Sometimes, if a problem is serious enough, there will be a major policy change (Google, for example, completely banned cryptocurrency mining extensions from the Chrome Web Store after numerous instances of abuse).īut the hard truth is that there are just too many developers and extensions for the big browser vendors to catch everything - a phenomenon which parallels what we’ve seen in the App Store. The web stores for the major web browsers are constantly monitored, and offending extensions are frequently deleted. It’s a reasonable question, but in fairness to Google, Mozilla, and Apple, they are taking action to make their browser extension marketplaces safer. You may be wondering why Chrome, Firefox, Safari and others don’t do more to stop malicious browser extensions. Truly sketchy extensions may be set up for the express purpose of collecting and monetizing user data but even legitimate extensions can contain security flaws that accidentally expose user information. Such ads are (at best) annoying and unhelpful, and may even redirect users to sites with truly malicious content.Īn even more serious danger comes from extensions that log personally identifiable information or sensitive user data. This is a common feature of adware on macOS: A “helpful” toolbar is added to Safari as an extension, and suddenly web pages and search results start to display strange advertisements. Because extensions can alter web page data, they can be used by malicious parties to serve ads to users (ads which sometimes sell bogus or shady products). While this is not exactly new territory for Internet users, it’s something to be aware of - especially considering that “anonymized” data doesn’t always live up to its name.Īnother risk comes in the form of ad injection. The most common risk comes from developers who use their extensions to collect and resell anonymized user data to third parties - usually to marketing, advertising, and analytics companies. How can browser extensions threaten privacy?ĭue to their powerful permissions, browser extensions are potentially serious privacy threats. Yet while many browser extensions are completely legitimate, some do pose a privacy threat to users - and because of the huge number of available extensions, it’s difficult for Google, Mozilla, and Apple to guarantee the safety of every single one of them.
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After all, how could an ad blocker effectively block ads if it couldn’t see the web pages you were visiting or remove elements from them? How would a password manager function if it couldn’t read and write to website form fields? But there’s no reason for alarm: Most of the time, extensions are on the up and up, and the permissions they request make sense. If that sounds scary to you, well, in one sense that’s good - many people are far too casual about the permissions that they give to their browser extensions. Depending on what a browser extension does, it may ask for permissions to read and alter content on the web pages you visit to access your microphone or camera to make changes to your files or to know your geographic location. In order to add functionality to your web browser, an extension needs certain permissions and access rights on your system.
How do browser extensions relate to privacy? Some browser extensions are built by large companies that you’re already very familiar with, but there are tons of extensions created by indie developers and small organizations too. Browser extensions do all sorts of things: There are password managers, ad blockers, grammar checkers, color pickers, and more! What are browser extensions?īrowser extensions or browser add-ons are small but powerful programs that extend the functionality of your web browser.
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In this article, we’ll give you some background to the issue of browser extensions and privacy, talk about what’s planned for Safari 14, and tell you how to stay safe in the meantime. Safari is getting a major overhaul in macOS 11 Big Sur, and one of the most important privacy enhancements has to do with browser extensions.
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