Chrome 94’s new feature to monitor users. Switch to Firefox - ITSFoss

[MatsuShimizu]

This change in Google Chrome 94 will make you switch to Firefox - itsfoss.net

Two days ago, Google released a new version of its web browser, Chrome 94, which has come with many changes, such as improved HTTPS connections, better integration with Google Drive or performance improvements thanks to the new WebGPU API. However, not all is good news for users of the Google...

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The new Google Chrome 94 launches what is known as the ” Idle Detection API “, or inactivity detection API . This API is able to detect developers when a user is inactive in the browser, indicating, for example, the lack of interaction with the keyboard or mouse, the activation of the screen saver, the Windows session lock or the switch to a different screen.

This API can be used, for example, in chat applications or in social networks so that users know if a person is active or not. Also in kiosk applications, such as museums, to return to the beginning when there is no interaction or applications that perform very complex calculations, to free up the CPU when the user is working with the PC.

So far everything is correct. So where is the controversy? Google Chrome not only monitors activity in the browser or on a specific page, but it also monitors activity on the entire PC. In this way, any developer of any website can have controlled all the movements of the user.

This function is activated for all Google Chrome 94 users. Of course, before using it, Chrome will ask us in a similar way to when a website tries to access our location or our webcam. And we can control its status at any time from the “Site Settings” section of the website.

We can block your activity manually, but is it enough? We believe not.

Each time, Chrome is having an increasingly dark soul. If you really care about privacy, it is better to go for other alternative browsers. That is, it is time to switch to Firefox . Only then will the Internet giants stop making money off of our data and attacking our weaknesses.

 

[Deleted member 111282]

Because of Mozilla's politics among other issues, you can always use UnGoogled Chromium. The only trade-off is you have to manually add browser extensions and other tweaks to make it secure. Personally, it would've been more convenient to have those features already built-in, but my guess is the developers wanted users to customize it however they wanted.

 

[Fanboi]

It starts...

Seriously, I've been waiting for this creepy shite for years. I still feel shocked even though I was waiting, lol.

I hope this won't get into the Chromium base. If it does, someone has to fork it. Fork it hard (inuendo).

Ah, who am I kidding? We're living in glass cages already T_T

 

[Deleted member 111282]

It starts...

And enough people gradually severing all ties with Big Tech is where it ends

 

[craigevil]

Vivaldi, Min, Librewolf, lots of alternatives

 

[Fanboi]

After checking out Vivaldi, not 100% trusting of "obfuscated code" and "some closed-source".
Busy playing with Librewolf and I have yet to checkout Min, but it's on my To-Do list.

 

[Deleted member 111282]

After checking out Vivaldi, not 100% trusting of "obfuscated code" and "some closed-source".
Busy playing with Librewolf and I have yet to checkout Min, but it's on my To-Do list.

I use LW as my default browser, and aside from situations where you can't access certain sites because of HTTPS-only mode (which has more to do with the site itself), it's still good to use. Its good to know someone I'm at least acquainted with is trying it out as well.

 

[Tolkem]

Note that this happens when you're signed in to your Google account while using the browser, if you're not,(and you don't have to, I don't)then it won't. I don't like Google any more than any of you do, but I have to admit they put a lot of work trying to improve Chrome, by offering new features its competitors do not https://blog.chromium.org/2021/10/renderingng.html

Our continual investments in the performance of Chrome have led to significant improvements in battery life, memory, and the speed of the web. This post in The Fast & the Curious series highlights the rendering journey of Chrome over the past eight years, a journey that has led to a browser that is better across the board. For example, Chrome 94, as compared with Chrome 93:

• is up to 8% more responsive on real pages,
• saves more than 1400 years of CPU time per day, and
• improves battery life by up to 0.5%

In addition, recent versions of Chrome are much better than those of years past with:

• 150% or more faster graphics rendering, and
• greater reliability, due to a 6x reduction in GPU driver crashes on problematic hardware

I use Chrome, and haven't seen this intrusive feature. I also use Chromium and Firefox. Just to be clear, I'm not "promoting" the use of the G browser or any of that sort, if anything, I'm just expressing my opinion, which you may or may not agree with.

 

[Deleted member 111282]

Note that this happens when you're signed in to your Google account while using the browser, if you're not,(and you don't have to, I don't)then it won't.

That's good to know, but not signing into your account doesn't protect you from Google's surveillance. It's still considered spyware because of how much data it's collecting from you, and being that it's proprietary software, you have no way of knowing what kind of data it's collecting and for what purpose.

 

[Tolkem]

That's good to know, but not signing into your account doesn't protect you from Google's surveillance

Of course not. According to this site, https://www.srware.net/iron/