Is Google Chrome spying on you?

[DarkLegend]

I realize that these articles were from 2008, so someone correct me if any of this has changed at all.

Though, I don't use chrome,partly because it has nothing to offer that I can't find in firefox.

"After typing Microsoft.com in the address field, all calls were addressed to IP 74.125.43.100 (host: bw-in-f100.google.com) which is Google’s for sure.

hXXp://74.125.43.100/complete/search?client=chrome&output=chrome&hl=en-US&q=…

For example:

Session Protocol
----------------
GET /complete/search?client=chrome&output=chrome&hl=en-US&q=h
["h",["http://www.hm.com/","hotmail","home depot","hsbc"],["Hx26M","430,000,000 results","32,300,000 results","27,800,000 results"],[],{"google:suggesttype":["NAVIGATION","QUERY","QUERY","QUERY"]}]GET /complete/search?client=chrome&output=chrome&hl=en-US&q=htt
["htt",["http://www.facebook.com/","httpservletrequest","httrack","http 500"],["Facebook","1,000,000 results","554,000 results","87,500,000 results"],[],{"google:suggesttype":["NAVIGATION","QUERY","QUERY","QUERY"]}]"

Link to article: http://www.favbrowser.com/google-chrome-spyware-confirmed/

"An italian blog  has recently tested Chrome by using a program called SilkPerformer. During such a test a web address was typed in Chrome. At this point the program started recording a weird activity. A lot of requests were sent through the Internet, from Chrome to this address: http://clients1.google.it/complete/search. Such requests were sent without the user pressing Enter!"

Link to article: http://www.webtlk.com/2008/09/11/is-google-chrome-spying-all-of-us/

"Chrome has an "incognito mode," which theoretically preserves your anonymity. But as Consumer Watchdog points out, the mode often switches off automatically without your knowledge. You may think you're surfing the Web without someone looking over your shoulder, but the reality is considerably different."

Link to article: http://www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/feeling-lucky/2008/11/04/chrome-spying-you

The end decision is up to you though.Some users feel this is a non-issue, I consider it a big one. I may not be doing anything "bad" but I don't like the thought of someone "watching my keystrokes" by any means. Do you really trust google with your privacy and information enough to use THEIR web browser?

I know I don't.

[polonus]

Hi DarkLegend

Google has perfected this, but all browsers do that: http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/01/tracking-by-user-agent
The browser user is fully transparent in normal default cases: User Agent information equals unique cookie information - can be restored via Super or Flash Cookie, identifiable specific tracking scripts and invisible hidden 0-pixel tracking bugs, unique geo-location coming to all the browsers now, all this in combination with javascript benefitting the webmaster, browser tracker and ad-seller. How you arrived here? Through putting easy functionality first, second, etc. etc. wait a long, long time than think minimally of user privacy and in the end consider the security of these policies. The user is not central to this, has lost almost all of his privacy (if you couple all the information the browser is leaking all the time) and has become totally transparent. There is a take it or leave it mentality and those that created this are in total denial. If you are against this - do not use a browser on the Internet, any browser..A nice example that proofs what I tell you here:

A token on the wall, ghostery add-on sold to the firm it was meant to work against:
http://blog.betteradvertising.com/2010/01/19/better-advertising-acquires-ghostery/
So probably a very interesting Firefox add-on lost to the "enemy"....

polonus

[daladna]

heh:) this is searching engine, same make yahoo ask etc, but not so open, when browser connect 2 any ip untill u whant this ipz of banners net or search engine like goog, i got ghost firewall and any inbound is blocked, all web provider(almost) cooperation with google, yahoo end other verify sites, in any way, google not look at ur money, they got them self more than enough

[cluckly old fish]

I recently downloaded and installed google chrome.

As stated above Really Offers nothing that I do not already get from Firefox....

Do like its look as an off line browser and only installed as a means to test the look of my
web page.
Sizing seems to be everything....

Do I think google is spying on you....
Sure I do..
As is Inkotomia, Microsoft, Amazon.com, Road Runner and thousands of others.

Get your self peerblock or perguardian. Install it and add the Microsoft Block list.
You will be amazed to find that as soon as you disable then reenable your Network Card
it immediately attempts to connect to a Microsoft IP???

The US D.O.D. can be found lingering about various computers every day of the year, as
well various other US Government site...

In this country many believe the Right to Privacy is protected under Constitutional Rights
but it is not.
There is only a Presumed Right to Privacy.

Host Files, IPSEC Policies, Firewalls, and IP Filters are your only line of defense in minimizing
the prying eyes of thousands.

[Hermite15]

@Logos: it seems the post is removed, you might remove the quote from your post too.

yeah that was a scam...earlier today

[DarkLegend]

I recently downloaded and installed google chrome.

As stated above Really Offers nothing that I do not already get from Firefox....

Do like its look as an off line browser and only installed as a means to test the look of my
web page.
Sizing seems to be everything....

Do I think google is spying on you....
Sure I do..
As is Inkotomia, Microsoft, Amazon.com, Road Runner and thousands of others.

Get your self peerblock or perguardian. Install it and add the Microsoft Block list.
You will be amazed to find that as soon as you disable then reenable your Network Card
it immediately attempts to connect to a Microsoft IP???

The US D.O.D. can be found lingering about various computers every day of the year, as
well various other US Government site...

In this country many believe the Right to Privacy is protected under Constitutional Rights
but it is not.
There is only a Presumed Right to Privacy.

Host Files, IPSEC Policies, Firewalls, and IP Filters are your only line of defense in minimizing
the prying eyes of thousands.

of course, However, It's to what extent. I personally don't like the idea of having a "unique ID" registered to me that "only google" knows about. Makes me wonder what for. Most companies spy in the generality of collecting information in searches. It seems that what google is doing now,and is in one of the above links,Is taking that too another level by already knowing what you are typing as you type it.

"Such requests were sent without the user pressing Enter!"

I'm sure we are all aware that everyone is doing a little bit of "spying". I for one,feel safer using something OTHER than a program that has been known explicitly for it's history of "spying" as my source of web browsing, online shopping,etc.

Not to say they are doing anything "bad" with that information,but It's creepy enough knowing that they already know everything about you.

But hey, What you don't know won't hurt you right? In this case it may have been better as users like myself will stay away from it and tell everyone else to stay away from it. Don't want google to know more then they already do, do you?

I'll stick with FireFox,at least I can limit what the amount of "spying" they may be doing. To an extent

P.S. All this is really is something I found interesting that I didn't already know about google and what they do. Thought I'd share it with you guys. Not trying to bash anyone . *Throws Holy Water at Google* lol, JK

[polonus]

Hi malware fighters,

Browser fingerprinting is a powerful way of browser tracking. Firefox is browser that is most common in this respect, but can stand out rather as a unique browser by the combination of extensions etc.
The best way to prevent browser fingerprinting is to use privacy mode inside the browser:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_mode

polonus

[Asyn]

The browser user is fully transparent in normal default cases: User Agent information equals unique cookie information - can be restored via Super or Flash Cookie, identifiable specific tracking scripts and invisible hidden 0-pixel tracking bugs, unique geo-location coming to all the browsers now, all this in combination with javascript benefitting the webmaster, browser tracker and ad-seller. How you arrived here? Through putting easy functionality first, second, etc. etc. wait a long, long time than think minimally of user privacy and in the end consider the security of these policies. The user is not central to this, has lost almost all of his privacy (if you couple all the information the browser is leaking all the time) and has become totally transparent. There is a take it or leave it mentality and those that created this are in total denial. If you are against this - do not use a browser on the Internet, any browser..A nice example that proofs what I tell you here:

Hi D., you are right..!
But there are workarounds for every of these 'problems' - some only for experienced users...
asyn

@DarkLegend: Just to answer your topic-question... Definitly: YES..!!

[YoKenny]

Hi malware fighters,

Browser fingerprinting is a powerful way of browser tracking. Firefox is browser that is most common in this respect, but can stand out rather as a unique browser by the combination of extensions etc.
The best way to prevent browser fingerprinting is to use privacy mode inside the browser:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_mode

polonus

Its easy to use as well.
In IE go to Tools then enable InPrivate Filtering (Ctrl+Shift+F)

[Asyn]

Just a quick update. The article I wrote about Google Chrome spying all of us was not exact. In fact, while it is true that Chrome send data to Google, this data is totally anonymous
Blogger of www.webtlk.com

Not if combined with the other data collected by them...
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/the-evil-side-of-google-exploring-googles-user-data-collection
asyn

[YoKenny]

Not if combined with the other data collected by them...
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/the-evil-side-of-google-exploring-googles-user-data-collection
asyn

I am sure an article from June 24th, 2008 is about as applicable today as the news that Barack Obama was elected US president.

Blocking tracking cookies like Doubleclick and Adsense with a HOSTS file has been known for ages.

[Asyn]

I am sure an article from June 24th, 2008 is about as applicable today as the news that Barack Obama was elected US president.

Thats just a small insight in what's happening at google for many years...
And even as this is an old blog post, you don't really think they behave better now...??!!
asyn

[polonus]

Hi Asyn,

You could see yourself what is going on with Google Chrome privacy wise, just run an instance of Fiddler 2.0 under it....learn to do it here: http://www.pwnthis.net/2010/05/how-to-use-fiddler.html

polonus

[fredvries]

You could also try to use UnChrome to stop Google Chrome sending info home.

More info and download here.

[polonus]

Hi fredvries,

Thanks for the heads-up on this, very helpful...

polonus