[Feature Request] Configurable Randomization

[anthonysgro]

Feature request from the privacyguides.net forum: link

I am considering adding this, but it conflicts with the original intention of the extension. GeoSpoof was designed with the idea that your VPN alone does not reliably hide your location. For example:

• Without WebRTC protection, a website can detect your true IP address
• Websites can detect your location through the browser geolocation, timezone, and other APIs even if your IP address says you are in a different country

These easily allow websites to know if you are using a VPN, and they can block you. With GeoSpoof, if you align your browser location with the VPN setting, you should reliably convince any website that you are from whatever city you select. With randomization, this breaks. The extension stops being an explicit Geolocation setting tool to a fingerprinting obfuscation tool.

Fingerprinting obfuscation tools already exist, so I'm not sure of the value added here by supporting randomization. Would love others' thoughts on this.

[TrustedBear]

The thing is that websites probably already know you're using a VPN if you're using one of those good ones where VPN IPs are known. So, doesn't really matter I feel.

The way I am suing it is that I am setting a different city than the one I am connected to on the VPN. So, no matter which way websites try to determine where I am coming from, they won't know. Before GeoSpoof they could at-least infer based on my time zone. But now they can't because it doesn't matter.

I hope you see where I am coming from.

[TrustedBear]

With randomization, this breaks. The extension stops being an explicit Geolocation setting tool to a fingerprinting obfuscation tool.

Well, doing this will give the users the option to use this tool the way they want to.

To be clear, this randomization is for GeoSpoof to auto select a random city by itself should the user want it this way. Or select among a few cities the user prefers to GeoSpoof to be using. This is what the ask is and hope that's how you're understanding this request too.

[anthonysgro]

Yes that is a good point. Originally I intended on this tool being being used to synchronize your location with your VPN to prevent leaks, but I love that another use case is to completely obfuscate geolocation data by providing fake data to multiple endpoints.

I understand the request better now and I am open to this. Here are the options I'm considering:

1. Random city button: a one-click button that picks a random city for you. Once selected, it stays fixed until you change it. This is the simplest option and works well for both use cases (VPN sync and obfuscation).
2. Favorites list with manual rotation: save a few cities you like, switch between them whenever you want from a list. Gives you control without any automatic behavior.
3. Favorites list with auto-rotation on browser start: same as above, but GeoSpoof automatically picks a different city from your favorites each time you start the browser. Your location stays consistent during the session (every site sees the same city), but changes next time you open the browser.
4. Auto-rotation per session or on a timer: rotate to a new city every X hours or every new browsing session. More aggressive obfuscation, but still consistent within a window of time.

One other note -- i believe that per-site randomized rotation would actually make you more identifiable since a tracker could see you jumping continents every few seconds. So all your browser api data itself is consistent but it becomes a speed-of-light problem where trackers know without a doubt you are fishy.

[TrustedBear]

Those are all great ways to go about it. I like 3 the best. It is also the simplest if you ask me and the user can simply begin using what GeoSpoof is made for immediately after installation even if they don't go into settings or even open the extension to change anything.

[jonaharagon]

Favorites list with auto-rotation on browser start

Have you instead considered the ability to set a radius, so that the extension picks a random location within 50, 100, 250, etc. miles of your selected location? I wouldn't want to manually pick a bunch of locations.

Maybe the extension would cache like 100 different locations within your chosen radius as well, so that you don't make an API call for a new random location every time you launch the browser.

i believe that per-site randomized rotation would actually make you more identifiable since a tracker could see you jumping continents every few seconds. So all your browser api data itself is consistent but it becomes a speed-of-light problem where trackers know without a doubt you are fishy.

Also, I don't believe this is true if you are also using a VPN, because the trackers should not be able to tell the difference between you moving 1000 miles apart from the case where two different users 1000 miles apart are sharing a single VPN IP address, but I would still agree fingerprint obfuscation should probably not be the primary goal of this feature.

[Victor239]

Have you instead considered the ability to set a radius, so that the extension picks a random location within 50, 100, 250, etc. miles of your selected location?

That sounds similar to Android's Approximate location permission. It gives a location within 3 square km in urban centres, and uses population density providers to increase the area if you're in a more rural location.