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Google’s new Topics API makes users vulnerable to fingerprinting attacks (www.theregister.com)

submitted 1 year ago by RagnarokOnline@reddthat.com to c/technology

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Google has stated it plans to address developers’ concerns by “making web publishers promise not to abuse the API”.

Google’s new browser-based tracking functionality available via their “Topics API” has sparked numerous concerns recently, including fear that the heightened communication of web browser history could lead to “fingerprinting attacks” which could be used to track users across devices by profiling recent web history.

When prompted with this issue, Google started their short-term solution is to have web developers who enroll in the new Topics API platform take pledge that they will not abuse the new tool, whatever that means.

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[–] ConsciousCode 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The key search term is "userChrome" (userChrome.css and userChrome.js) and XUL, which is the HTML-like language FF uses to define its chrome. "Chrome" is a term that predates Google's browser, referring to the interface surrounding the displayed web content and Firefox still uses that internally.

Right now mine is pretty minimal, but there's a lot you can change. Essentially, the interface is a kind of HTML page which can use the same features as normal HTML and can even run custom JavaScript. Also look into BetterFox for how to remove Mozilla's own telemetry and bloat.

My userChrome.css for reference;

spoiler

/* Move findbar to the top */
.browserContainer > findbar {
    -moz-box-ordinal-group:0 !important; /*  for 112 and older */
    order: -1 !important; /* for 113 and newer */
    border-top: none !important;
    border-bottom: 1px solid ThreeDShadow !important;
}

/* Remove "Open All In Tabs" button in bookmarks folders */
#PlacesToolbarItems .openintabs-menuitem,
#placesContext>menuitem[id="placesContext_openContainer:tabs"],
#placesContext>menuitem[id="placesContext_openContainer:tabs"]:not([hidden])+menuitem+#placesContext_openSeparator {
    visibility: collapse !important;
}

/* Tabs are attached on the bottom */
.tab-background {
  border-radius: var(--tab-border-radius) var(--tab-border-radius) 0 0 !important;
  margin-top: 1px !important;
  margin-bottom: 0 !important;
  padding-bottom: 31px !important;
}
.tabbrowser-tab[multiselected=true]:not([selected=true]) .tab-background {
  border-radius: var(--tab-border-radius) !important;
  margin-top: 2px !important;
  margin-bottom: 1px !important;
  padding-bottom: 29px !important;
}
.tabbrowser-tab[selected=true] .tab-background ,
.tabbrowser-tab[multiselected=true] .tab-background {
  background-color: var(--toolbar-bgcolor) !important;
  background-image: var(--toolbar-bgimage) !important;
}

I found this repo which is supposed to apply Chromium styles in line with Google's Material Design guidelines.

Here's an article I found with some simple tweaks.