Google said it s disabling software after open-source developers discovered that the Chromium browser could automatically switch on a computer s microphone and listen to users without their consent.
As the Guardian reported, the code was designed to support Chrome s new OK, Google hotword detection – which makes the computer respond when you talk to it – but was installed, and, some users have claimed, it is activated on computers without their permission.
The company initially took a defensive approach on a June 17 developer board when it said that while we do download the hotword module on startup, we *do not* activate it unless you opt in to hotwording. If you go into chrome://settings , you will see a checkbox Enable Ok Google to start a voice search. This should be unchecked by default, and if you do not check it, the hotword module will not be started.
The company took a different stance Wednesday, after an uproar from privacy advocates, announcing it would no longer install the Hotword Shared Module on Chromium (the open-source foundation for Chrome) and will automatically remove the software on startup if it was previously installed.
The company further explained that it will not download this module at all. A binary blob module like this can not be installed by a user via clicking on a link. Such a Native Client module can only be installed by the user deliberately from the Chrome Web Store. Chromium is open source and it s important to us, as is it is to you, that it doesn t ship with closed-source components, lazily or not. Thanks for everyone s attention and input on this one.
Above: Google s new Nest security camera is among the company s products that have raised concerns from privacy advocates. (Photo by Matt O Brien)
