[indygreg2]

If you sign in to Chrome, your bookmarks and full browsing history are uploaded to Google's servers. Only your passwords are encrypted locally before being sent to Google.

https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/1181035 contains info on how the encryption works.

chrome://terms/ links to https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/privacy/ which links to http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/ to define "how we use information we collect." From that page: "We use the information we collect from all of our services to provide, maintain, protect and improve them, to develop new ones, and to protect Google and our users. We also use this information to offer you tailored content – like giving you more relevant search results and ads."

Your full browsing history is a treasure trove of information useful for making Google's core services (search and ads) more effective. They would be stupid not to use it to improve the quality of their services. I challenge your assertion that Chrome is an altruistic endeavor.

[oceanstone]

Don't forget about omnibox predictions. By default, all keystrokes in the address bar are being sent, even while you're logged out.

References:

"Get predictions in the address bar" https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95656?hl=en

"Logging policies for omnibox predictions" https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/180655?hl=en

[0942v8653]

uhh… with any "omnibox" UI in any browser, every keystroke is sent to Google.

[espadrine]

Based on my current knowledge, I believe you are wrong. Firefox' Desktop Awesomebar (which actually predates Chrome's omnibox) does not send every keystroke to Google[0], and never has.

Even Firefox' Mobile Awesomebar doesn't do that[1] unless you click that "Yes" button.

On the other hand, Google's Chrome browser is clear about the fact that it does send everything in the omnibar[2]:

> When you type URLs or queries in the Chrome address bar (omnibox) or App Launcher search box, the letters you type may be sent to your default search engine so that the search engine’s prediction feature can automatically recommend terms or URLs you may be looking for.

If you still believe you are right, I would be interested in seeing your sources.

[0]: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/awesome-bar-find-your-b...

[1]: https://blog.mozilla.org/privacy/2013/01/08/search-suggestio...

[2]: https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/privacy/

[0942v8653]

Huh. Your first link says nothing about search suggestions. I based my comment on my experience of having to disable search suggestions every time I start a new browser. I hope you're right…

[espadrine]

Here's a Quora answer from Asa Dotzler, to make you feel better: http://www.quora.com/Why-hasnt-Firefox-merged-their-search-b...

Obviously, I can't prove that it doesn't send search suggestions by giving you a link to the code, since it isn't there. If you want to make sure for yourself, I advise using Wireshark.

[0942v8653]

Oh. The search suggestions I get come from my DuckDuckGo Plus extension (installed it a long time ago). But my point stands with other browsers: Opera, Safari, and IE all have the unified bar, and I was referring to those browsers in my comment (specifically Safari).

[Ded7xSEoPKYNsDd]

The point is: Omnibox in Chrome sends every key stroke. The Awesomebar in Firefox doesn't send anything to Google until you initiate a search.

[jenscow]

That's a feature of most "cloud" services that allow multi-device synchronisation.

It could be said Google already have your browsing history (of sites that they serve adverts on, or that use their analytics). I doubt Chrome's syncing data would give them any more information than what they have already.

[phaer]

Firefox provides synchronization without relying on 3rd-party servers, you can just use your own or one provided by a trusted friend.

and it's quite easy to block Google from tracking your browsing habits using GA or Ads: just use an Adblocker and something like Ghostery, RequestPolicy or Disconnect to block Google Analytics.