There’s been a recent update to Google Chrome which is called “Clean Up Computer” and this was added in the version 65 update a few weeks ago without my knowledge or anyone’s for that matter as it was not even once mentioned in the update log for Chrome 65. This feature apparently “finds and deletes malware on your computer” with a button, but there is also a setting which is very dubious which says the following;

What this suggests to me and many others of the same volition is that Google is actually scanning all of your hard disks and most probably collecting data about your files and folders on your computer. We at WindowsLogic Productions recommend you turn this off so you’re more safe online and not unwillingly giving your data to Google. In theory this could even suggest they are actually downloading data from your computer and keeping it to find out more about you, scary stuff.

But that’s not all that Chrome collects… If you search, “privacy” in the Chrome settings, you’ll find a list of settings which are also quite dubious in the way they’re presented;

When your Google Chrome privacy settings look like mine above, you’re safe to start browsing on the Internet again. You can also gain more privacy with a VPN (Virtual Private Network), but these usually have a fee. Another option is by using a different browser which doesn’t track data such as Vivian ESR or Mozilla Firefox.

Thank you for reading this post about how you can stay safer when using Google Chrome!