Feel paranoid that Google Chrome is spying on you? Apply UnChrome!
Tim Finin, 10:36pm 14 September 2008I’ve seen the following attributed to Woody Allen:
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Question: what’s a three syllable word beginning with ‘P’ that means you think that everybody’s against you?
Answer: perceptive.
It’s fashionable in some circles to be paranoid about Google. If they ever do abandon their Don’t be evil informal motto then we are all in trouble. Search engines can gather a lot of information about a person’s interests. While Google is not the only search engine available, they have assembled quite an array of Web systems, including gmail, Google reader, Google groups, DoubleClick, Feedburner and many more. They would be in a good position to integrate a lot of information about a person’s behavior on the Web.
Enter Google Chrome.
If you own the browser, you can get the full range of a person’s Web activities. What worries some is that each Google Chrome installation contains a unique ID, which could be used to identify its user. The German company Abelssoft has released UnChrome as an application that effectively makes your copy of Google Chrome anonymous.
“Regarding to Google, “Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier”. Unfortunately, each Google Chrome installation contains a unique ID that allowing identifying its user. Google doesn’t make it an easy job to remove this ID.
UnChrome helps you with this task. It replaces your unique ID with Null values so that your browser cannot be identified any longer. The functionality of Google Chrome is not influenced by this. You only need to apply UnChrome once.”
I think this is paranoia rather than being perceptive, but just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.
Ebiquity Blog
September 15th, 2008 at 3:32 am
Do Firefox and IE have unque IDs as well?
September 15th, 2008 at 8:56 am
True enough, re: the paranoia. Google is definitely starting to push itself over the hump into “too big and too powerful to trust” territory, though. I fear information like this ID in Chrome and the NYT article you posted about the business directory business essentially being blacklisted are just foreshadowing. As to what its foreshadowing, I have only paranoid semi-rational tinfoil hat wearing ideas that will probably never come to fruition, but it’s worrisome nonetheless.
September 16th, 2008 at 5:08 am
i keep learning about more and more little advantages and quirks with Chrome, with security, for example; now if only they would take care of it’s cookie management glitches…
August 16th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
By all means, please do NOT be paranoid and “trust” Google…
Trust Google when they’re going to say “Ditch Windows and try Chrome OS”…
Trust Google when they’re going to say “Ditch Office and try our Online Office”…
Trust Google when they’re going to say “Sorry but you’re under investigation because of something they found on your online documents”…
Last may be an exaggeration but the other two are already announced where in recent future Google will simply try to dehtrone Microsoft begining with Chrome. If you’re an optimist like the author, wear your “pink Google”s and say everyone else is paranoid. But if you’re a realist you should consider your privacy since it can be lost easily yet not gained without a fight…
If someone to tell you 5years prior; “There’ll be global warming”, “There’ll be 11/9″ and etc. you’d have probably laughed and yell “Paranoia” yet these things DID happen. Hope life will teach you “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” (Murphy’s Law)…