Google Chrome

Don't be evil.

The Most Popular Web Browser

Google Chrome arrived on the scene in 2008 and quickly outperformed its competitors.

The browsers name comes from chrome being associated with fast cars and speed. One of the businesses aims with Chrome was to minimise the GUI, making the browser visually appealing.

Data Harvesting

With Chrome being managed by Google, users have raised concerns regarding the data and privacy aspects of the platform.

Scroll down to read the article on Google Chrome and what users should look out for when using the site!

Enough RAM?

Before Google Chrome existed, users had to rely on popular browsers such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Opera. Google saw an opportunity to create a visually pleasing GUI and a simple web browser for the masses and released Chrome in 2008. This quickly caught on, as users ditched all other web browsers for Chrome.
As of 2021, Google Chrome is the most popular web browser on desktop and mobile. With a whopping 64.67% market share usage of all browsers in the market.
The main focuses during Google Chrome's development were speed and security, this led to many users leaving their existing browsers behind, as at the time, Google Chrome was "quicker" than the competition. Chrome also pushed regular updates to keep the user secure online, the browser also incorporated methods such as sandboxing to isolate each tab, meaning information could not leak from one tab to the other. One unresponsive tab would not shut down the browser, which was a common issue on other browsers at the time.
Being a product of Google, Chrome has faced many concerns in regards to tracking, data collection, privacy and listening capabilities. In 2015, an update was pushed to include a module that enabled the "ok google" voice recognition extension. This raised privacy concerns in the media and was removed in a later update, despite the default toggle being set to off. YD&PM believes users should be given the option for such modules to be added to software, especially as Google provides plugin support, meaning this can be added on by the user if required.
From a hardware perspective, Chrome has adopted a reputation of being memory hungry. This is an issue on many machines, as Chrome will often use a large chunck of the machines resources. This can lead to sluggish performance and will also affect other system functions, due to the browser consuming so much RAM. As Chrome utilises sandboxing, this means that each process is run individually, to improve stability. YD&PM does not reccomend Google Chrome on machines with weaker internals, as this can often reduce performance. It is advsied to use lighter browsers, such as Opera or Firefox.
Experts have cautioned users against Chrome, as Google is well known for data collection. Combining Google's services with their browser has raised many concerns and changes are expected to be made. Google is planing to replace third party cookies to privacy preserving tech, named FLoC. This gives Google more power, as they will be able to collect even more user data and dominate due to its market share. The browser has also been found to collect a large amount of user data, from names, addresses, credit card details, locations, microphone and webcam data and browsing data. This allows Google to create a detailed profile on the user and target them with interests, vulnerabilities and triggers. This is not safe in the modern world, as studies have shown how the internet has a negative effect on mental health issues.
Ultimately, due to Google's dominance, the web browser will continue to be popular amongst many. This is especially due to the phrase "Google it" being so common in the modern world. If we wish to see change and safer practices online with data, we must act accordingly.
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