this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2026
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433
Microsoft Edge and Aloha caught sharing precise user location data with third parties (www.techradar.com)
submitted 1 month ago by throws_lemy@reddthat.com to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] SnoringEarthworm@sh.itjust.works 89 points 1 month ago (1 children)
  • A new Surfshark study found that over 50% of the top 15 mobile browsers collect user location data.
  • Microsoft Edge, Aloha, Yandex, and Phoenix collect precise location data, with Edge and Aloha openly sharing it with third parties.
  • Privacy-focused browsers like Tor, Brave, and DuckDuckGo do not collect app-level location data, proving that continuous tracking isn't technically necessary.

proving that continuous tracking isn't technically necessary

[–] grue@lemmy.world 61 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Weird omission of Firefox.

[–] jumponboard@lemmy.world 38 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

That was OP, not the original post by rene

Four popular mobile browsers collect only your approximate location: Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Opera, and Mozilla Firefox.

privacy-branded browsers like DuckDuckGo, Brave, Tor, and Ecosia, alongside Samsung Internet, UC Browser, and Mi Browser

[–] ZombieCyborgFromOuterSpace@piefed.ca 52 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Never ever trust anything from Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, X, TikTok for anything. Just don't use their software.

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 26 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Agreed.

Sent from my pixel phone. 💀

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 18 points 1 month ago (1 children)

GrapheneOS 😎

[–] toofpic@lemmy.world -4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

How to buy from Google and still think you're an anarchist😎

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Got it second hand mate, google earned nothing from me.

EDIT: I am aware of the cognitive dissonance needed to be an anarchist under capitalism. The hypocrisy is everywhere. Children died for the minerals needed in the devices we're typing these comments on.

[–] pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

anyone with a fairphone?

[–] Hund@feddit.nu 1 points 1 week ago

Me! I have a Fairphone 6 with LineageOS (without any Google services).

[–] dimjim@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Running Grapheneos right? Running Grapheneos right?

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago

I wish lol

[–] kambusha@sh.itjust.works 24 points 1 month ago (2 children)

This is a marketing post.

[–] DarkerRadical@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago

It's so lucky Surfshark have the answers!

[–] DataCrime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Right? Their “study” seems to have been reading the Google App Store and disclosures 😂

[–] GoatSynagogue@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It’s also completely wrong about the apps on iOS which have system level controls for approx and precise location.

[–] DataCrime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

“The developer states…” honestly I barely trust apple anymore. I miss the days of human app reviews and a curated App Store. Gay Grandpa has sold us out, Jobs was an abusive narcissistic sociopath but I still miss him.

[–] GoatSynagogue@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It doesn’t matter if you trust the developer or not, that’s the whole point of the system-level controls for these things.

[–] DataCrime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 month ago

And you think you have that? Uber got around Apple’s control and then bribed their way back in… Apple’s basically telling you they’ve abdicated responsibility at this point.

[–] sompreno@lemmy.zip 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What really?

[–] Jhogenbaum@leminal.space 1 points 1 month ago

On the Internet?! C'mon get real! Next youre gonna tell me that picture of the woman touching her laptop screen and keyboard simultaneously is faked.

[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 8 points 1 month ago

That's like "catching" a bird flying.

IT'S WHAT THEY DO. They don't know anything else!

[–] GoatSynagogue@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

On iOS Edge, and all other apps, have a precise location setting alongside the location settings, so is this only talking about Android?

You can choose to use approximate or precise location right in the settings:

If you have never selected it doesn’t even get your approximate location.

[–] OriginalUsername7@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The article talks about safari as well, so this doesn’t seem to be solely an android problem.

From memory, Android has a similar location precision setting, but I switched to iOS 2 years ago so I’m a bit hazy on that.

Reading the article, it sounds like the issue is more about how your data is used if you give your browser access to your precise location. Even if that access is allowed, not all browsers are sharing it. Edge and Aloha seem to be the only two which say they share your precise location.

[–] GoatSynagogue@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

It’s just a poorly, or non-researched ad for a VPN basically.

If you give something location access, read what it uses it for. Pretty straight forward.