a prompt appears saying that it's better to turn it on for "better location tracking" or something like that.

Keeping Wifi on allows “find my” to work more accurately, which many people value. Third party apps such as YouTube have an additional permission to be able to look at the local network.

Re: Tell HN: Google is correlating location data to your IP

#117

Post by KomoD »

Ctyra wrote: post #65

I am facing a different tyranny from Google. I just moved to US from a different country. I am not able to install any US based apps as Google play store has my original country tied in. Google knows I am in the US, but they want me to give a payment instrument (Paypal, or Credit card) before they allow me to update the country.

Yes, they use your card to verify you are actually living in the country, and not just spoofing. You either have to give them your card or you simply make another google account.

Re: Tell HN: Google is correlating location data to your IP

#118

Post by jen20 »

realusername wrote: post #74
lupire wrote: post #52

Google changes the UI language in its first party apps based on IP, which is a much bigger deal than advertisers chosing to send Spanish ads to people who spend time in Spanish language countries.

They still haven't understood that there's multilingual countries and immigration is a thing, I wonder how long it's going to take then to fix this annoying bug, this issue has been there forever.

Indeed - one of the more annoying things for me is Google and friends giving me UK-centric results because my browser language is set to en-GB despite being logged in, with a US billing address and a US IP address.

United Airlines is actually the worst offender for this - they constantly revert pricing to GBP. They somehow manage to know which home airport to set though.

Re: Tell HN: Google is correlating location data to your IP

#120

Post by justsomehnguy »

eternityforest wrote: post #107
justsomehnguy wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Somehow ad networks worked fine before Android and Chrome supplying everything they can to the company.

They did seem to work perfectly well, and the ad targeting was not much worse(Half the ads now are random startup gadgets I don't want). But what about stuff like Google Assistant? Seems like Google does a lot that doesn't serve ads, so I assume it must be either to sell their hardware or to spy. Are the hardware sales alone worth it to a CEO?

> Google does a lot that doesn't serve ads

Eh? Google Assistant is the quickest shortcut so serve you an ad, but also can do your calendar.

> Are the hardware sales alone

No way, especially the Google branded ones. But the ability to shoehorn it's ads on almost every device - is priceless. Don't forget, the Android smartphones are practically useless without Play Store and every Play Store install not only allows you to install apps, but:

links the device with your account (so any data explicitly known to come from this device is now can be correlated with you)

sends your location data

provides the way for you to spend the money, including RL

servers as a giant ad sink - every freemium game/app there has the ads from... you know whom?

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