Is Google Chrome browser always watching you?

[bigpup]

Can you trust Google Chrome with your data?
https://proprivacy.com/guides/can-you-trust-chrome

I am posting this for the people that use Google Chrome browser.

I have recently read topics on other web sites and a few on this forum, that talk about high use of memory, after installing Google Chrome browser.
Statements like:
I installed Chrome browser and my memory use went up and I am not running Chrome.
It is just installed.

I am wondering if Chrome is installing data collection software, that is always running on your computer.

For you that use Google Chrome.
Do not have Chrome running and see if you find anything running that does not seem to be required.
Htop
Task Manager
These two programs should provide info on what is running and loaded into RAM.
See what you find.

I do not use any Google software, so no help by me.

Thanks to anyone that looks into this!!

I am hopping I am totally wrong about this!
But if you find something that seems not correct.

[Feek]

Recently I ran Google-chrome in Fatdog for 1 week. It was not bad at all - simple, fast (I noticed only one issue: when playing video on YT in fullscreen, then pressed ESC and something went wrong - maybe interaction with system and hardware).

When chrome was not running, Htop and Lxtask showed standard „low“ values I think, nothing suspicious. There´s a question of settings of the browser too: for example in Google chrome can be switched on/off the option „Continue running background apps when google chrome is closed“.

After 1 week I found out, that I can get Palemoon in Fatdog, so I switched to it and I´m completely happy with it (as well as in Bionicpup64)

[user1111]

Is Google Chrome browser always watching you?

With yottabytes of yearly global new data being produced storage capacity is impractical. Back in 2010 Google required 250 megawatts of power, of which only around 20% was on cooling and other overheads and was indicative of 10 exabytes of storage capacity (potentially up to 100 exabytes compressed).

A policy of looking to record everything is impractical, instead selective AI based recording and simply tracking up to 8 billion or so global individuals is more fitting. A voice imprint recorded once for a individual for instance is enough, maybe updated once/year. Ditto facial imprint. For motions/activities a simple timeline and geolocation/activity log record entry is again low data. Plus profile data, maybe 1GB of data per individual being comfortably within scale. Association/communication data is perhaps the largest data volume - timestamp plus a and b point/person records, and for selected/flagged individuals (a relatively small group), only their actual data/communication being recorded.

[bigpup]

There´s a question of settings of the browser too: for example in Google chrome can be switched on/off the option „Continue running background apps when google chrome is closed“.

If that is switched on.
Seems to me, that would be data collection software, running all the time, in the background.

What kind of apps would a browser still need to keep running, after you shutdown the browser?

[galbi]

What kind of apps would a browser still need to keep running, after you shutdown the browser?

Based in your profile, they can display better and faster the searches you're going to do tomorrow...

[8Geee]

One of the (very) low bandwidth forms of 'watching you' is through "pings". Your router AND browser havve to be configured not to ping or be pinged. ICMP echo is a form of this.

Regards
8Geee

[user1111]

There´s a question of settings of the browser too: for example in Google chrome can be switched on/off the option „Continue running background apps when google chrome is closed“.

If that is switched on.

Google has a history of maintaining its preferences, not yours. Even if you indicate you'd like things turned off in chrome, I wouldn't bet that is always honoured. Similar for iptables, ban outgoing 80/443 ... and chrome can still request/retrieve data (it uses its own tunnel).

[xenial]

I have google chrome installed on one of my fossapup64 save files and it runs remarkably well and RAM usage is quite low.
Is it watching me....?..I doubt it and is probably more interested in throwing a few personalised ads at me.