The default Chrome browser on Android gives any site you visit access to data from your phone’s motion sensor, a security researcher found, prompting some in the media to urge users to delete Chrome immediately. Security researcher Tommy Mysk tweeted on October 29 that “the Chrome browser on Android gives any website you visit access to your phone’s accelerometer data.” Smartphone accelerometers, which detect movement, are very sensitive. Researchers have found that using that sensor alone, an app or site can gather information about your emotional state, heart rate, sleeping habits, and more. If you don’t want to stop using Chrome on your phone, you can take the more measured step of revoking the browser’s access to your motion sensor data. That access is on by default, so you have to turn it off manually. You can find directions for doing so here.
Dear #Android users,Chrome shares your motion sensor with all the websites you visit by default.This video shows how you can disable it. Please do it now.You can learn more about this here:https://t.co/zMbPpuX3VH#CyberSecurity #Privacy pic.twitter.com/riWNQUfxKB — Mysk ???????????????? (@mysk_co) October 29, 2021
Mysk had originally been researching ways that iOS apps could access accelerometer data on iPhones when he discovered Chrome’s access to the sensor on Android. If you no longer trust Chrome to ride around with you on the device you carry everywhere, you have a host of other options. Mysk points out in his tweet that unlike Chrome, the iOS default Safari protects access to the motion sensor by a permission. The Firefox, Brave, and DuckDuckGo mobile browsers don’t give websites access to the phone’s motion sensors at all.
Login to add comment
Other posts in this group
ChatGPT maker OpenAI was awarded a $200 million contract to pr
Like it or not, artificial intelligence has become part of daily life. Many devices—including electric razors and
Duolingo isn’t just a cute green owl, it’s a masterclass in psychology, gamification, and habit-building. In this video, we break down the hidden tactics Duolingo uses to keep you coming back. Fro
Eleven years after purchasing WhatsApp, Meta is going full throttle with its plans to monetize the communication platform. And while officials at the social media giant say that users’ privac
A different kind of pie chart is being used to predict global crises.
A surge in takeout deliveries to the Pentagon has become a surprisingly accurate predictor of major geopolitical eve
Both sides are missing the point entirely as Congress debates the proposed 10-year ban on state AI laws contained in the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
The current wrangling over who should regu
