Story
Chrome extensions spying on users' browsing data
1 report
1 website
1 discussion
Latest report
Overview
An automated scanning pipeline identified 287 Chrome extensions that exfiltrate browsing history, collectively installed on approximately 37.4 million devices. This represents around 1% of the global Chrome user base.
Summary from qcontinuum.substack.com.
Reports
One report so far. Additional coverage will appear here when it is linked to this story.
qcontinuum.substack.com
Chrome extensions spying on users' browsing data
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Community reactions
Each reaction summarizes sampled comments from the linked discussion.
Hacker News · qcontinuum.substack.com
Hacker News discussion ↗
Historical count: 5 · 5 saved in sample · Historical sample
Analysis ready
Read this discussion’s reaction
Based on 5 sampled comments from this thread. Analyzed 2026-02-12.
- Praise: Using open source extensions like uBlock Origin allows users to audit the code, enhancing trust and security in their browsing experience.
- Praise: The ability to research and monitor updates for extensions can help users protect themselves from potential data exfiltration.
- Concern: The Chrome Web Store's lack of regulation enables bad actors to purchase legitimate extensions and exploit user data.
- Concern: There is a growing concern that even trustworthy extensions can become malware after being bought out, eroding user trust.