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On my desktop computer (arch) and laptop (debian) I use gnome-maps. On both devices I use a VPN. (iptables firewall does not allow non-VPN traffic, no DNS leaks.)

On my desktop, the "current location" is the city where the VPN is, as expected.

On my laptop however, gnome-maps is able to get my actual location (VERY precisely, almost down to the foot).

How is that possible? What techniques are used? The laptop does not have GPS.

confetti
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1 Answers1

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gnome-maps uses geoclue which in turn uses the names/MACs of the wireless networks names and Mozilla Location Services. That's how it gets your location. Here there is more information on wifi-based location technologies.

Dependencies might not allow for removal, but you can disable geoclue.

Eduardo Trápani
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  • So `geoclue` basically sends a list of nearby WiFi MAC's to the MLS API and gets a location in return, correct? That'd make sense, as my desktop PC has no WiFi. – confetti Jan 31 '20 at 15:04