Google’s Chrome Needs Polishing
Google’s new “Chrome” browser has only been out a couple of days, but its already facing up to a backlash from users who feel their privacy and data are under scrutiny from the search giant.
The company already got users backs up with the end user licence agreement, and now users are questioning the browsers “Omnibox”, and exactly how much Google monitors what’s typed in it.
Chrome was given a loud ‘hurrah’ from users after its beta release on Tuesday. The browser boasts fast speed and performance capabilities in addition to a number of innovative user options.
The first issue was with the initial draft of the end user licence agreement. The original draft stated that Google has “perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute” any content moving through the service. Google changed this to you “retain copyright and any other rights you already hold.”
Google has already claimed the initial language came from its overall terms of service and was removed over concerns were raised. However, that hasn’t eased the feeling behind the scenes.
“It was astonishing, to say the least, that Google attempted to usher through such broad and overreaching language in its initial user agreement,” Ryan Jacobson, an attorney and cochair of the Entertainment Media and Privacy Law Group at Chicago-based SmithAmundsen, said.
“In essence, the user was forced into relinquishing serious privacy and copyright interests in exchange for access to the browser. While an influx of criticism may have prompted Google to amend its language, the mere notion that each query one makes through the browser is saved, tracked and linked to a particular browser should be a cause for concern,” he suggested.
As for the Omibox – the ‘intelligent’ location bar at the top of the browser that allows you, not only to type in URLs, but also search terms, data collection is already taking place.
“Anything typed into the box - even if the enter key isn’t struck - could potentially be logged with the user’s Internet protocol address,” Google spokesperson Carolyn Penner said.
Not to worry though, as apparently only 2 percent of entries are collected, and users can turn this function off by using the “Incognito” private/filth browsing mode, or by turning off Chromes “suggest” feature. Also changing the default search engine will prevent another type of data collection form happening – one that is specific only to search querys carried out via Omnibox.
“If Google is set as [the] default search engine, any entry into the Google Chrome Omnibox that returns search results after hitting enter is considered a search query by the browser, sent to Google, and … stored in our search logs,” Penner explained.
“However, most entries of URLs into the Omnibox will be recognized by the browser as URLs and will return a Web page with that URL. In that case, nothing is stored,” she added.
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