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Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

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Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#331

Post by midasuni »

emayljames wrote: post #119
midasuni wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not like it’s difficult. This isn’t the world of IE6, where a bloated Netscape 4.7 which failed to work on many sites was the only alternative. (Kant remember when KHTML - later konqurer - became more usable than Phoenix/Firebird/Firefox)

I'd respectfully disagree, Netscape (Gecko) had better, more up to date standards. The issue was always folks not testing on other than Internet Exploder.

Blink

Problem was everyone had IE, websites were written for IE, activex, vbscript, etc

If it worked in Netscape fine, but large numbers didn’t.

On top of that, Netscape was a right resource hog.

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#332

Post by dessant »

fbelzile wrote: post #287
dessant wrote: post #37

I'd love to use ClearURLs, though last I checked it had a major flaw: it allows arbitrary code execution by the provider of the filter list. Among other things, it can redirect script URLs to arbitrary sources, and the filter list is periodically updated from a GitLab page, which enables the filter list provider to perform a targeted attack by serving a malicious filter list to a specific device. The only filter list…

If you don't like the risk this poses, don't use the extension. Your ability to make informed decisions about risk vs reward keeps getting chipped away when Google pulls this kind of stuff off. Google should warn you about the security risks (edit: or just remove it from the public facing store and only keep the hard to guess URL active) but don't tell me what extensions I'm allowed to use or not. Even adding local e…

I don't think you understand the issue. There is an accidental backdoor in the extension. The maintainer can manipulate and access the pages you visit at will, without needing to release a malicious update. All these features can be implemented without the maintainer being able to hack you without a trace, there is no loss of functionality if the security issue is patched.

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#333

Post by zepto »

stjohnswarts wrote: post #318
zepto wrote: post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can level this charge at almost anyone. It might be true in certain ways, but it’s not an informative criticism.

With google it's especially true since their entire existence is centered around gathering intelligence on people and then selling ads with it (and also hoarding it for future use)

That description fits Facebook just as well, which means it doesn’t tell us much about Google.

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#334

Post by kuschku »

lordofgibbons wrote: post #282
kuschku wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And you can actually modify that whitelist to be whatever you'd like — e.g. I've added hundreds of addons that aren't by default listed.

Can you please link to instructions on how to do this?

1. Create a collection of addons you'd like to use on AMO (e.g. via desktop mode) 2. Use Firefox Nightly 3. Click several times on the firefox icon in settings > about until developer mode is enabled 4. Click "change addon collection" and enter your AMO userid as well as the name of the collection you created in step 1 5. Firefox is restarted, and you can install all addons from your collection (if this doesn't work, clear the cache via the android app settings for firefox) 6. Have fun :)

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#335

Post by specialist »

ulrikrasmussen wrote: post #45

What I don't get is why Google is allowed to provide a browser and be a major content provider at the same time. If this is allowed to continue then it seems inevitable than an unhealthy monopoly will form where Chrome and its derivatives are the only browsers that can consume the modern web, and where opting out of tracking is not a possibility for anyone but the most technically inclined (although that's almost alr…

Yup. Markets require independent referees.

Google acts as their own police, judge, jury, executioner, and bank.

Ditto Apple, Facebook, Twitter, etc, etc.

The pro-capitalist position is to protect markets. We need tort, fair and impartial adjudication, and right to appeal.

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#336

Post by fbelzile »

dessant wrote: post #332
fbelzile wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don't like the risk this poses, don't use the extension. Your ability to make informed decisions about risk vs reward keeps getting chipped away when Google pulls this kind of stuff off. Google should warn you about the security risks (edit: or just remove it from the public facing store and only keep the hard to guess URL active) but don't tell me what extensions I'm allowed to use or not. Even adding local e…

I don't think you understand the issue. There is an accidental backdoor in the extension. The maintainer can manipulate and access the pages you visit at will, without needing to release a malicious update. All these features can be implemented without the maintainer being able to hack you without a trace, there is no loss of functionality if the security issue is patched.

So you're saying Apple should pull Chrome's permission to run on macOS anytime there's an accidental zero day or vulnerability?

If Google wants to act like a platform, it should have some form of escalation with the developer to fix issues instead of complete removal without warning.

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#338

Post by dessant »

fbelzile wrote: post #336
dessant wrote: post #332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you understand the issue. There is an accidental backdoor in the extension. The maintainer can manipulate and access the pages you visit at will, without needing to release a malicious update. All these features can be implemented without the maintainer being able to hack you without a trace, there is no loss of functionality if the security issue is patched.

So you're saying Apple should pull Chrome's permission to run on macOS anytime there's an accidental zero day or vulnerability? If Google wants to act like a platform, it should have some form of escalation with the developer to fix issues instead of complete removal without warning.

No, I'm not saying that, and the potential issue I have shared has nothing to do with the current takedown of the extension.

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#339

Post by fennecfoxen »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #237
fennecfoxen wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The job of the regulators isn't to just kill off specific companies that got too powerful - it's to create conditions where disruption is possible. Broadly speaking, the big regulations tend to create conditions where disruption is harder. Regulatory compliance is often a substantial investment, and a rather big one, thus a barrier to entry; it's a lot easier for big, profitable Google to hire a team of regulatory…

That depends. Often enough, regulatory burden tends to scale with size as well! But I agree that quite a lot of compliance requirements apply to everyone, and that they're much harder for small companies to meet. However, the reason for those requirements isn't, ostensibly, to make disruption difficult - it's to protect the society from problems that can be caused by companies of all sizes equally easily. For example…

> However, the reason for those requirements isn't, ostensibly, to make disruption difficult

Perhaps not. But public choice theory is chock full of unintended consequences.

Re: Google Removed ClearURLs Extension from Chrome Web Store

#340

Post by ungzd »

elktea wrote: post #2

anyone using this site that still uses chrome, why?

I don't like how mouse scrolling works in Firefox. I can't determine exact details what's wrong (jitter? inertia? delay?), but it feels subtly broken, and after a while it makes me nervous.
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