Geolocation is the process of determining the location of a device using a combination of digital information. Websites and web applications can access the Geolocation API implemented in most popular browsers to determine your whereabouts. This information is then used for a variety of reasons, such as delivering targeted content specific to your neighborhood or general area.

While it’s sometimes nice to receive news, ads, and other items that are relevant to your specific location, some web surfers aren’t happy about apps and pages that use this data to customize their online experience. With this in mind, browsers give you the ability to manage location-based settings accordingly. The tutorials below describe how to use and modify this functionality in several popular browsers.

Google Chrome is one of the most popular browsers. Here is how to disable geolocation services:

Select Chrome’s Main Menu button, marked by three vertically aligned dots. It’s located in the upper-right corner of the browser.