Chromium browser accused of silently sending user information to Google.
According to TechSpot, popular web browsers such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera and Brave, all based on the open source Chromium platform, are being accused of silently sending user information to Google.
According to Luca Casonato, a Dutch software developer, an extension called “hangout_services” that came pre-installed in these browsers collected data on users’ CPU, GPU, memory usage, and other details when they visited Google websites.
Chromium browsers are accused of secretly sending user information to Google.
It is worth noting that the APIs (application programming interfaces) that enable this data collection are not public and are reserved for Google to use on their own websites. This makes this information inaccessible to other websites, especially Google's competitors, raising concerns about unfair competition and violations of the European Union (EU) Digital Markets Act.
Google explains that this data collection is intended to improve user experience by optimizing video and audio performance, especially for services like Google Meet. However, this explanation does not allay concerns about privacy and fair competition.
The European Commission is currently investigating Google, along with Meta and Apple , for alleged violations of the Digital Markets Act. The covert collection of user data without explicit consent could be a key element of the investigation.
The incident has once again raised questions about privacy and how big tech companies collect and use user data. Users are increasingly concerned about protecting their personal information and demanding more transparency from tech companies.
