7 ms·

sad but true. I'd be interested to know if this data (i.e. non-Google search engine queries) is sent to Google. I'm assuming it is.

snaky 8y ago
Is there a Chrome extension that shows to the user what information exactly Chrome is sending home?
- misterman0 8y ago
  Imagine that the only thing that is reported to the Chrome backend is a client ID and a URL, which would be the only thing needed to render this app: https://myactivity.google.com https://myactivity.google.com Would you think of Google as trustworthy because they only gave their backend two pieces of data? I myself would not, because I'm pretty sure the actual request and response messages are looked up by client ID (in their Google Analytics data store).
- auslander 8y ago
  Give Google some privacy of what is being sent home :) Chrome (and Chromium) creates at start and maintains SSL connections to Google. It is not easy to sniff what is being sent. Even if you MITM it, like in enterprise transparent proxies, Chrome will throw an error because of cert pinning. google domains should be whitelisted: "we recommend that you avoid the use of transparent proxies." https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/3504942?hl=en https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/3504942?hl=en
  - snaky 8y ago
    Seems like patching that out of binary would be trivial task. But I doubt the Chrome extension that would do that patching could stay at Chrome store.
    - auslander 8y ago
      Have a look https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium
      - snaky 8y ago
        There's also Bromium and some other Chromium forks and patchsets. I was talking about Chrome.
close04 8y ago
Chrome has the all powerful "omnibox" that still sends stuff to Google. Since searches or URLs go through the omnibox there's a good chance Google gets (some of) the data.
ProAm 8y ago
Anything you do in Chrome is reported to google. Not necessarily the data, but the meta-data.
- misterman0 8y ago
  >> Not necessarily the data Yes the data. The whole request and the whole response. They need it in order to properly train their ad-network. </speculation>
  - reitanqild 8y ago
    > They need it in order to properly train their ad-network. Given that they scoop up all this data I'd appreciate if their ad-network actually improved. Just the other day the dating site scams where back. "We'll try not to show it again" they say. Well for vacuuming the market for the best and brightest they either don't try very hard or they are very dysfunctional because they fail as a group.
- markstos 8y ago
  You mean if you opt-in (or haven't opted out), right? I was under the impression this was optional.
  - gregknicholson 8y ago
    But you're an honest, decent citizen with nothing to hide, right? Why would you want to opt out? And anyway, it's “to improve your experience”, so you can't opt out. It's for your own good. Remember, Big Brother loves you.
  - rum3 8y ago
    Google has a very different definition of optional.
    - mtgx 8y ago
      Yes, see how they still tracked Android users' location, despite location setting being turned off.
misterman0 8y ago
>> I'd be interested to know if this data (i.e. non-Google search engine queries) is sent to Google. Because Chrome keeps a log of all your activity, your DDG searches are easy to find here: https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity So if you're web based (like me) then activities such as sending an email, checking out YT, reading HN, watching Twitch, and jerking off, all end up as entries in that log file.
- stcredzero 8y ago
  So if you're web based (like me) then activities such as sending an email, checking out YT, reading HN, watching Twitch, and jerking off, all end up as entries in that log file. Do you really think Google would have trained an AI to determine that last activity? How would they have trained the AI?
  - ori_b 8y ago
    Presumably you aren't visiting porn sites for the articles. Voila, no AI needed.
    - stcredzero 8y ago
      Presumably you aren't visiting porn sites for the articles. Voila, no AI needed. Sloppy. How do they know I'm not preparing for actual intercourse? How do they know I'm not downloading porn for later? I could also be watching gun videos, since they've been hosted there. Granted, it's probably 95% accurate.
    - misterman0 8y ago
      Since I've already outed myself as a porn consumer I might as well get this off my chest: the recommendation engines of the video sites I visit (all the big ones) have poor, very poor AI. It's like they don't know me as a customer. I'm out here busting my balls to find "The Perfect Clip" but it's a jungle and they are not making it easy on me.
      - 8y ago

snaky 8y ago

Is there a Chrome extension that shows to the user what information exactly Chrome is sending home?

misterman0 8y ago
Imagine that the only thing that is reported to the Chrome backend is a client ID and a URL, which would be the only thing needed to render this app: https://myactivity.google.com https://myactivity.google.com Would you think of Google as trustworthy because they only gave their backend two pieces of data? I myself would not, because I'm pretty sure the actual request and response messages are looked up by client ID (in their Google Analytics data store).
auslander 8y ago
Give Google some privacy of what is being sent home :) Chrome (and Chromium) creates at start and maintains SSL connections to Google. It is not easy to sniff what is being sent. Even if you MITM it, like in enterprise transparent proxies, Chrome will throw an error because of cert pinning. google domains should be whitelisted: "we recommend that you avoid the use of transparent proxies." https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/3504942?hl=en https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/3504942?hl=en
- snaky 8y ago
  Seems like patching that out of binary would be trivial task. But I doubt the Chrome extension that would do that patching could stay at Chrome store.
  - auslander 8y ago
    Have a look https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium
    - snaky 8y ago
      There's also Bromium and some other Chromium forks and patchsets. I was talking about Chrome.

close04 8y ago

Chrome has the all powerful "omnibox" that still sends stuff to Google. Since searches or URLs go through the omnibox there's a good chance Google gets (some of) the data.

ProAm 8y ago

Anything you do in Chrome is reported to google. Not necessarily the data, but the meta-data.

misterman0 8y ago
>> Not necessarily the data Yes the data. The whole request and the whole response. They need it in order to properly train their ad-network. </speculation>
- reitanqild 8y ago
  > They need it in order to properly train their ad-network. Given that they scoop up all this data I'd appreciate if their ad-network actually improved. Just the other day the dating site scams where back. "We'll try not to show it again" they say. Well for vacuuming the market for the best and brightest they either don't try very hard or they are very dysfunctional because they fail as a group.
markstos 8y ago
You mean if you opt-in (or haven't opted out), right? I was under the impression this was optional.
- gregknicholson 8y ago
  But you're an honest, decent citizen with nothing to hide, right? Why would you want to opt out? And anyway, it's “to improve your experience”, so you can't opt out. It's for your own good. Remember, Big Brother loves you.
- rum3 8y ago
  Google has a very different definition of optional.
  - mtgx 8y ago
    Yes, see how they still tracked Android users' location, despite location setting being turned off.

misterman0 8y ago

>> I'd be interested to know if this data (i.e. non-Google search engine queries) is sent to Google. Because Chrome keeps a log of all your activity, your DDG searches are easy to find here: https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity So if you're web based (like me) then activities such as sending an email, checking out YT, reading HN, watching Twitch, and jerking off, all end up as entries in that log file.

stcredzero 8y ago
So if you're web based (like me) then activities such as sending an email, checking out YT, reading HN, watching Twitch, and jerking off, all end up as entries in that log file. Do you really think Google would have trained an AI to determine that last activity? How would they have trained the AI?
- ori_b 8y ago
  Presumably you aren't visiting porn sites for the articles. Voila, no AI needed.
  - stcredzero 8y ago
    Presumably you aren't visiting porn sites for the articles. Voila, no AI needed. Sloppy. How do they know I'm not preparing for actual intercourse? How do they know I'm not downloading porn for later? I could also be watching gun videos, since they've been hosted there. Granted, it's probably 95% accurate.
  - misterman0 8y ago
    Since I've already outed myself as a porn consumer I might as well get this off my chest: the recommendation engines of the video sites I visit (all the big ones) have poor, very poor AI. It's like they don't know me as a customer. I'm out here busting my balls to find "The Perfect Clip" but it's a jungle and they are not making it easy on me.
    - 8y ago