ChromeOS will receive a number of new privacy tools in a future update, and the most important of them is the ability to manage the privacy setting for your Chromebook’s location. According to a message on the Google Cloud Blog, the feature is an extension of the privacy controls the company added last year. They refer to the microphone and camera switches from last April. Google didn’t really provide many details in their post, but 9To5Google helped on a recent deep dive.
The site states that you can control which apps and system services on your laptop have “access (to) your geolocation,” giving you near-total anonymity. It’s not perfect. The publication explains that the tool “specifically disables Google Location Services,” but it’s still possible for an app or website to get an idea of where you are currently located by looking at the IP address.
Geolocation checks do exist on ChromeOS, but are limited to the Chrome browser itself. Software on the device can still collect your data for free unless you open an app and manually disable the tool in question. This update will make the process easier. No more micromanagement.
Camera, microphone and location privacy controls
In addition to the privacy upgrade, ChromeOS also introduces more detailed camera, microphone, and geolocation controls. For certain apps, like Instagram, you can decide how you want it to communicate with your hardware. Access to a Chromebook’s microphone can be denied outright, allowed for free interaction, or anything in between. For example, Instagram can connect to a webcam, but only when you, the user, are actively using the social network. Otherwise the connection will be blocked.
The Google Cloud blog does mention other features in the pipeline, but these relate more to enterprise customers; not regular users. There is talk of local data recovery and an expansion of Google’s data loss prevention policy.
A company representative told us that the geolocation patch will roll out to all Chromebooks in the first half of 2024, so hopefully before the end of June.
To find the new tools, you’ll first need to open the Settings menu and then go to the Security & Privacy tab. They are subject to privacy controls. Alternatively, you can go to a specific app in Settings and expand the Permissions tab. The controls can also be found there.
If you’re in the market for a new laptop, check out Ny Breaking’s list of the best Chromebooks for 2024.