Google Chrome Masks Your IP Address with This Experimental Feature

February 17, 2024 By Monica Green

(Image Credit Google)

Google has introduced an experimental feature called "IP Protect" in the most recent Chrome Canary launch in its continuous effort to upgrade user privacy. IP Protect seeks to decrease cross-site tracking and different types of data collection by covering your IP address. You may already know about the Privacy Sandbox, Google's answer for replacing third-party tracking cookies. The Privacy Sandbox allows for targeted ads while putting a stop to the creation of invasive user profiles based on web activity. In accordance with this goal, Google proposed the IP Protect feature back in October 2023. Dissimilar to totally eliminating IP addresses, Google looks to mitigate the dangers related to cross-site tracking by naturally hiding your IP address from specific sites. Also Read: OpenAI’s Video-Generating Model “Sora” Wows, But Questions of Ethics Swirl! IP Protect functions in basically the same manner as Google's safe Browsing feature, using a list-based approach. Google arranges the list of websites impacted by IP Protect, guaranteeing that users are safeguarded from cross-site tracking on these platforms. The usefulness of IP Protect is essentially a proxy service incorporated into the Chrome browser. At the point when you visit a flagged website, your IP address is replaced by that of a Google proxy server, decisively picked close to your actual location to maintain basic geolocation features on relevant websites. It's essential to take note that IP Protect is at present in "Phase 0" and offers fundamental protection. In its current state, the feature requires manual activation and just impacts a limited number of websites, primarily those owned by Google. Moreover, the service is bound to Google-owned proxy servers. However, as IP Protect develops, Google expects to grow its accessibility to all users. The company might try and execute a two-hop system, filtering Google's proxy addresses through outsider content delivery networks (CDNs). While IP Protect holds incredible potential for shielding user privacy, there are worries about expected misuse. With fudged IP addresses, recognizing valid and invalid traffic becomes challenging, possibly leading to an expansion in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. To neutralize this, Google reassures users that it will enforce rate limits and user authentication necessities to prevent misuse of the feature. As IP Protect is still in its experimental stage, we can anticipate further enhancements and refinements later on. Google's obligation to user privacy and data protection is apparent in its continuous endeavours to foster creative features like IP Protect. By masking your IP address and diminishing cross-site tracking, Google plans to improve your online privacy and create a safer browsing experience for all users.

By Monica Green

I am specialised in latest tech and tech discoveries.

Google Chrome Masks Your IP Address with This Experimental Feature

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