Google maps finds my location when i use a private window with a vpn, how is that possible?

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As title says, open a private window, using a vpn, i open maps.google.com and it goes straight to my town. I checked that vpn is working going to dnsleaktest.com, extended test shows ip in another state and dns is proxied. Desktop linux browser has antifingerprinting enabled in case they are somehow relying on that from previous map searches, but if so then this feature does nothing.

Edit: Changed my ip and tried again, now maps opens in another state. Google is tracking people through ip+fingerprint+previous searches. Brave antifingerprinting does not protect against tracking. This is confirmed by checking a fingerprinting site which reveals my browser type and version, and my desktop OS. Why the hell is this info being reported to websites? What business is it that websites should know what OS im using?

eff coveryourtracks site shows some really bad results for brave compared to mullvad (torbrowser without tor). numbers are one in X browsers have this value:
User agent - brave is 64, mullvad is 22
Http accept headers - brave is 70, mullvad is 4
System fonts - brave is 200, mullvad is 9
WebGL vendor and renderder - brave is 825, mullvad is 12

I ran the test again after clearing data and restarting the browser due to braves randomization, the other metrics that reported smaller values were randomized but these 4 results were the same.

edit2: ok this is getting weird, i tried google maps in mullvad under the first vpn ip and it showed my town again, in the address bar its puts a tracking code (g_ep=), this was the same tracking code in brave. When i changed the ip again, in a private window open maps in both browsers, it shows a different state, but it gives me the same tracking code. How is google tracking me across browsers and ip’s?

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@supertaco

Possibly . . .

You have a pre-existing condition: Google’s dossier about you, your computing devices’ hardware, software, and your computing device behaviors.

That includes current and prior usage of Google Chrome Internet browser, Location Services, Google DNS servers, Google-served cookies, application extensions acquired from Google stores, clicking on Google Ecosystem URL address links, Notifications services, an Android mobile device, Third Party Associates of Google (online banking - ads), etc.

And, some process that is using one or more connections to the Google Ecosystem.

In effect, your Internet Mugshot has been in circulation.(Time for Super Tequila?)

April 23, 2025
Blue Shield of California shared the private health data of millions with Google for years

Blue Shield said it used Google Analytics to track how its customers used its websites, but a misconfiguration had allowed for personal and health information to be collected as well, such as the search terms that patients used on its website to find healthcare providers.

The insurance giant said Google “may have used this data to conduct focused ad campaigns back to those individual members.”

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