Google is preparing to test a new “IP Protection” feature for the Chrome browser that will boost users’ privacy by masking their IP addresses using proxy servers.
IP Addresses Allow Covert Tracking
Recognizing the potential misuse of IP addresses for covert tracking, Google aims to strike a balance between guaranteeing users’ privacy while maintaining essential web functionalities.
IP addresses enable websites and online services to track activities across websites, facilitating persistent user profiling. This poses significant privacy concerns as, unlike third-party cookies, users currently lack a direct way to evade such covert tracking.
How Google’s IP Protection Works
While IP addresses enable tracking, they are also vital for critical web tasks like routing traffic, fraud prevention, and other key network jobs.
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The “IP Protection” solution tackles this dual role by routing third-party traffic from specific domains through proxies, concealing users’ IP addresses from those domains. As the ecosystem evolves, so will IP Protection, adapting to keep safeguarding users from cross-site tracking and adding more domains to the proxied traffic.
Source: Google
“Chrome is reintroducing a proposal to protect users against cross-site tracking via IP addresses. This proposal is a privacy proxy that anonymizes IP addresses for qualifying traffic as described above,” states the IP Protection feature description.
Phased Rollout for Learning and Regional Factors
Initially, IP Protection will be an opt-in feature, ensuring users control their privacy while letting Google monitor behavior patterns.
The feature’s launch will be gradual to accommodate regional considerations and guarantee a learning curve.
In the initial approach, only the listed domains will be impacted in third-party contexts, focusing on those perceived as tracking users.
Testing Begins with Google Domains and US IPs
The first phase, called “Phase 0,” will see Google proxying requests only to its domains using an exclusive proxy. This will assist Google in testing the system’s infrastructure and allow more time to fine-tune the domain list.
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To start, only users logged into Chrome with US-based IPs can access these proxies. A select group of clients will be automatically included in this preliminary test, but the architecture and design will change as the tests progress.
Authentication and Rate Limiting to Prevent Abuse
To prevent potential misuse, a Google-operated authentication server will distribute access tokens to the proxy, setting a quota for each user. In upcoming phases, Google intends to adopt a 2-hop proxy system to further increase privacy.
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“We are considering using 2 hops for improved privacy. A second proxy would be run by an external CDN, while Google runs the first hop,” clarifies the IP Protection document.
“This ensures that neither proxy can see both the client IP address and the destination. CONNECT & CONNECT-UDP support chaining of proxies.”
Coarse Location Assignment to Preserve Services
As many online services use GeoIP to determine a user’s location for offering services, Google plans on assigning IP addresses to proxy connections that represent a “coarse” location of a user rather than their exact location.
Among the domains where Google plans to test this feature are its platforms like Gmail and AdServices. Google intends to test this feature between Chrome versions 119 and 225.
Potential Security Concerns
Google explains there are some cybersecurity concerns with the new IP Protection feature. Since traffic will be proxied through Google’s servers, it may make it tough for security and fraud protection to block DDoS attacks or detect invalid traffic.
Additionally, if one of Google’s proxy servers is compromised, the threat actor can view and manipulate the traffic going through it.
To reduce this, Google is considering necessitating authentication with the proxy, preventing proxies from linking web requests to accounts, and introducing rate-limiting to stop DDoS attacks.
Conclusion
Google’s proposed IP Protection feature for Chrome aims to enhance user privacy by masking IP addresses to prevent covert tracking. While promising, the feature requires careful implementation to balance privacy, web functionality, and security concerns through its phased rollout.
