this post was submitted on 29 Apr 2026
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481
Over 80 Chrome Extensions Found Selling Their Users Data - And It’s All Completely Legal (layerxsecurity.com)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by Deep@mander.xyz to c/technology@lemmy.world
56 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
  • A network of 24 media extensions that are installed on 800,000 users and collected viewing data and demographic information on major streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Apple TV, and others
  • 12 separate ad blockers with a combined install base of over 5.5 million users openly selling user data
  • Nearly 50 other extensions, with over 100,000 users in aggregate, that collected and resold users’ browsing data
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[–] magnue@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Who even installs these?

[–] XLE@piefed.social 19 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

People who aren't experts in privacy and web browsing.

1.6 million people installed this ad blocker that claims to be open-source, but has no published source code.

Is it malware? Probably not.

Is it worth installing? Hell no.

Oh, and it's a Firefox extension.

[–] BigJohnnyHines@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

There are a LOT of people out there who honestly have no idea that a website is capable of collecting data. Maybe even the majority. The fact these numbers are not higher is due to most people sticking with defaults rather than them making a privacy decision.