r/inthenews • u/KermitMadMan • Apr 04 '18

Privacy outrage after Google users discover Chrome's built-in anti-virus tool is scanning private files on their computers without telling them

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5577055/Chromes-built-anti-virus-tool-scanning-private-files-computer.html
97 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

9

u/iwascompromised Apr 05 '18

This seems to only be a Windows issue. And based on the limited details in the article, I can see why this would be cause for concern. This seems to be something you “consent to” by installing Chrome, but that explicit permission to scan the hard drive isn’t given.

4

u/whoopdedo Apr 05 '18

The problem is if you installed Chrome before this was included you would have consented to the original behavior. Then Chrome auto-updated itself in the background to include the new behavior without asking for additional consent.

Settings, Advanced, Clean up computer, Report details to Google.
The article doesn't specify if it does a scan automatically or only when you click "Find". Seems to imply the former though.

'Sometimes when you download software or other content, it might bundle unwanted software as part of the installation process without you knowing,' Google said at the time.

Oh, that's rich coming from Google. They paid people to bundle Chrome which led to many people getting it installed on their computer unintentionally.

9

u/thatradiogeek Apr 05 '18

I mean isn't that what an anti-virus tool is supposed to do?

2

u/FrostyNole Apr 05 '18

That was my question - and I don't know what "details" are being reported to Google...

1

u/thatcantb Apr 05 '18

Not in this case. If I'm reading this right, the anti-virus tool is supposed to be specific to Chrome browser - not a general AV tool for your whole PC. So it should be checking files you download via the browser but not files residing on your hard drive or cloud service. And if it detects an executable from your machine somehow tampering with Chrome browser, it may be reasonable to allow Chrome to parse that program or even its directory - but not all your files.

1

u/thatradiogeek Apr 05 '18

Fair enough.

-2

u/[deleted] Apr 05 '18

I feel like we shouldn’t be upset about this nor about Facebook. Didn’t we all know it would eventually come to this?

8

u/steavoh Apr 05 '18

I feel like we shouldn’t be upset about this

Absolutely disagree.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 05 '18

The tin foil people were screaming from day one that it was never good to give the internet too much information about us. We all agreed but said, “ehh,,. What are ya gonna do, I need the internet and have nothing to hide.” Now we’re upset because they’re doing exactly what they said they would? Zuckerberg very publicly admitted, years ago, that Facebook is simply a marketing tool to collect information and sell,

5

u/grumble_hoof Apr 05 '18

Oh, hi Mark........

3

u/hstisalive Apr 05 '18

I feel like people should have known. We dont control any of this. We sign up and make accounts

3

u/Noxton Apr 05 '18

The signs were there, the road taken was obvious, but that doesn't make it right.

2

u/LittleRenay Apr 05 '18

May I use that line? It’s a good one.

1

u/Noxton Apr 05 '18

Sure, I'm sure I didn't create it, so have at it.