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And there's nothing you can do about it.
Amid investigations by the US Department of Justice and the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), there have been reports that Google is using the Chrome browser to gain advantages over competitors. Chrome collects data about device performance and transmits it exclusively to Google. This information was confirmed by the company after initial statements on the X platform.
Luca Casonato reported that Chrome provides all sites with *.google.com full access to information about CPU and memory usage, as well as detailed information about the processor and system. This data is not available for other sites, only for *.google.com". According to him, this is achieved through the built-in Chrome extension, which cannot be disabled and does not appear in the list of extensions. Moreover, the Microsoft Edge browser, which is also based on Chromium, has similar features.
Google explained that this extension is used to optimize video and audio based on system capabilities, as well as to provide crash and performance data, which helps improve Google's services. The company assured that strict data processing rules aimed at protecting the privacy of users are observed. However, the problem is that such an advantage contradicts the principles of equality enshrined in the DMA.
Casonato gave an example of video conferencing: "Zoom is at a disadvantage because it can't use the same processor debugging capabilities as Google Meet." This opinion was supported by cryptography expert Matthew Green, who recalled that he urged users to abandon Chrome a few years ago because of the preferences that Google provided to its services.
This issue affects not only Chrome and Edge, but also the Brave browser, which uses the same technology base. Users who choose alternative browsers for privacy reasons may be surprised to learn about the transfer of their data to Google.
The code responsible for this behavior has been around for about a decade . Google confirmed its presence and the absence of the ability to disable it. Despite the long history of this practice, transparency issues regarding data privacy remain extremely relevant in 2024.
Many users are unaware that their data is being transmitted to Google when using these browsers, which raises questions about the need to better inform users about data collection and transmission practices, even when it comes to seemingly basic browser functions.
It remains to be seen whether regulators will take this into account in ongoing investigations, or whether Google will open up access to these APIs to competitors in order to equalize opportunities.
Source
Amid investigations by the US Department of Justice and the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), there have been reports that Google is using the Chrome browser to gain advantages over competitors. Chrome collects data about device performance and transmits it exclusively to Google. This information was confirmed by the company after initial statements on the X platform.
Luca Casonato reported that Chrome provides all sites with *.google.com full access to information about CPU and memory usage, as well as detailed information about the processor and system. This data is not available for other sites, only for *.google.com". According to him, this is achieved through the built-in Chrome extension, which cannot be disabled and does not appear in the list of extensions. Moreover, the Microsoft Edge browser, which is also based on Chromium, has similar features.
Google explained that this extension is used to optimize video and audio based on system capabilities, as well as to provide crash and performance data, which helps improve Google's services. The company assured that strict data processing rules aimed at protecting the privacy of users are observed. However, the problem is that such an advantage contradicts the principles of equality enshrined in the DMA.
Casonato gave an example of video conferencing: "Zoom is at a disadvantage because it can't use the same processor debugging capabilities as Google Meet." This opinion was supported by cryptography expert Matthew Green, who recalled that he urged users to abandon Chrome a few years ago because of the preferences that Google provided to its services.
This issue affects not only Chrome and Edge, but also the Brave browser, which uses the same technology base. Users who choose alternative browsers for privacy reasons may be surprised to learn about the transfer of their data to Google.
The code responsible for this behavior has been around for about a decade . Google confirmed its presence and the absence of the ability to disable it. Despite the long history of this practice, transparency issues regarding data privacy remain extremely relevant in 2024.
Many users are unaware that their data is being transmitted to Google when using these browsers, which raises questions about the need to better inform users about data collection and transmission practices, even when it comes to seemingly basic browser functions.
It remains to be seen whether regulators will take this into account in ongoing investigations, or whether Google will open up access to these APIs to competitors in order to equalize opportunities.
Source
