IT Professionals

Chrome Is A Privacy Concern?

Posted by on Apr 6, 2010 | 6 Comments

I honestly found this article to be rather funny, as using any search engine is a privacy breach. All using Chrome does is make logging things easier for Google. That’s it. The idea that somehow Internet Explorer is “safer” from a privacy perspective is complete hogwash and Microsoft needs to be called out on this.

Let me paint you a picture of reality. You are on the Internet; unless you are visiting something using a proxy, you have no privacy. There, I said it. Hopefully this will shut Microsoft’s insane claims down for a few months or so. I am willing to bet just about anything that Microsoft’s browser is doing the same thing as Chrome. Claiming otherwise is suspect at best. Come on, both Google and Microsoft work very closely with the Justice Dept. and DHS. Of course they are spying on you — don’t be naive. Did you really think the Patriot Act would be repealed? Wake up and smell the Folgers, kids, you’ve been duped. There is no such thing as online privacy.

So should you stop using Chrome? Well, I’d use the browser that offers up its source code for careful inspection. And folks, let’s be honest. This is NOT Internet Explorer. My advice is to just follow the laws put forth, keep your nose clean, and use the browser that provides the experience you like the best. Simple.

[awsbullet: george orwell 1984]

  • http://thirdworldcounty.us David

    When I want a “private” search, I use OperaTor’s combo of Opera, Tor and Polipo. Better privacy/anonymity than most other approaches and has the rich feature set of Opera. I don’t use Chrome simply because, although I try it from time to time, it’s still lacking built-in features that make a browser really work for me, and tacking on extensions just to make a browser fully functional is silly..

  • Private

    Matt, in the interest of full disclosure here, you really should preface your comments with the fact that you and Lockergnome make a lot of money from Google advertizing on your web sites. Not that there is really anything wrong with making money on the web – I just simply want to protect my privacy as much as is practical – I hope you don’t begrudge me that. Sorry if it cuts into your revenues a wee bit.

    And actually, privacy on the web is not a black and white distinction – it is shades of gray. And while it is practically impossible to be fully anonymous and private on the web, I do favor tipping that shade of gray in my favor as much as is practical.

    For this reason I avoid using a few Google products as possible, including but not limited to: Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Web History, Orkut, YouTube, Picasa, Talk, Reader, Alerts, and Latitude, Web Apps, etc.

    And if you really like Chrome, then why not use an version with improved privacy and security, such as Dragon by Comodo?

    For a more comprehensive list of Google products to avoid go to Wikipedia and search for “List of Google products”. Google keeps detailed logs of usage of most of these products and more.

    I also suggest blocking and/or deletion of all Google related cookies including: doubleclick, google analytics and googel.com, as well as all other tracking and third party cookies.

    I f one uses any of these products and has a Google account, I suggest logging onto the account dashboard and deleting all history.

    I also suggest using a relatively secure and private search engine such as startpage.com. Startpage does not record IP addresses or search history, and optionally, one can use SLL encryption (https).

    When if comes to privacy on the web, I prefer a darker shade of gray.

  • http://bob3160.googlepages.com/ bob3160

    Any one who expects privacy while on the Net, is living in a dream world.
    If you expect privacy, lock yourself into your outhouse and throw away the key.
    Privacy disappeared the day you signed up for internet access.
    Having said that, the trick now is to keep your persona clean.
    Before posting anything on the net, you should follow a simple rule:
    Type once, read thrice then push the post or mail button.

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  • Private

    Unfortunately, folks like bob3160 seem to have given up and are not aware that there are a number of ways to improve ones privacy on the web. He is right that total privacy is probably unobtainable, but that is no reason to give up.

    Wonder if he also surfs without a firewall and antivirus protection because total security is not possible.

    There quite a number of ways to significantly improve the situation. Unfortunately most people have no idea how to accomplish this and are blissfully unaware of the ramifications. Rather than throwing one’s hands up and giving up, I think it might be a good idea to learn a little and take some action to improve the situation.

  • http://bob3160.googlepages.com/ bob3160

    Folks like bob3160 haven’t given up. We’ve just accepted the fact that privacy is dead.
    Folks like bob3160 also know that it’s suicide to surf the net without a good antivirus like avast! 5 and making sure the firewall on your router and the software firewall are both turned on.
    Folks like bob3160 aren’t stupid, they are just realistic. (Smile)