EasyList Forum

Google's new "Chrome" web browser hit the shelves today:
http://www.google.com/chrome

Now the world's biggest privacy invader will be able track you from within instead .
The new services attached to Chrome will also contain more ads too. But not to worry ... Doubleclick is releasing a new adblocking program for Chrome tomorrow

So if you hate ads and are concerned about your privacy, I would avoid this thing like the plague

rick752 wrote:Google's new "Chrome" web browser hit the shelves today:
http://www.google.com/chrome

Yep, the amazing thing is that the WHOLE net talks about it. You couldn't have a better start for a new product. And they really have some nice concepts: 1 tab -> 1 sandboxed process would be nice for Firefox too.

rick752 wrote:So if you hate ads and are concerned about your privacy, I would avoid this thing like the plague

You have to avoid every browser where you can't use ABP then.

A couple of nice features ... wrong company though.

The problem is that even WITH ABP, google will be able to track everything WITHIN the client's browser .... blocking a script or an image won't help.

Would you install an adblocker made by Doubleclick? I don't want a browser made by a tracking company either. Google is BOTH ... and they ARE Doubleclick, too.

I did install it to see what all the hub-bub was about. Very light on any options or configurability. Seems to work ok. Meh. I'll wait for all the hype to die. Unfortunately without extensions ... "what you got is what you'll have" ... and nothing more.

Ah, here we go:

"Be sure to read Chrome's fine print" -CNet
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10030522-2.html

rick752 wrote:wrong company though

Watch your mouth! Google --- is --- watching.... They could add easylist.adblockplus.org to the malware database and effectively block all Firefox users (except some crazy people like me who turned it off) from accessing it lol

rick752 wrote:I did install it to see what all the hub-bub was about. Very light on any options or configurability. Seems to work ok. Meh. I'll wait for all the hype to die. Unfortunately without extensions ... "what you got is what you'll have" ... and nothing more.

Maybe it becomes better in the future. I also don't really like it, but the concepts are still good.

rick752 wrote:Would you install an adblocker made by Doubleclick? I don't want a browser made by a tracking company either. Google is BOTH ... and they ARE Doubleclick, too.

As long as I use Google for websearch and public mail, I can't say in peace of conscience that Google is that evil.

Google isn't 'inherently' evil, but they do have their own agendas .... like serving ads and tracking & analyzing YOU.

Here are a couple of things to ponder .... Chrome's privacy policy:

"Your copy of Google Chrome includes one or more unique application numbers. ..... When you type URLs or queries in the address bar, the letters you type are sent to Google".

Personally I'm not really worried about all the text searches I do at Google, especially when using Fx I can curb Googles behavior/spying. As for using another web browser where Google can do and collect anything the please, I'm not so certain about that. I'll stick with what works for me currently thank you very much.

** PASS **

Lanik wrote: ** PASS **

Spoken like a true 'man of knowledge', Lanik
There is just something about this that does not set well with me.

My "spider sense" is tingling.

i've been trying to keep an open mind, so i downloaded chrome and gave it a try. pretty speedy - but i cannot stand browsing the web without an adblocker. i used a program called privoxy to create an adblocking proxy on my local computer. that took care of the ads... but still left big gaping ugly holes where all the ads should have been. and running it through a proxy, even though it was on my local machine, did slow it down a bit. i'm much too spoiled by adblock! i will return to firefox until chrome gets a real adblocker.

btw, regarding their privacy policy, google had pretty much copy/pasted it from other products. they admitted they screwed up, and are changing it
Arstechnica: Google on Chrome EULA controversy: our bad, we'll change it

overall, i see chrome it as a good thing. each tab having its own process, the sandboxing of the browser, stability improvements, better script execution, etc will force firefox and other browsers to improve quicker as well in order to compete. seeing as to how google has run into a wall with the webapps they can develop due to browser limitations, i think that the overall improvement of every browser is one of their major goals.

should google be using the browser itself to track me though... i will either block it, or not use it.

saw this on lifehacker today, and it interests me. (still wont use chrome without adblock though)

from http://lifehacker.com/5054276/iron-is-g ... -hat-crowd:

Windows only: Free application Iron is a slightly modified version of the Chromium source of Google Chrome that removes components of Chrome that report your usage habits to Google. In practice, that means it removes your unique user ID, doesn't send user-specific info to Google, skips crash reporting, and doesn't check with Google for updates. Some features—like crash reporting and update checks—are built into most browsers anyway, but if you're already squeamish with the amount of your information Google already has on its servers, the extra layer of privacy Iron offers might be up your alley. The download site and installer are in German (here's a translation), but the app runs in English.