Google to Drop Unique IDs from their Chrome Browser
Google to Drop Unique IDs from their Chrome Browser
Posted 03/12/2010 at 5:02pm
| by Ryan Whitwam
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Ever since its release, Google has tagged Chrome installs with a unique ID. The search giant is now reportedly abandoning that practice. Future versions of the browser will still install with a unique ID that will be used to check for the first automatic update. After that task is complete, the ID will be deleted.
It has always been Google’s position that the client ID was only used to determine when users update, and in the event of a crash (but only if crash reporting is turned on). Some privacy advocates have long held that the unique identifier could lessen browser privacy. However, no one has ever been able to show that to be the case.
As Chrome continues to gain market share, Google appears to be tweaking it to keep it palatable to users. There is a certain amount of Google fatigue out there, and if privacy concerns become too pervasive, Google could lose public trust. Even though there was no confirmed privacy breach caused by this feature, does its removal make you feel more comfortable using Chrome?
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IFLATLINEI
March 13, 2010 at 10:54am
If you have nothing to hide, then who cares?
People are way too paranoid and uptight these days.
Pick up a newspaper kid. Watch the news. Something, anything. Because a well informed individual would not have said what you said.
Nastyman
March 13, 2010 at 8:02am
bjoswald,
It is people like you that help enslave populations with comments like you just made which are very naive. You must be very young or very stupid.
Nasty
133794m3r
March 13, 2010 at 3:47am
There's a reason i didn't install chrome during it's beta release, their privacy policy was way too vague and scared the hell out of me. Their browser still does, atleast they're slowly making very small changes to it. I won't be switching from firefox anytime soon as it gives me all the privacy that i demand, and thus i find no reason to change. Google Anything(TM) type product has a certain lack of privacy built in. They're an ad company, they make money off of knowing their customers and being able to provide them with targeted ads.
bjoswald
March 13, 2010 at 1:02am
If you have nothing to hide, then who cares?
People are way too paranoid and uptight these days.
Skorched
March 12, 2010 at 11:45pm
I just don't trust that Google will just delete it and all is good. Sorta like all is well trust Google we are here for you.
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