How to track location from IP address

As much as we like to think otherwise, just about every app (and website) on the web is connected to a server somewhere. To track a user's location, those servers usually need to know where they are in order to function properly. DNS is unavoidable if you want your IP address to calculate your location and if you don't want it revealed on apps or websites. The problem arises when people are concerned with their privacy and use the Tor Browser for extra protection in hopes of staying anonymous. But what happens when you're using apps that don't need any personal info? It's actually pretty simple: no cookies track your browsing history and no logs are kept of what websites you visit... but instead, your physical location is tracked in the background. Earlier this week, I was browsing through some of my favorite websites when I saw an ad for a mobile phone case on my news feed. It was on Facebook. The ad was targeted towards me and based on what I had been doing online recently. Apparently, when you use the Tor Browser, your physical location is still being tracked by advertisers and social media sites even though you are technically anonymous and protected. This article will go into what DNS is and how to keep it from tracking your IP address while browsing the web with Tor .

DNS 101 DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is a hierarchical system that allows us to connect with websites and apps by using domain names rather than IP addresses. Your computer connects to a DNS server and asks for the location of the website or app you want to visit. The server then returns your requested information in the form of an IP address. If you are on Tor, request for your IP address from a DNS server and it will tell you where you are (even if it's fake). This happens because Tor basically "injects" your fake IP address into every request made unless you specifically disable this feature.

According to Wikipedia, there are at least 4,000+ DNS servers on the internet that all work together in order to function properly. These servers are usually operated by ISPs, governments, and businesses. They are in charge of organizing the hierarchical system we use to connect with websites and apps.

How Does DNS Work? When you type in a domain name into your browser (www.google.com), your computer sends a request to a DNS server somewhere on the internet. The server will then tell your computer where the requested website is located (the IP address) and then you're able to view it in your browser. This is how all websites work unless you use the Tor Browser, which will not be using DNS to connect to IP addresses automatically as normal browsers do

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