Microsoft fires poorly-aimed privacy missile at Google Chrome
If Internet Explorer can't beat Google Chrome on speed, security, or standards compliance, it appears as though they figured its Achilles Heel might be privacy.
Earlier today, Microsoft's Peter LePage decided to attack Chrome because of its autocomplete feature -- a giant privacy risk, he claims. "As I start to type an address into the address bar, Fiddler [a debugging tool] shows that for nearly every character I type, Chrome sends a request back to Google," LePage says. "I haven't even hit enter yet to load the website and Google is already getting information about the domain and sites I'm visiting."
Nicely done, Peter! Except for the fact that if I have my default search provider set to Bing, it's sending those requests to Bing instead -- not Google.
He then takes the opportunity to point out how IE8 protects your privacy better through the separation of the address bar and search box and IE's InPrivate browsing mode. Nice recovery! But ah...Chrome has that covered, too, with that whole Icognito thing.
And now it appears as though Microsoft might want to forget the whole thing ever happened -- the original post has been taken down, and you'll just get an error page if you visit the Technet page where it was published.
Chrome has been attacked plenty of times for privacy-related issues (custom error pages, DNS prefetching, the unique ID, etc) but this clearly wasn't the most well-thought out one.
(note: Silverlight required to play the embedded video clip from Microsoft, of course...)
[via Ars Technica]
Earlier today, Microsoft's Peter LePage decided to attack Chrome because of its autocomplete feature -- a giant privacy risk, he claims. "As I start to type an address into the address bar, Fiddler [a debugging tool] shows that for nearly every character I type, Chrome sends a request back to Google," LePage says. "I haven't even hit enter yet to load the website and Google is already getting information about the domain and sites I'm visiting."
Nicely done, Peter! Except for the fact that if I have my default search provider set to Bing, it's sending those requests to Bing instead -- not Google.
He then takes the opportunity to point out how IE8 protects your privacy better through the separation of the address bar and search box and IE's InPrivate browsing mode. Nice recovery! But ah...Chrome has that covered, too, with that whole Icognito thing.
And now it appears as though Microsoft might want to forget the whole thing ever happened -- the original post has been taken down, and you'll just get an error page if you visit the Technet page where it was published.
Chrome has been attacked plenty of times for privacy-related issues (custom error pages, DNS prefetching, the unique ID, etc) but this clearly wasn't the most well-thought out one.
(note: Silverlight required to play the embedded video clip from Microsoft, of course...)
[via Ars Technica]
Comments
6
Subscribe to commentsPaulApr 1st 2010 6:58AM
Not that I'm defending Microsoft here, that's a BS video, but I think he just means there is no need to search the web if you are just pulling up a bookmark or typing in a known address in the address bar.
""As I start to type an address into the address bar, Fiddler [a debugging tool] shows that for nearly every character I type, Chrome sends a request back to Google," LePage says. "I haven't even hit enter yet to load the website and Google is already getting information about the domain and sites I'm visiting."
Nicely done, Peter! Except for the fact that if I have my default search provider set to Bing, it's sending those requests to Bing instead -- not Google."
ChristianMar 31st 2010 6:14PM
LOL, they did retract it, so I assume they corrected themselves.
NeoprimalMar 31st 2010 7:54PM
Perfect aim. Dud missile.
JaneMar 31st 2010 11:00PM
I don't think Microsoft should be resorting to something like this. IE9 (and I think IE has historically been awful) is shaping up very nicely. Despite losing market share to Chrome recently there's no reason for them to panic and resort to this.
But on the bigger issue of privacy. Privacy online is pretty much dead. Google knows exactly what you're doing. Facebook knows more about you than you do. Twitter knows what you like and don't like. People are posting about you on http://www.dirtyphonebook.com and you can't stop it. It's just funny that privacy is made out to be an issue anymore when its so obviously dead.
cyberguy91Apr 1st 2010 3:14AM
For those who don't for whatever reason have Silverlight (or if Microsoft disables the video altogether), I've uploaded the video to YouTube. Video was downloaded from Microsoft and has not been modified in any way whatsoever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRa0bkFgkKM
Toby AdamsApr 1st 2010 6:34AM
If that guy worked for me, I would fire him. About as charismatic as a dead toad with information being given in stark contrast to both educated mind-share and fact. Microsoft - fail.