They hear you: Chrome bug lets websites listen even after tab closure

At least for now, it wouldn't hurt for users of Google's recently updated Chrome browser to be extra cautious of what they say.

 

The present version of Chrome has a flaw that allows sites with voice recognition to keep recording what a user says, tech site The Verge reported Wednesday.

 

"Because of a quirk in Chrome's microphone settings, any site enabled for voice-recognition could use a pop-up window to keep recording almost indefinitely, hidden in the background," it said. 
 

"It's an unsettling thought: could a malicious site use Chrome to listen in on users' offline conversations?" it added.

 

Ater first reported the bug as early as last September but Google's engineers have yet to come out with a fix, the report said.

 

"Authorizing a site to use speech recognition will soon be as common as talking to Siri," he told The Verge.
 

The Verge cited the case of developer Tal Ater, who noticed the strange behavior while toying around with the browser's settings.

 

It said Ater's demo closes a tab and continues talking - and a pop-up window behind the main Chrome window turns out to still transcribe everything he says.

 

"The core of the problem is Chrome's microphone permissions policy. Once you've given an HTTPS-enabled site permission to use your microphone in Chrome, every instance of the site has permission, even windows that pop up unnoticed in the background," The Verge said.

 

For now, The Verge said the only surefire defense is to manually revoke the microphone permission.

 

The Verge also said the potential privacy problem could grow due to a new class of apps that "require ever more invasive permissions."

 

"In-browser services like Hangouts are more convenient when users don't have to reauthorize the microphone for each session, but those blanket permissions can create a real privacy problem. And as the apps become more common, the privacy problem grows with them," it said. — KDM, GMA News