But non all extensions tin hold upwards trusted.
One such innocent looking browser summation has been caught collecting browsing history of millions of users too selling them to third-parties for making money.
An investigation yesteryear High German television receiver channel NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk) has discovered a serial of privacy breaches yesteryear Web Of Trust (WOT) – 1 of the summit privacy too security browser extensions used yesteryear to a greater extent than than 140 Million online users to aid proceed them rubber online.
Web of Trust has been offering a "Safe Web Search & Browsing" service since 2007. The WOT browser extension, which is available for both Firefox too Chrome, uses crowdsourcing to charge per unit of measurement websites based on trustworthiness too nestling safety.
However, it turns out that the Web of Trust service collects extensive information close netizens' spider web browsing habits via its browser summation too and thus sells them off to diverse 3rd political party companies.
What's extremely worrying? Web of Trust did non properly anonymize the information it collects on its users, which way it is slow to expose your existent identity too every item close you.
The WOT Privacy Policy states that your IP address, geo-location, the type of device, operating system, too browser you lot use, the appointment too time, Web addresses, too browser usage are all collected, but they are inwards "non-identifiable" format.
However, NDR establish that it was really slow to link the anonymized information to its private users.
The reporters focused on simply a pocket-size information sample of some l WOT users, too were able to remember a lot of data, which included:
- Account name
- Mailing address
- Shopping habits
- Travel plans
- Possible illnesses
- Sexual preferences
- Drug consumption
- Confidential society information
- Ongoing police line investigations
- Browser surfing activeness including all sites visited
Mozilla has already removed the WOT extension from Firefox Add-ons page, too WoT, inwards turn, removed the extension from the Chrome Web Store every bit well.
In a statement, WOT said "we accept our obligations to you lot really seriously. While nosotros deployed corking seek to take whatever information that could hold upwards used to position private users, it appears that inwards some cases such identification remained possible, albeit for what may hold upwards a really pocket-size disclose of WOT users," claiming that they are taking these steps:
- Reviewing our privacy policy to decide which changes postulate to hold upwards made to heighten too ensure that our users' privacy rights are properly addressed.
- For the user browsing information used to enable WOT website reputation service, nosotros intend to supply users the mightiness to opt-out of having such information saved inwards our database or shared. This opt-out volition hold upwards available from the settings menu, every bit nosotros desire to supply each user amongst a clear alternative at all times.
- For people who handgrip to allow us utilisation their browsing information to back upwards WOT, nosotros volition implement a consummate overhaul of our information 'cleaning' process, to optimize our information anonymization too aggregation objectives to minimize whatever guide chances of exposure for our users.
