Comment on Google Chrome ships a default, hidden extension that allows code on *.google.com access to private APIs, including your current CPU usage

VelvetStorm@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

• JustARegularNerd@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Effectively Google has a browser extension (just like the ones you’d install from the Chrome Web Store like uBlock Origin) that comes with the browser that’s hidden.

  This extension allows Google to see additional information about your computer that extensions and websites don’t normally have access to, such as checking how much load your PC has.

  The big concern in the comments is that this could be used for fingerprinting your browser, even in Incognito mode.

  What this essentially means is that even though the browser may not have any cookies saved or any other usual tracking methods, your browser can still be recognised by how it behaves on your machine in particular, and this hidden extension allows Google to retrieve additional information to further narrow down your browser and therefore who you are, even in Incognito mode.

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  • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    information like the make and model of your professor

    Oh no, not my professor :( (/s)

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    • JustARegularNerd@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Oh that’s a good typo, I’m leaving that!

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  • Misk@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    So since they only just seem to have discovered this, does that mean this invisible extension also likely to be present on Chromium based browsers such as Brave and Thorium etc…?

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    • JackbyDev@programming.dev ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Yes, though they could remove it. If they’re open source then you could check easily.

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  • VelvetStorm@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Thank you for this info. If this is just an extension, can we just uninstall it or turn it off?

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    • daq@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      This is not a typical extension and it cannot be removed. It doesn’t even show up in the list of installed extensions.

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      • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Maybe recompiling? But I suspect that Chrome as it is, is closed source?

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  • dan@upvote.au ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    even in Incognito mode.

    I thought extensions don’t run in incognito mode?

    I know Firefox doesn’t run them by default - you have to explicitly allow extensions in incognito mode.

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    • Gestrid@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I thought extensions don’t run in incognito mode?

      They don’t. Unless you check the box that allows them to. And I’m sure Google has already checked that box by default.

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    • griD@feddit.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I tested it with a stock install of chrome/windows 11. Works.

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  • WindyRebel@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Fingerprinting.

    Bingo! Google wants to go cookieless and fingerprinting has been one of the solves I’ve always read about in the SEO world.

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