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8M users' AI conversations sold for profit by "privacy" extensions

koi.ai

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Re: 8M users' AI conversations sold for profit by "privacy" extensions

#181

Post by insin »

Terr_ wrote: post #109
GeekyBear wrote: post #67

I stick to extensions that Mozilla has manually vetted as part of the Firefox recommended extensions program. > Firefox is committed to helping protect you against third-party software that may inadvertently compromise your data – or worse – breach your privacy with malicious intent. Before an extension receives Recommended status, it undergoes rigorous technical review by staff security experts. https://support.mozi…

> I stick to extensions that Mozilla has manually vetted as part of the Firefox recommended extensions program. If you're feeling extra-paranoid, the XPI file can be unpacked (ZIP) and to check over the code for anything suspicious or unreasonably-complex, particularly if the browser-extension is supposed to be something simple like "move the up/down vote arrows further apart on HN". :P While that doesn't solve the o…

You can also, more conveniently, plug an extension's URL into this viewer:

https://robwu.nl/crxviewer/

Re: 8M users' AI conversations sold for profit by "privacy" extensions

#183

Post by j-bos »

GeekyBear wrote: post #67

I stick to extensions that Mozilla has manually vetted as part of the Firefox recommended extensions program. > Firefox is committed to helping protect you against third-party software that may inadvertently compromise your data – or worse – breach your privacy with malicious intent. Before an extension receives Recommended status, it undergoes rigorous technical review by staff security experts. https://support.mozi…

Funny enough the article mentions this extension was manially reviewed: > A "Featured" badge from Google, meaning it had passed manual review and met what Google describes as "a high standard of user experience and design."

Re: 8M users' AI conversations sold for profit by "privacy" extensions

#184

Post by hnbad »

umrashrf wrote: post #17

I am surprised because google review team rejects half of my extensions and apps. Sometimes things don't make sense to me, like how "Uber Driver app access background location and there is no way to change that from settings" - https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/783227

This might be a case of app permissions just being poorly delineated. E.g. I've seen Android apps require "location data" access just because they want to connect over bluetooth or manage WiFi or something (not entirely sure which one it was specifically) because that is actually the same permission and the wording in the permission modal is misleading.

Re: 8M users' AI conversations sold for profit by "privacy" extensions

#185

Post by meindnoch »

murillians wrote: post #156

“ A few weeks ago, I was wrestling with a major life decision. Like I've grown used to doing, I opened Claude” Is this where we’re at with AI?

Some people are incapable of internal thought. They have to verbalise/write down their thoughts, so they can hear/read it back, and that's how they make progress. In a way, these people's brain do work like LLMs.

Re: 8M users' AI conversations sold for profit by "privacy" extensions

#186

Post by j-bos »

chmod775 wrote: post #64
Egor3f wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't be rude. "Real person" here might live in any country of the world. And also, why extension for vpn? I live in country where almost everybody uses vpn just to watch YouTube and read twitter, and none of my friends uses some strange extensions. There are open source software for that - from real vpn like wireguard, to proxy software like nekoray/v2raytun. Browser extension is the last thing I would install to be…

[flagged]

> being underhanded about it like that (USER) guy?

HN guidelines: Assume good faith.

Re: 8M users' AI conversations sold for profit by "privacy" extensions

#187

Post by consp »

thayne wrote: post #123
chmod775 wrote: post #18

The company behind this appears to be "real" and incorporated in Delaware. > Urban Cyber Security INC https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_de/5136044 https://www.urbancybersec.com/about-us/ I found two addresses: > 1007 North Orange Street 4th floor Wilmington, DE 19801 US > 510 5th Ave 3rd floor New York, NY 10036 United States and even a phone number: +1 917-690-8380 https://www.manhattan-nyc.com/businesses/urba…

Being a real business doesn't necessarily mean they can be trusted. Real companies do shady stuff all the time.

This also works in reverse: shady companies do real business. While the reason might be different the end result is the same.

Re: 8M users' AI conversations sold for profit by "privacy" extensions

#188

Post by nevon »

insin wrote: post #180
nevon wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That link doesn't answer the question though. It states that the extension is reviewed before receiving the recommended status. It does not state that updates are reviewed.

They do, and it takes longer for updates to Recommended extensions to be reviewed as a result. This is what the Firefox add-ons team sent to me when one of my extensions was invited to the Recommended program: > If you’re interested in Control Panel for Twitter becoming a Firefox Recommended Extension there are a couple of conditions to consider: > 1) Mozilla staff security experts manually review every new submissio…

That's great! They should put that on the website.

Re: 8M users' AI conversations sold for profit by "privacy" extensions

#189

Post by hnbad »

chhxdjsj wrote: post #145

How did I know this was an israeli company just by how unethical they are at scale?

It would have been no less suprising to me had it been a US company but it certainly fits the cultural stereotype of callousness that particular country has been openly displaying in recent years.
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