Hot Take Report: This Chrome feature may leak frequently visited sites

silversurfer

Level 85
Thread author
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Content Creator
Malware Hunter
Well-known
Aug 17, 2014
10,178
Google Chrome and all other Chromium-based web browsers collect site engagement statistics. It measures how "engaged" a user is with a particular site. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 being "super engaged" and 0 not at all.

The browser uses signals to compute the score. Signals may include clicking and scrolling, keypresses, media playback, or direct navigations.

All users of Chromium-based browsers can open the information for their browser profile. Just load chrome://site-engagement/ in the browser's address bar to look at the list.

Google notes that the data is not synced, which means that it is device and profile specific. Site engagement may be used by the browser, e.g., to prioritize tab discarding or allowing/blocking certain invasive features.

The information is copied whenever an Incognito session is opened in the browser, but no information is written back. This information is deleted when the browser is shut down according to the official documentation.

Site engagement information may leak to visited websites, according to a report on the Fingerprint website, at least in Google Chrome. A demo page is available for Google Chrome.
Source: Report: This Chrome feature may leak frequently visited sites - gHacks Tech News
 
F

ForgottenSeer 97327

Just clear your history and it is gone :eek: boohh FUD ...Edge uses site-engagement for years (e.g. to decide to enable Super Duper security or not)

Have a look at BrowsingData Erase it can be set to erase historie at startup (and ad-hoc), No open source, but privacy policy in English and Japanese
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: Gandalf_The_Grey

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top