Is Chrome getting too intrusive? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 12:53:46 am
content: Well, in today's world, I should perhaps "just get over it."I hate it when I feel the tools I use is constantly spying on me. A couple of times, I went to eBay to look at the scope that one guy was talking about, now Chrome is constantly pushing scopes on me. Every web page I go, it is scope advertisements.I went to Newegg to buy some ink cartridge and now I am constantly bombarded by printer ads.Not sure where the service is suppose to be, I went to look up an address of a funeral home. I suppose I better stop because I fear I will get constant advertisement on comfortable coffins. I don't want coffins, I am building my own pyramid, so there!I am getting darn annoyed with Chrome. Not just the ads, but each page constantly waiting for ads to load... I am damn annoyed. (Yes, I am keenly aware that advertisement is what makes useful sites like this one possible. But when a 30 minute show contains 20 minute ads, that is too damn annoying!)Darn! I damn near forget, FDA just issue rules that medical devices (new hip, pace-maker, etc) should have RFID like the pet-chips so they canalways find the patient should there be a recall. Really? So someone is going to drive the streets with RFID receivers like Google does with their camera for the street views?Forget pace-makers, people having been telling me I am heartless anyhow so I will never need a pace-maker. New hip? or old privacy? With RFID, even my own pyramid may not do it. New hip? or old privacy? Hmm... hard choice... Let's hope this hip holds out.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 12:55:40 am
content: s/Chrome/Google/g ?The ads are creepy as fck... I'll admit... I'm not sure I could say they're "wrong", but they do creep me out a bit...Quote from: Rick Law on September 27, 2013, 12:53:46 amI'm going to have to throw up a [citation needed]... that sounds a bit far-fetched... but if true, I have abigproblem with that. Time to build a nice, powerful RFID zapper...

author: fluxcapacitor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 12:58:15 am
content: you can block third party cookies easily enough in chrome ,and install a few plugins. Not-script and adblockplus .Give them a try ,youll see the difference .

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 01:11:09 am
content: I've never used Chrome, so I may be wrong, but is it not just Google ads (and others) rather than the browser itself? I use Opera and I often get 'creepy' ads. Of course, I have quite a lot of ad servers blocked, but not all.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 02:26:33 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on September 27, 2013, 12:55:40 amc4757p,I first heard it onABC radio news, but I didn't record it. So, I had to do some websearch to confirm and give you some citation. They are in separate announcements so it is hard to identify, but reading them and join the dots... It goes down only one path. The "trigger pulling" announcement was FDA's UDI announcement 6 days ago. Joining the dots, I interpreted the whole thing the wayABC radio newsdid - RFIDinevery medical device.(1) Article: The FDA’s UDI Rules Will Help RFID Integration in Healthcarehttp://www.xerafy.com/blog/fdas-udi-rules-will-help-rfid-integration-in-healthcare/(2) Wall Street Journal (re UDI ruling and an RFID provider)http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130923-904080.html(3) FDA's own announcement:http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm369276.htmLet me quote from that:“UDI represents a landmark step in improving patient safety, modernizing ourpostmarket surveillance system for medical devices, and facilitating medical device innovation,” said Jeffrey Shuren, M.D., J.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.(4) RFID Journal on UDI (written prior to FDA's UDI/GUDID announcement 6 days ago)http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?9685/1So, they require a UDI/GUDID, implementing a "Medical Device Registry", FDA folks saids "postmarket surveillance system for medical devices, and facilitating medical device innovation", RFID Journal wrote about the implementation..."Post marketing surveillance" (exact quote) kind of dictate that putting the chip in the packaging can't really do it.Like saying, want something with 4 wheels, runs on gas piston engine, seats four, 2 or four doors, ... Wait, no one say anything about wanting car!So, read the stuff and see if you interpret it the same way I did...Rick

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 02:30:58 am
content: You can opt out of it in Chrome and Internet Explorer. Not sure about others. In Chrome, go to the Settings page and click for Advanced Settings. Tick the checkbox for "Send a 'Do Not Track' request with your browsing traffic". From the help information on that option:QuoteThe option is similar in recent versions of IE. Not all ad delivery systems respect this, but I think Google AdSense does which is the largest ad provider.edit: found more info here-http://donottrack.us/

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 02:33:34 am
content: Hoo, wow, yeah... um, no. I'm not some anti-RFID nutter, but no freaking RF microchip is goinginsideme. No, no no no no no.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 02:37:01 am
content: Quote from: fluxcapacitor on September 27, 2013, 12:58:15 amActually, to avoid the damn ads, I started using a (non-persistent) VM to browse these days. What triggered me to write that is, the recent auto-updated Chrome is having trouble with youtube on my VM version of XP, and I hate to get my "main machine" contaminated just to watch a video.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 02:51:54 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on September 27, 2013, 02:33:34 amLook at the bright side, now like carrying an Easy Pass box on your person, you can never be missing again... Even aliens can't abduct you without someone knowing. No more Flight 19 stuff.Isn't that nice?(For non-SciFi fans - Flight 19 is a training group with 5 planes that disappeared with 13 or 14 crews shortly after WWII. Many SciFi movie uses their disappearance as part of the plot. Others wont know what I mean by Flight 19 so this saves you a Google search.)

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 03:21:52 am
content: The last time aliens abducted me to experiment, they just set up the lab in my living room so nobody would know I was gone.

author: fpliuzzi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 03:57:02 am
content: I too am a Chrome browser user. When I visited the following URL it showed me a list of the 114 companies that were tracking me and pushing "interest based ads" in my direction.http://www.aboutads.info/choices/I hit the check boxes on that page and opted out of all 114 participating companies. All of their background activity in my Chrome browser was causing youtube videos to play poorly too.Frank

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 04:42:42 am
content: Chromium, the non advert and non tracking version. The same just does not report home to the chocolate factory, and does not auto update in the background ( annoying as it slows down the connection doing the 100M update) and you can easily just build it from source each time you need it.Then again the only time i use Chromium is to do banking.

author: Alana
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 04:57:26 am
content: Come on guys. Adblock plus with "do not block ads on eevblog.com" setting enabled and all your problems are gone. And regular cleanup with ccleaner or alike.

author: GEuser
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 03:20:23 pm
content: It is not just chrome OP imo , it is not just "browsers" either , its the net in general and the way its set up and filtered by the main servers and the way they watch what is being looked at , and then I presume there is a Algorithm that kicks in and follows one about .I think its IP based or connection based and all the main servers watch what is going on as I have tried many times using different browsers , ip blockers , add blockers in which are for different programming/format and all that stuff and it still follows one about ,untilone disconnects then waits 1/2 a hour after cleaning all history , then reconnect and the very first link clicked in a search result or page advert will trigger it all off again following one about , until one disconnects/cleans and waits around 1/2 a hour again .I do not think it is cookie based either , as I mentioned its server/connection based , I'm aware that there are different styles out there like cookie based and the like but the one you and I are typing about is different and sorta goes along the lines of the same system that is used to spy on people like the yanks got caught out doing recently but in this instance it is used as a attempt to flog stuff and just plainly "provide" a service in which one does not require , the good thing about it all imo is they actually are proving that they have the technology and power and are using it to keep a eye on one , and are telling one about it! .all ^ imo and something like that ...

author: GEuser
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 03:45:55 pm
content: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24292897And "coincidently" the above a hour or so later .

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 03:52:47 pm
content: I only use Chrome on my laptop and that's because Firefox doesn't support flash (I'm a a Linux user). It's only used when watching ABC iView or SBS,Ad blocker for Firefox on all systems keeps me blissfully unaware of whatever nasties Google is up to - at least for now.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 04:24:22 pm
content: Quote from: Alana on September 27, 2013, 04:57:26 amQuote from: GEuser on September 27, 2013, 03:45:55 pmI am no longer sure I am complaining about Chrome or the general state of affairs. As thoughts about privacy got triggered, the general state of affairs is perhaps what is annoying me more. One can do "point-fixes" and block (fix) any specific things, but IthinkI was reacting to info-tech and tech-gidgets getting to a point where the privacy in our life are gone.You walk around with cell phones in our pocket, your position can be narrowed to within a few blocks. You walk around with a smart phone in our pocket, your position can be narrowed down to single digit meters. In the not too distant future, you walk around with a replacement hip, your position can be narrowed down to single digit centimeters.NSA using smart phones' capabilities to spy on its owner, phones (at list who you are calling and for how long) are recorded, Easy Pass toll paying sticker/box can track you for speeding, Credit card transactions are monitored by government(s)...Kids readily post what should be private information about themselves on the web. So, the next generation would probably see people like me as dinosaurs. "What? Why does it bother you? So what if I get an instant alert every time you go to the toilet? I want to know if you are as full of sh*t as people say you are..."

author: XL5
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2013, 09:28:56 pm
content: While we're on the subject, chrome seems to be the only browser that can't sort it's life out enough to handle ssl certificates properly.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2013, 09:33:28 pm
content: Quote from: GeoffS on September 27, 2013, 03:52:47 pm:-) Download the flash player for linux and copy libflashplayer.so into the plugins folder.It's also a good idea to install Flashblock.

author: walshms
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2013, 09:41:10 pm
content: Quote from: Rick Law on September 27, 2013, 04:24:22 pmGeneral state of affairs, Rick. No doubt.QuoteUntil the day that the information they so freely gave away bites them in the arse. Then they'll cry a river. Society will choose, and will live with its choices.The reality is that there's probably very little of what we do that involves pushing electrons that isn't already subject to some kind of monitoring or collection. It's just too easy to do, extremely cost-effective, and non-invasive. People were dreaming of having this kind of power for so long that now that they have it it's going to play heck to get it away from them.Probably the only way to do it would be to throw out all of the politicians en-masse and replace them with people of conscience that value individual freedom and rights and would immediately dismantle the apparatus with which they currently do this. Odds, anyone?

author: Greyersting
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2013, 11:46:16 pm
content: I once looked for a certain book (some c++ book) on Google. A few days later I went on Amazon without even being logged in to either Google or Amazon and it had that book under the suggestions thing. I wonder if it logged the search to my IP or something because I am sure I had cleared my cookies before it happened.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2013, 02:35:40 am
content: Quote from: walshms on October 07, 2013, 09:41:10 pmYeah, you are absolutely right. Someone just told me a recent statistics. Hong Kong is now the #1 free-est country (it is not a country really), and USA is like 17 or 27. I don't know if that is true, but that got me thinking: We have tools today that Heydrich Reinhard, Joseph Stalin, or the Stasi would love to have then. They had a hard time filling in the data and connecting the dots. We now freely get ourselves into this connected web (as in spider web and not www), we laid the infrastructure, and we dwell in it. Some dwellers even freely fill in the blanks to make sure all i's are dotted and all t's are crossed. Now all we need is someone willing to use it for evil and we all be in deep doo-doo. Recent disclosures doesn't make me warm and fussy.We are approaching our world as naive innocent kids ready to be taken advantage of. Lets hope we are as lucky as we need to be, and1984but is just a novel.

author: walshms
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2013, 02:41:52 am
content: Interesting allusion: naive kids. I'm sure that there's truth in that.Fact is, though, we do have a choice. We can choose what we disclose, we can choose whether to participate at all, but the smart money is on people choosing to elect officials that represent their views.Trouble is, there's some confusion about who has the majority view right now. There's a lot of loud, angry voices on all sides -- but that's just a tiny fraction of the total. It's going to take a lot more participation to make a difference. And it's not good enough to say "it ought to be this way" -- you have to be willing to be the change, not just call for it.Look around you. How many people do you know that would be willing to take a stand?

author: Sar
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2013, 03:03:46 am
content: Even if you disable cookies and other things and move to different locations/networks it is possible that you can still be tracked depending on the uniqueness of your browser configuration. If you go to the EFF'shttp://panopticlick.eff.orgit will tell you how unique you are (on an admittedly limited sample group of almost 3.5 million other systems.)

author: SgtRock
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 08, 2013, 04:09:09 am
content: Greetings EEVBees:--My current complaint about Google is that now they are grabbing up all the really good old movies on youtube like "The Maltese Falcon" and forcing you to sign because of "Adult Content". In a pig's eye.“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”H.L. Mencken 1880 - 1956Best RegardsClear Ether

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2013, 05:15:58 am
content: Quote from: walshms on October 08, 2013, 02:41:52 amThat takes us back to the original post, Chrome. That there is a "choice" is perhaps an illusion. Getting unwanted ads on Chrome is but annoyance, and Chrome, like any other technology, can be turned off. However, in sum total, turning off the digital chain becomes impossible. Our DMV (Dept of Motor Vehicle) records, our medical records, our credit card records, our passport activities, our ...Collecting data is nothing new. Supermarket scanner information has been a product for at least 20 years. In the past few years, hardware capability moved way beyond aggregated data. We, even individual "hobbyist", possess the ability to collect, transmit, and analyze individual datum of (say for example) supermarket data for at least a city if not the entire state.Chrome prompted my original note, but as the conversation developed, other snooping come into mind and they look more ominous. Our blissful ignorance may be cuddly and warming, but our blindness allows the brightly lit fire to get close and burn us. I wonder if privacy is a privilege lost is too high a price for the convenience and benefit of a digitized society.

author: walshms
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2013, 05:21:45 am
content: Quote from: Rick Law on October 08, 2013, 05:15:58 amCan't argue with this, but I wonder if there's really that much to be concerned with when we're talking about services that we would require even if it was all done with pen and paper. The databases will still be there, whether they're filled in with web forms or by clerks. In these cases, I think we probably do want the data to be available.QuoteOnly if it's used in ways that you find annoying/intrusive/reprehensible, I would suggest. But there again, we need some consensus if we're going to have a starting point from which to draw up some sort of guidance. It's certainly not in corporations' interests to limit data collection... so the impetus has to come from us. Before you can get there, you need to at least be clear on what's acceptable and what's not.It would be more useful to clearly delineate that first, I think...

author: form
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2013, 05:39:34 pm
content: At least now its time to avoid chrome:http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/google-is-exploring-an-alternative-to-cookies-for-ad-tracking/

author: mamalala
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 08, 2013, 06:32:34 pm
content: I recommend the combination AdBlock+ and NoScript as well. They allow you to selectively enable stuff if you need or want it.it is shocking how many external scripts are loaded in some pages. On some you get in excess of 15 external servers providing scripts, most of them for tracking purposes and the like. Not only is the tracking itself rather annoying, but there is also a huge security risk involved. The original sites just have no way of checking these external scripts. One such server hacked, and millions of users could be targeted easily by malware.Yes, i am aware of the discussion about site owners depending on ad revenue. But who pays for my time and hassle if something goes wrong due to such external scripts? Ad delivery networks have been delivering malware in the past, and it sure will happen again.What's also rather funny if you use NoScript is to see how lousy web "programming" has become. There are quite some sites that complain (with a silly overlay, no less!) that it requires JavaScript to work. While you can see the actual site content behind that overlay just fine....Greetings,Chris

author: Greyersting
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2013, 09:43:55 pm
content: Quote from: mamalala on October 08, 2013, 06:32:34 pmThanks! I didn't know NoScript was for Chrome, I though it was just for Firefox. I guess I should've searched a bit more.

author: fluxcapacitor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2013, 11:25:31 pm
content: on chrome its call notscript ( not script)

author: webuser3
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 02, 2014, 12:51:40 am
content: chrome app launcher gets installed automatically without accepting it.Seems chrome getting more intrusive nowadays.Perhaps freeware comes with this "price" ; does IE do the same ?

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2014, 03:12:23 am
content: Oh it is. I've been using IE and FireFox lately. I essentially gave up on chrome since I didn't want google up my arse end.

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2014, 04:33:36 am
content: So don't log into the browser...I'm not even sure what "chrome app launcher" is, so I'm not sure you're dealing with chrome, there. Malware likes to masquerade as legit software; maybe you have some shenanigans going on that are not due to chrome?

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2014, 05:03:30 am
content: Quote from: Rigby on June 02, 2014, 04:33:36 amhttps://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/apps

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2014, 05:20:55 am
content: I know what the web store is. What's this launcher everyone is on about? Maybe because I'm on android at the moment I'm not seeing it, who knows. I use chrome as my main (only) browser on 4 PCs, and I've never heard of this app launcher.

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2014, 05:32:36 am
content: Quote from: Rigby on June 02, 2014, 05:20:55 amSorry, thought the notice that chrome is required might of given it awayMaybe this onehttps://support.google.com/chrome_webstore/answer/3060053?hl=en

author: electrolux
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2014, 09:23:04 am
content: Yes it is

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2014, 10:14:25 am
content: OK, I see a whole lot of requirements there that must be met in order to get the app launcher.Chrome exists on Android, AlfBaz. I AM using Chrome.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2014, 02:17:00 pm
content: Quote from: webuser3 on June 02, 2014, 12:51:40 amIt's not chrome, it's the web in general. Facebook started with it and Google followed with G+ and Real Names. Always remember that everything you are doing on the web or your phone leaves digital traces and it's just a matter of how important it is for somebody to take a look (e.g. a court subpoena or a NSA analyst). Sometimes you are aware of the signals (e.g. when used to target ads to you) and sometimes not (e.g. when you cell phone carrier logs your cell tower and location over time) but the traces are there.Chrome is a great browser BTW.

author: StevenB
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2014, 03:48:52 pm
content: Quote from: Rick Law on September 27, 2013, 12:53:46 amPost marketing surveillance is just a term used by the FDA to mean that manufactures must monitor their released equipment for safety issues. Unfortunately, mixing the term "surveillance" with RFID might create some paranoia.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 02:12:11 am
content: Quote from: StevenB on June 02, 2014, 03:48:52 pmParanoia... Hmmm... I suppose you have not kept up with the news.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 05:03:47 am
content: Google's whole mindset creeps me out so much that I refuse to use Chrome. I can't be bothered even finding out by trial and error what about Chrome in particular would bother me. I just know I no longer trust Google (or anything they make) AT ALL.And sadly, Opera too is now Chrome.I hate how google tries to force G+ on everyone, and makes it impossible to use youtube without having G+ rammed ... somewhere. My G+ avatar pic below.There's a widespread push to enforce everyone to be be identified and locatable at all times. Which is really... just too much.Another example: So I have a debit card from StGeorge Bank. In previous years the cards just had a mag stripe. When shopping just swipe the card and enter your PIN. I'm fine with that.This year the replacement card arrived. Oh, I see it has a chip, with the gold contacts. Never mind, still not a problem.Until I went shopping with the new card. I reached with the card to swipe it through the slot as usual, and BEEP! "Transaction approved" before I even swiped it. What? But I didn't...Yep, it has an RFID device embedded in it. Just hold it near the terminal, and everything is automatic. Notably, no PIN entry required. But so far as I'm concerned, that's NOT acceptable. If I lost my wallet, or just the card, anyone could empty the account? Also, tptb expect I'll be fine with walking around with a RFID transponder in my pocket, that would allow any hidden terminal point to identify that I'd passed by?No thanks. In the strict sense, ie I flatly refuse to comply.Possibly the chip in my card has since had an 'accident'. We'll see if it's still doing PIN-free RF transactions next time I need to use the card. If it's broken, well I guess I'll just have to use the magstripe, and enter a PIN, like before. Such hardship.Also on the topic of RFIDs, those eTags for tollways. In the early days of their use I noticed that when I drove through toll points the 'beep' signaling you'd been recognized, sometimes sounded with distinctly different loudness - much fainter than normal. A few times it didn't sound at all, yet when I checked I didn't seem to have an unpaid toll (which is based on number plate recognition.)That's interesting. Now if I was designing those tag things and their RF protocol, as part of the standard handshake I'd probably include a command from the fixed point station to control the loudness of the acknowledge beep. And one of the levels would be 'none'.Because that would give authorities the ability to log vehicles passing, at OTHER places, without the drivers being aware they were being logged.That the volume did vary, demonstrates that there is indeed such a capability, and that in the early days there was some protocol bug that caused the volume command part to now and then be received incorrectly by the tag.It doesn't happen any more, and I'm still using the same tag so presumably the bug is now fixed.Takeaway point being, those eTags you all have mounted on your car windscreen, can be logged without you knowing it.What's the bet there are many silent eTag logging points? Notice how insistently we are all encouraged to 'mount your tag', even though I don't believe there is any law requiring it.Would be interesting to crack one open, hack an 'activated' indicator LED onto it, and see if it ever blinked when not expected.

author: TVman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 05:08:29 am
content: I just use Mozilla Firefox.

author: TVman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 05:13:58 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on June 03, 2014, 05:03:47 amYour just like my dad.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 06:15:32 am
content: Quote from: TVman on June 03, 2014, 05:13:58 amThen I expect your dad would be dissapointed to see you using "your" when you meant "you're".

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 06:40:54 am
content: @TerraHertzBets are Your debit card while allowing transactions without entering a PIN has a purchase limit. Typically banks impose limits on wireless transactions. Go above this limit and the terminal will decline and tell you to use a PIN-ed method. This is globally accepted practice for this type of payment technology. As to lost or stolen cards it is your responsibility to notify your bank. On the loss side , if someone finds and uses your card before you report it - banks accept the risk. Since the transaction limit. I bet all of this is explained in terms and conditions paper that came with your new card.If you do not want wireless payments, ask your bank to issue you a card without it. Often banks have non-wireless version available but typically you have to specifically ask for one, they do not advertise.

author: magetoo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 04:35:41 pm
content: Quote from: Rigby on June 02, 2014, 05:20:55 amIf I'm not mistaken, the app launcher is something that was recently added to Chrome - basically a way for the browser to be more like ChromeOS, with apps and an app store. The code was probably already there* (since ChromeOS apps are basically web pages IIRC), but that piece of user interface is new.* This also ties in with all the stuff Google have been adding to Chrome (camera support, sound and 3D graphics, etc) to make it a better app platform.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 05:08:00 pm
content: No NFC cards here yet, but they can always accidentally be left under a pie in the microwave....... Some stores are chip and pin, some are chip, pin and sign. Seems the bigger ones are sign, as they will always get more fraud. Of course the fallback magstripe always works, especially if the chip is damaged by ESD and is unreadable. Funny thing is that CPS will not allow cash withdrawal at the till, but if I swipe it is allowed.

author: SirNick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 07:12:05 pm
content: Pinless NFC is too much for me. Convenience and security are at odds with each other, and that's too far on the convenience side. Sure you're supposed to let the banks know when your card is lost, but if you immediately knew when you lost it, it wouldn't be lost.OTOH, I don't mind targeted ads if they're not intrusive. Amazon advertises based on my purchase history, and sometimes it's scary good at providing relevant results. I'm going to see ads one way or another, may as well be stuff I have an interest in. Same with Google AdSense, FWIW. I would be OK with Google offering a "subscribe to offset your usage costs and we won't collect any data from you" option. But I suspect the equivalent cost would be pretty high. Pipe dream anyway.I do hate that YT and G+ are now integrated, and the Real Name thing sounds like a security risk to me. I don't want the web at large knowing my legal name. So, for general browsing, why not just create a Google account with a fake name? Sign in and let it track Joe Bloe's browsing habits all day long. They get demographics, you're not identified personally, everyone's happy.I hate to stir the pot, but RFID on medical devices actually sounds like a good thing to me. If I can be scanned at the Doc's office (who knows me by my name and serial number anyway) and let me know that the replacement hip I just had installed has a defective alternator, I would like to know that. I don't want to be tracked every time I walk into a Starbucks though, so there would have to be limits on usable range and legal accessibility, and severe penalties for abuse. There are regulations for that kind of thing, and without access to xref databases, your RFID tag is just a number. (This does become a matter of trusting the government though, which is tricky.)Likewise, having Chrome update itself can be obnoxious, but admittedly it's maybe the best thing that could happen to web security and standards compliance. Anyone remember IE6? How long did that monstrosity stick around, wrecking life for both web developers and users everywhere? I do see the opportunity for evil there, but I think this one is still juuuust inside the limits of "conveniently secure".Just my 2c.

author: gxti
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 07:20:32 pm
content: It's taking forever for chipped cards to rollout in the US. Discover has sent me 2 new cards in the past 6 months, one because my card expired and a few weeks later another as a precaution due to the Target data leak (even though that happened *before* I got the renewed card). Still no chip. They're waiting as long as they can possibly get away with.I'm all for chipped cards. For all their flaws they're still leagues beyond mag-stripe in terms of security. Having to then deal with shielding it from NFC would be very irritating. Honestly though the odds of it getting snooped are negligible, and if it does happen there are transaction limits and it would be very difficult for an attacker to actually execute a transaction with. And ultimately cardholders aren't liable for anything that does happen.Regarding Chrome, the browser itself is not doing anything that Firefox and most others aren't also doing. Automatic search in the browser bar sends those tidbits to google, but so does Firefox. And there's phishing/malware checks that send some information about sites you visit but those are "Chinese wall" affairs -- if they were caught using that data to sell ads, it'd make them look really bad. The engineers and product managers for Chrome are not being paid to find new ways to steal your information and it's actually in their best interest to make the browser as trustworthy as possible even if it's not the easiest way to sell ads. And in any case, for both Chrome and Firefox you can turn all of the potentially-privacy-sensitive features off. The real privacy issues are on the service side -- ads, search, youtube, etc. and happen regardless of what browser you use and can't easily be dodged.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 07:25:56 pm
content: I still see IE6 in banks on the computers, used to access an ancient database that is running on some virtualised copy of an IBM mainframe. Then again this IE6 is running on a virtual desktop running off a remote server and viewed by a screen share running off a RHEL based local computer. If anything in that pile dies it almost never is the local machine or the big iron, pretty much always the server throwing a wobbly and dropping the screen, so you need to go to the actual machine and reconnect or lose the data for the entire day's session.Banks, fancy front end, but behind the façade the same creaky stuff dating back to when accounts were held on paper ledgers.BTW it is untrue that banks eat the losses due to fraud, they merely pass it on to all users in the form of higher charges and fees.

author: SirNick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 07:56:29 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on June 03, 2014, 07:25:56 pmExactly. The "it isn't my problem, therefore it isn't a problem" attitude is really short-sighted.IMO, physical access to a card plus a 4-digit PIN is probably already a little too weak. For all its flaws, Bitcoin's signle-use tokens for transactions is a really good idea.That'sthe bandwagon the credit industry should be jumping on to. Imagine not having to provide any personal info to buy a product or service... no need to trust the merchant beyond the immediate purchase.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2014, 09:16:09 pm
content: Quote from: SirNick on June 03, 2014, 07:56:29 pmSome version of it is available for years. It's call one time credit card number. I use it for all my online transactions.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_payment_numberIn the US, if you have a Citicard or BOA card you can use it for free.

author: SirNick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 12:34:24 am
content: I had no idea. That's pretty cool. I hope it gains some traction.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 03:19:33 am
content: The way banks implement that is by having a card generated with an expiry date that is the current month, so that payment processors do not have to rework the systems. Problem is it is not really a single use card, merely a single month card, so it can be reused many times that month until expiry.

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 04:05:01 am
content: Quote from: zapta on June 03, 2014, 09:16:09 pmIt's what I use for all online purchases. If my final price will be $80, I'll make a card with a limit of $100. Then, at most I will lose $100 and paying with credit card, you also have the company to go and fight for you.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 04:31:21 am
content: You may have a $100 limit, but if offline transactions are done on a non flagged card the system will dump them onto your account and put it way over the limit, leaving you to talk to the issuing bank before they will consider reversing and investigating ( mostly ask for signature and comparing with the specimen), and you will have the OD fees as well.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2014, 09:47:08 pm
content: Quote from: echen1024 on June 04, 2014, 04:05:01 amI also do that, always leave some margin, not sure why ;-)

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2014, 09:49:58 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on June 04, 2014, 03:19:33 amWith the banks I use, you can set expiry date of up to 12 months and can later extend the card. You can also use a one time card for recurring payments (e.g. Netflix or Tivo) and when you don't need it anymore you close the number and the vendor cannot keep charging (compare with a real card number where you have to go through dispute if the vendor keeps charging).