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New Chrome Beta Adds Privacy Controls, Translation Option
billandad writes "Anyone would think the timing was deliberate; just as Microsoft is forced into giving users the option to switch from IE via the browser ballot screen, so Google introduces a new Chrome beta with enhanced privacy features to chisel away at Microsoft's market share. '... you can control how browser cookies, images, JavaScript, plug-ins, and pop-ups are handled on a site-by-site basis. For example, you can set up cookie rules to allow cookies specifically only for sites that you trust, and block cookies from untrusted sites.' The new beta also adds language detection, and will prompt the user to translate a page if it's written in a foreign tongue."
And Opera 10.50 has just been released too, the first version of Opera with <Video> tag support.
With Chrome, Safari and Firefox all evolving quickly, the future of the web is looking good. I just wish they would all support an open, royalty-free codec.
Struggling to find a day everyone can make? WhenShallWe.com
I am glad to see Chrome coming along so well, it's nice having 5 legitimate choices to use (IE, Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Safari). The competition is driving improvements, and it's the users that are benefiting. There are still some WebApps that I have to use IE or Firefox for, but now that Chrome has extensions (delicious bookmarks, IEtab, etc.) it has been my browser of choice.
..where some websites have allowed cookies that don't get deleted on browser exit [firefox]
I have the clearing history enabled (for cookies and logins only), but every time not only the "untrusted cookies" are deleted, but also the "trusted" ones. Default rule is to store cookies until I close Firefox.
I searched for extensions, but no luck.
A whitelist based on some cookies criteria (regexp or such) would be the icing on the cake.
You don't have to "trust" their browser at all.
The source code for Chrome is freely available. If you find any features that are unfriendly towards privacy, you're free to modify the source.
They passed 1.0 a long while ago. Chromium is up at 5.0 and Chrome is already beyond 4.0!
Okay - chromium can be made safe, but not Chrome. Chrome + Vbox machine + Wireshark = Proof of concept. Chrome talks to google servers no matter what settings you put them on. Good luck with privacy.
It seems no browser offers the functionality to wipe those out, and yet they can contain malicious code (there was a recent infection at the office).
*praying for the demise of flash*
I'm a bit the same. On technical grounds, I'd like to use Chrome instead of the increasingly bloated Firefox, and given sufficient privacy and security safeguards I could live without the other plug-ins I use.
But Chrome comes from Google, and releases often with an auto-updating mechanism. Given both Google's form for being wildly off-target on privacy issues (Buzz, etc.) and the openly dismissive/arrogant attitude exhibited by some of their senior executives, I just don't trust them not to pull a fast one and start logging every page I visit, or sneaking in ads at the browser level, or something along those lines.
Perhaps this could theoretically be avoided by careful checking of the small print before each update, or adjusting certain settings so things don't happen automatically, but I don't want to have to do that sort of thing just to be able to update my web browser safely and make sure no-one's sneaked anything in. I'll just use another browser instead.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
That's the usual trick. The privacy settings conveniently ignore any such issue and only concentrate on the client side things like "private tab" or cookie handling. Of course, if you don't want to go completely white-list based (and most users don't), there's no way to explicitly block certain domains like google-analytics.com.
Of course it's convenient for Google to call only that privacy and completely ignore the fact that every Chrome installation has identifier about where you downloaded it, when you installed it, an unique identifier, everything you type to browser bar is sent to Google, any domain you visit is sent to Google, and so on...
I'm guessing that the "enhanced privacy features" doesn't yet extend to being able to turn off the RLZ identifier?
(Good job we have SRWare Iron instead)
Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
You don't have to "trust" their browser at all. The source code for Chrome is freely available. If you find any features that are unfriendly towards privacy, you're free to modify the source.
If - and only if - you can read and understand the source.
If - and only if - you have the programming skills - and the time - to produce a well-behaved modification.
I am tempted to argue that when a program reaches a certain size or complexity the difference between closed and open source becomes academic.
Look at SRWare Iron - Chrome without the Google tie-in
Edit: There is an HORRIFIC flash slide-in advertisement in their site. Easy to close, innocuous content, but it appears on Every. Single. Page. I just decided not to update my version of Iron.
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
Security features are nice, but they aren't a selling point. I won't change browsers to prevent tracking cookies. I don't know that much about javascript, and I don't mind most of the ads that I see. Ad block plus has been doing just fine with the pop-ups, and I don't care about those other things.
Translating foreign pages? That is interesting. I run into a fair amount of Chinese datasheets.
Just give me the web page as fast as possible, and keep my videos as smooth as possible. After that, I don't really care.
Within Chrome. Of course you can use some 3rd party apps, but that's not an excuse not to have it.
Also just FYI, Ad blockers on Chrome don't stop the http requests being made, they just hide ads. It's useless for blocking data gathering services because your info is still being sent.
Good choice. Iron is a very questionable project, and the developer has admitted that he's just spreading FUD about Google to drive traffic to his site to make money off ads.
Also, http://neugierig.org/software/chromium/notes/2009/12/iron.html
But Chrome comes from Google, and releases often with an auto-updating mechanism
To be fair, Firefox comes with a very aggressive, annoying (IMHO) update mechanism built in and enabled by default.
== Jez ==
Do you miss Firefox? Try Pale Moon.
Does it also allow for control over Auto Updates?
Watch the Teaser Trailer for "The Lightning Thief" Her
The main reason I use Chrome is because of the excellent interface. When maximized, the tabs push right against the screen edge. I've not seen any app that makes such efficient usage of screen real estate. I've tried to configure FireFox, using TinyMenu to reduce the amount of white space. But it's still not as efficient.
Chrome had set a new trend for browser UIs. For example, the just-released Opera 10.50, out of the box, largely copies Chrome UI in default configuration, complete with tabs-in-title-bar. I suspect Firefox will follow suit eventually.