Google Chrome is used to track users

O Google It’s not known as the Search Giant for nothing. After all, it has the most visited search engine in the world. However, as the wise Uncle Ben would say: “With big powers come big responsabilities“.

Recently the company faced a major leak of secret information. This information could put the Search Giant in trouble. This problem showed how its search system works and revealed secrets that users didn’t know about. The leak brought details about how websites appear in search results e why Google Chrome was createdamong other important things.

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Experts detail the leak

Rand Fishkin of the company SparkToro received this information on May 5th. He got them via email from Erfan Azimi, founder of EA Eagle Digital. The email contained many Google Search API documents. Specialized media, such as The Verge e Android Police, confirmed the veracity of the documents. Former Google employees and Mike King, an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialist, also confirmed.

Erfan posted a video on YouTube explaining his reasons and what he discovered in the leak. It showed 2,500 pages with 14,014 Google details. These tools analyze how many times people visit websites. They even include techniques that Google said it did not use. You can see the video in full below:

Erfan wants more transparency on the internet and for Google to take responsibility for its great impact. He also wants to show whether Google lied. According to Erfan, the information had been on GitHub since March 27, 2024 and was found on May 7, 2024. During that time, anyone could see the data, which was posted by an anonymous person.

With this data, Rand discovered that Google uses techniques to know how long people stay on each site. This helps decide which pages appear first in search results.

Why Google Chrome was created

The documents also show why Chrome was created. It seems that the Google wanted to know and analyze every user click. Today, Chrome is used by 64% of people in the world. This scandal raises questions about privacy and criticism of artificial intelligence do Google.

The documents mention a tool called NavBoost, research on elections and COVID-19, and how results can change depending on what a person does on the internet. Soon, Erfan and Rand will talk more about the leak at the SparkTogether 2024 event in Seattle, Washington, USA, on October 8.

O The Verge Tried to talk to Google, but still no response. It may be that Google updated its API after the August 2023 documents were released. But we can’t be sure. I just know that there’s still a lot of wood to burn.

Sources: Android Police, The Verge e SparkToro