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Say a Chrome extension is turned off and has the permissions: "Read and change all your data on the websites you visit" and "Read your browsing history", or other similar tracking permissions.

Can these Chrome extensions still access these permissions or spy on you in other ways even if they are turned off?

Let's say that you were to keep these extensions turned off, but then turned them on for 5 seconds or for up to 10 minutes. Is it possible that they could upload your entire browsing history to the developers in that short timespan if they can "Read your browsing history"?

This question goes for browsers like Firefox as well.

DavidPostill
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Michael d
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1 Answers1

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When an extension is turned off, it is not loaded into memory, and as such can't do anything.

When you turn an extension on, it has access to your entire browser history, and if an extension wants, it can submit your entire history to the server.

It depends on the extension if it really will do this. Spyware type extensions will, extensions that are meant to help you will usually only submit a website you are currently browsing, but whether or not an extension will do or not is purely speculation.

If you want to be safe and not want to allow an extension to transmit your data to their server, don't turn it on, ever.

LPChip
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