How Chrome Tracks Everything You Do and How to Stop It

A lie. This is how Google’s own employees refer to its privacy tools in internal emails. So, if Google’s own employees were questioning the company’s privacy claims, how much information is Chrome actually collecting about you? Google Chrome signs you in secretly, and this is how to change that. Unlike, say, Brave or Firefox, Chrome is a browser that wants you to sign in. It wants you to browse under a connected identity. This means every site you go on is automatically logged and fed into your Google profile. Of course, you can theoretically use Chrome without logging in. The problem is, if you’re on Android, Chrome automatically signs you in anyway. And even if you’re not on Android, Google will try and trick you into signing in. Say you’re using Chrome to browse the internet and you haven’t signed in so that you can stay anonymous. The moment you sign into Gmail or YouTube, Chrome has got you. Google quietly signs you into the browser as well by default. The amount of information linked directly to your Google account grows dramatically. Chrome can now associate your activity with your Google account, making it much easier to connect your browsing across Google services. How to stop this? Go to “Settings,” “You and Google,” then “Google services.” First, you want to disable sync completely by clicking “Don’t sign in.” Next, you want to turn off “Allow Chrome sign-in.” This prevents Chrome from automatically signing you into the browser. But remember, it doesn’t stop all identifier-based tracking. It just reduces the chances of your browsing becoming linked to your Google account. Google Chrome profiles you, and here’s how to avoid that. Chrome is constantly sending information back to Google’s servers about how you use the browser. They dress this up in language about improving Google’s products, but don’t be fooled. Harvesting all of this data helps Google build a profile of you. Now, if you’re an Android user, then Chrome comes installed as standard. And then Chrome isn’t just building a profile of your browsing habits, but also where you are and how you move around. So, how can you avoid this? Go to “You and Google,” then “Google services.” You’ll find options like “help improve Chrome’s features and performance,” and “make searches and browsing better.” Switch them off. Back to you, professor. The thing is Chrome is actually getting worse for privacy. How? Well, since Chrome dropped in 2008, Google’s been slowly transforming it into a brutally effective surveillance system that acts as a data pipeline to its advertising empire. And while it’s been doing this, they’ve claimed that almost every new tracking mechanism they bring in is actually a privacy improvement. One so-called privacy improvement was a setting called “enhanced safe browsing.” Sounds good, right? It was a powerful security mode in Google Chrome that protects you from malware and phishing attacks. But that wasn’t all that it did. It also means Google can scan every single URL you visit in real time. The latest is the Manifest V3 platform. This is a disaster for Chrome users. Google claims that this is to make extensions safer and more secure, but it basically neuters all of the most powerful ad blockers, removing all control that you, as a user, had over the type of internet that you want to experience. Next, you want to disable background sync. This allows websites to continue exchanging data even after you close the tab. Go to “Privacy and security,” then “Site settings,” and scroll to “Additional permissions.” There, click “Background sync” and select “Don’t allow sites to finish sending and receiving data.” Google Chrome tracks you. Here’s how to prevent it. You want to block third-party cookies. This is spyware placed on your browser by a company you have absolutely nothing to do with the website that you’re currently visiting. So, for example, say you’re considering buying a pet duck. You’re browsing ducks4sale.com, and unbeknownst to you, the site loads content from external sources like social media buttons, banner ads, or analytics tools. These tools secretly mark your browser, and your identity is now known to that advertising network. Later, when you browse a completely different website that uses the same advertising network, the company can read that cookie, recognize you, and display ads that are related to the pet duck you looked at earlier. This continues over time, and slowly that advertising network can piece together a profile on you all without your knowledge. To stop it, go to “Privacy and security,” then “Third-party cookies,” and block them. You can also turn on “Do not track requests,” even if these don’t always work. Then you can go one step further and automatically clear cookies every time you close Chrome. This will mean that you have to sign back into some websites more often, but it also wipes away a lot of that persistent tracking. We go to “Privacy and security,” “Site settings,” scroll all the way down, and get to the “Additional content settings.” Go down to “On-device site data,” and select the middle option, “Delete data sites that have been saved to your device when you close all windows.” This means that when you close your browser fully, all of those cookies will be deleted. Google Chrome is constantly spying on you. Here’s how to stop that. You shouldn’t think of Chrome as a machine that springs into life when you command it to do something by clicking. It’s always on. An example of this is the Chrome search bar. You may think it’s sat there sleeping, waiting to be told to go go go and search something by you, but that’s not the case. Every time you type something into the search bar, Chrome sends that data back to Google servers in real time, even if you’ve never pressed enter. And that’s creepy because it shows how products like Chrome offer the illusion of control but actually retain it themselves. Google says this improves search suggestions, but it also means that they can see queries you never actually submit. To stop some of this data leakage, go to “Settings” and then “Google services” and turn off “Improve search suggestions.” This stops Chrome from sending what you’re typing all the way to Google servers simply to generate predictions and suggestions. Now, let me tell you about Google Chrome’s incognito mode. I’m not sure that anyone on Earth still believes in incognito mode. Today, incognito mode does what it always has. It hides your browsing history from anyone with physical access to your device. What it doesn’t do is hide your browsing history from Google or from your ISP. How to stop it? Just don’t use it. Chrome’s default settings are designed to make them money, full stop. They do this by constantly sending your information back to Google and making it available to their advertisers. Use their products if you want. They’re very well made. But just remember who they are working for and that this is a company who decided they were no longer willing to stand behind the motto “Don’t be evil.” Class is dismissed.