Overview of Google Chrome privacy features

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TALLINN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

School of Information Technologies

Vladislav Harongex

A comparative analysis of the privacy of the Tor browser and Google Chrome

Bachelor's thesis

Supervisor:

Toomas Lepikult

Author’s declaration of originality

I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis. All the used materials, references to the literature and the work of others have been referred to. This thesis has not been presented for examination anywhere else.

Author: Vladislav Harongex

07.05.2023

Abstract

As the world becomes increasingly connected, the need for internet privacy is becoming more important. The use of web browsers is a key aspect of online privacy. This research paper aims to provide an overview and comparison of the privacy features of these two browsers. The comparison focuses on aspects such as browsing history, tracking protection, and encryption. The research involves manual inspection of the settings of both browsers and a review of related literature obtained from academic papers, industry reports, and online resources. The findings of this research will contribute to a better understanding of the privacy implications of using these browsers and provide insights into ways users can protect their online privacy.

This thesis is written in English and is 21 pages long, including 7 chapters and 8 figures.

List of abbreviations and terms

TOR

The Onion Routing

HTTP Cookies

Small blocks of data saved by websites on user’s device to remember preferences and track behaviour

DNT request

Do Not Track request

ISP

Internet Service Provider

TLS

Transport Layer Security

HTTPS

Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure

SSL

Secure Sockets Layer

RSA

Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman encryption technology

Table of contents

Author’s declaration of originality. 2

Abstract 3

List of abbreviations and terms. 4

Table of contents. 5

List of figures. 6

1 Introduction. 7

1.1 Background Information. 7

1.2 Description of the Problem.. 7

2 Methodology. 9

3 Overview of Google Chrome privacy features. 10

3.1 Browsing history. 10

3.2 Cookies and Tracking protection. 11

3.3 Encryption. 11

4 Overview of Tor browser privacy features. 13

4.1 Browsing history. 13

4.2 Cookies and Tracking protection. 13

4.3 Encryption. 14

4.4 Working principle of The Onion Routing. 15

5 Comparison of the Tor Browser and Google Chrome. 17

5.1 Browsing history settings. 17

5.2 Cookies and Tracking protection. 17

5.3 Encryption. 18

6 Summary. 19

6.1 Conclusion. 19

7 References. 20

Appendix 1 – Non-exclusive licence for reproduction and publication of a graduation thesis 21

List of figures

Figure 1. Browsing data settings in Google Chrome. 10

Figure 2. Google Chrome HTTP Cookie settings. 11

Figure 3. Error message displayed by Google Chrome. 12

Figure 4. Tor browser history settings. 13

Figure 5. Tor browser Cookie settings. 14

Figure 6. Security levels of the Tor Browser 14

Figure 7. HTTPS-Only Mode warning in Tor Browser 15

Figure 8. Working principle of The Onion Network in Tor browser [9] 16

1 Introduction

The growth of active internet users during the last decade raised concerns about anonymity of web browsers. As more personal information is being shared online, there is a growing need for secure and anonymous web browsers to lower the risks of user data being stolen.

1.1 Background Information

As of 2023, Google Chrome is the most used web browser in the world. Holding a market share of 77.03% desktop users [1], Chrome is the leading browser globally. Despite its popularity, many of Google Chrome’s users voiced their concerns regarding the topic of its security and anonymity features. As Google Chrome offers a wide variety of built-in protection mechanisms which can mitigate most common cybersecurity threats, some users still deem Google Chrome to be not as anonymous as its competitor - the Tor browser.

Tor browser is one of the most anonymous browsers available to the public. Based on The Onion Router network, Tor browser is able to provide high-level anonymity to its users by routing the encrypted connection to more than one Tor relay located across the globe.

1.2 Description of the Problem

During the last decade, the amount of private data leaks has been growing rapidly, resulting in users' data being compromised. Each year more users rely on the internet to store sensitive information such as location information, credit card details and passwords which if stolen by criminals can lead to serious consequences.

This research work focuses on analyzing and comparing privacy features of the Tor browser and Google Chrome in order to identify their differences and security risks. This paper can help users understand different approaches to internet privacy, as well as make decisions about which browser to use for their specific privacy needs.

2 Methodology

To compare the privacy features of Google Chrome and Tor browser manual inspection of settings of both browsers was used. Special attention was given to such aspects as: browsing history, encryption, cookies and tracking protection.

For browsing history, it was compared how the two browsers stored and deleted browsing history data. For tracking protection, the default settings and options available for blocking or limiting tracking by websites were compared. Finally, for encryption, it was decided to compare the types of encryptions used by the two browsers for data transmission and whether they offered any additional security features, such as a VPN.

Additional information about the Tor browser and Google Chrome privacy was gained by reviewing related literature. The sources were searched for by using Google Scholar website. Additional information about the working principle of the Tor network was gained and analysed from Tor Browsers’ documentation website.

This part of the research work will cover specific privacy features of Google Chrome web browser: browsing history, encryption, cookies and tracking protection.

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