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Chrome 56 Quietly Added Bluetooth Snitch API (theregister.co.uk)

Posted by msmash on from the what's-really-happening dept.

Richard Chirgwin, writing for The Register: When Google popped out Chrome 56 at the end of January it was keen to remind us it's making the web safer by flagging non-HTTPS sites. But Google made little effort to publicise another feature that's decidedly less friendly to privacy, because it lets websites ask about users' Bluetooth devices and harvest information from them through the browser. That's more a pitch to developers, as is clear in this YouTube video from Pete LePage of the Chrome Developers team. "Until now, the ability to communicate with Bluetooth devices has been possible only for native apps. With Chrome 56, your Web app can communicate with nearby Bluetooth devices in a private and secure manner, using the Web Bluetooth API," Google shares in the video. "The Web Bluetooth API uses the GATT [Generic Attribute Profile - ed] protocol, which enables your app to connect to devices such as light bulbs, toys, heart-rate monitors, LED displays and more, with just a few lines of JavaScript." In other words, the API lets websites ask your browser "what Bluetooth devices can you see," find out what your fridge, and so on, is capable of, and interact with it.

7 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. chromium? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Will this affect Chromium as well?

  2. It's official. by werewolf1031 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Google has gone completely bat-shit insane. How on earth did they think this was a good idea, let alone actually go forward and implement such a thing in the release product?

    Just mind-boggling.

  3. Wheres firefox support? by LiENUS · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I just got done setting up a heart rate monitor on a machine at a clinic where we use a web based software package on firefox. The bluetooth stuff is one of the last things requiring a native application. I wonder how much longer we'll need any native software at all with stuff like this coming out.

  4. Re:Connected devices by sl3xd · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Not intending to buy such appliances is only an option right now.

    We don't know if that option will remain open in the future.

    Personally, I think it's good to call out the bullshit now before it gains any momentum.

    --
    -- Sometimes you have to turn the lights off in order to see.
  5. Re:The Absurdity of Atheism by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The real question is, why is such a wall of text, posted by an AC and with a score of -1, auto-expanded to full view while some real comments are not?

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  6. Re:Excuse me, I'm from Computer Services by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You laugh, but some refrigerators now have a little speaker that will tweet out a high frequency tone/diagnostic code that a phone tech can receive when you call for service.

  7. I think it's good by iampiti · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...provided that the user is informed when a website wants to use it and it's strictly opt in. Firefox works this way regarding sharing of location information.
    My point is that everything that lessens the dependence on native apps is good because then it's less difficult to change platforms.