4 ms·

>'steal users data' Please. Aren't we all tired of this?

by afsina 11y ago

josteink 11y ago
If you download and install App A because you want App A, but unasked App B also gets installed as a paid-for drive-by installation which sets itself as your new default browser, which upon first launch (because its now default) imports all your data, history, bookmarks and passwords from your actual preferred browser and then proceeds to send all this data to App B's vendor without making it clear to you what just happened... How is that not stealing? How is that different from what we usually call spyware? There is nothing legitimate about how Chrome has hijacked a multitude of users' PCs and their data. There's no way to defend this behaviour.
- yuhong 11y ago
  "proceeds to send all this data to App B's vendor" Proof?
  - josteink 11y ago
    It's called "sync" and you can bet everyone who has a Gmail account who gets asked to "log into Google" when Chrome is opened (as their new default browser) will enter their username and password without giving a second thought to it or realizing what they just authorized. That's ofcourse if they even noticed that their browser now looks slightly different at all. Voila. Data stolen. Or are you going to argue that this represents completely concentfull and legitimately syncing?
    - yuhong 11y ago
      It is entirely optional, and don't fit normal definitions of "spyware".
      - josteink 11y ago
        You mistakenly assume this feature which by default requests your google login for sync will be understood by users as this, when they open their browser and see "Log into google". Much more likely is that your casual user will think they're logging into Gmail. This is a dark UX anti-pattern, using the same technique as a regular scammer or phishing site. Google is absolutely, horrifyingly into evil territory here.
        yuhong 11y ago
        I think what Win8.1 does with pushing you to use MS accounts during OOBE is a much worse dark pattern than this.
        Excavator 11y ago
        "I think hanging someone is worse than just giving them poison." I don't particularly care about this spyware debate but I can't see how something bad being better than something else bad bears any relevance unless we are talking about choosing between two bad options.
      - rmc 11y ago
        The vast majority of "spyware" and "malware" these days has a big long page of EULA legalise that makes the tracking totally optional too. People clicking the "I agree" button on a EULA is not consent.
    - bad_user 11y ago
      Chrome can do client side encryption of your data, which isn't something you can say about the new Firefox Sync.
      - Excavator 11y ago
        Source? Are you perhaps thinking of the currently unused "class-A data"? https://blog.mozilla.org/services/2014/04/30/firefox-syncs-new-security-model/ https://blog.mozilla.org/services/2014/04/30/firefox-syncs-n... https://blog.mozilla.org/services/2014/02/07/a-better-firefox-sync/ https://blog.mozilla.org/services/2014/02/07/a-better-firefo... https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-auth-server/wiki/onepw-protocol https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-auth-server/wiki/onepw-protoc... Edit: From what I can see, client side encryption in Google Chrome appears to be opt-in?
    - mda 11y ago
      Are you talking about Chrome browser? If you say synchronized data in Chrome is being sold to 3rd parties by Google, I would really love to see a proof for this claim.
      - josteink 11y ago
        I'm not saying Google is selling the data. I'm saying Google shouldn't have the Firefox/MSIE data in the first place, because lots of users never intended to install chrome, but got it as a drive-by installation. They are the illegitimate third party "stealing" the data.
        Oletros 11y ago
        > They are the illegitimate third party "stealing" the data. And you still didn't provide any proof of that
- Oletros 11y ago
  > which upon first launch (because its now default) imports all your data, history, bookmarks and passwords from your actual preferred browser Any source showing that it is put as default browser and imports everything without asking?
ionised 11y ago
I am tired of them stealing user data, yes.

>'steal users data' Please. Aren't we all tired of this?

by afsina 11y ago

>'steal users data' Please. Aren't we all tired of this?

If you download and install App A because you want App A, but unasked App B also gets installed as a paid-for drive-by installation which sets itself as your new default browser, which upon first launch (because its now default) imports all your data, history, bookmarks and passwords from your actual preferred browser and then proceeds to send all this data to App B's vendor without making it clear to you what just happened... How is that not stealing? How is that different from what we usually call spyware? There is nothing legitimate about how Chrome has hijacked a multitude of users' PCs and their data. There's no way to defend this behaviour.

yuhong 11y ago
"proceeds to send all this data to App B's vendor" Proof?
- josteink 11y ago
  It's called "sync" and you can bet everyone who has a Gmail account who gets asked to "log into Google" when Chrome is opened (as their new default browser) will enter their username and password without giving a second thought to it or realizing what they just authorized. That's ofcourse if they even noticed that their browser now looks slightly different at all. Voila. Data stolen. Or are you going to argue that this represents completely concentfull and legitimately syncing?
  - yuhong 11y ago
    It is entirely optional, and don't fit normal definitions of "spyware".
    - josteink 11y ago
      You mistakenly assume this feature which by default requests your google login for sync will be understood by users as this, when they open their browser and see "Log into google". Much more likely is that your casual user will think they're logging into Gmail. This is a dark UX anti-pattern, using the same technique as a regular scammer or phishing site. Google is absolutely, horrifyingly into evil territory here.
      - yuhong 11y ago
        I think what Win8.1 does with pushing you to use MS accounts during OOBE is a much worse dark pattern than this.
        Excavator 11y ago
        "I think hanging someone is worse than just giving them poison." I don't particularly care about this spyware debate but I can't see how something bad being better than something else bad bears any relevance unless we are talking about choosing between two bad options.
    - rmc 11y ago
      The vast majority of "spyware" and "malware" these days has a big long page of EULA legalise that makes the tracking totally optional too. People clicking the "I agree" button on a EULA is not consent.
  - bad_user 11y ago
    Chrome can do client side encryption of your data, which isn't something you can say about the new Firefox Sync.
    - Excavator 11y ago
      Source? Are you perhaps thinking of the currently unused "class-A data"? https://blog.mozilla.org/services/2014/04/30/firefox-syncs-new-security-model/ https://blog.mozilla.org/services/2014/04/30/firefox-syncs-n... https://blog.mozilla.org/services/2014/02/07/a-better-firefox-sync/ https://blog.mozilla.org/services/2014/02/07/a-better-firefo... https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-auth-server/wiki/onepw-protocol https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-auth-server/wiki/onepw-protoc... Edit: From what I can see, client side encryption in Google Chrome appears to be opt-in?
  - mda 11y ago
    Are you talking about Chrome browser? If you say synchronized data in Chrome is being sold to 3rd parties by Google, I would really love to see a proof for this claim.
    - josteink 11y ago
      I'm not saying Google is selling the data. I'm saying Google shouldn't have the Firefox/MSIE data in the first place, because lots of users never intended to install chrome, but got it as a drive-by installation. They are the illegitimate third party "stealing" the data.
      - Oletros 11y ago
        > They are the illegitimate third party "stealing" the data. And you still didn't provide any proof of that
Oletros 11y ago
> which upon first launch (because its now default) imports all your data, history, bookmarks and passwords from your actual preferred browser Any source showing that it is put as default browser and imports everything without asking?

ionised 11y ago

I am tired of them stealing user data, yes.