Google Chrome extensions created by developer company 'Oink and Stuff' have code that collects private data, even though its private policy states they don't.
Facebook has filed a lawsuit against the two devs of the company in Portugal, as their Chrome extensions were scraping user-profiles and other data from Facebook’s website.
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While both the defendants claimed they did not collect any personal information, users of Chrome are better safe than sorry. Be sure to delete the below extensions if they've managed to make their way into your browser:
- Web for Instagram plus DM
- Blue Messenger
- Emoji keyboard
- Green Messenger
Facebook claims the extensions are "malicious and contained hidden computer code that functioned like spyware."
Clearly, this is a violation of Facebook's Terms of Service and Portugal’s Database Protection Law. Chrome is easily the most-used web browser, which unfortunately makes it a lot more enticing for data scraping.
Each of the extensions used code that could scrape a user's name, user ID, gender, relationship status, age group and other information related to their account. With the lawsuit now in place, Facebook has directed 'Oink and Stuff' to delete any personal data scraped.
Despite Chrome delivering better security for its web browser, including its Privacy Sandbox that supposedly prevents tracking cookies, its extensions are still a large source for privacy breaches. Thinking about changing browsers? This face-off with Microsoft Edge may help you out.
