VPNs and proxies are typically used for one of two purposes. Many people use them to grab an IP address from a different country and thus show themselves to websites as if they were visiting from that country. But many people use them less for their geographical capabilities and more for their ability to just conceal your IP address and keep your identity safe. If you happen to need a VPN like that, well, Google’s Chrome browser might just soon get the solution you need.
Google is preparing to test an “IP Protection” feature for its Chrome browser, aimed at enhancing user privacy by concealing their IP addresses using proxy servers. IP addresses are commonly used for covert tracking, raising privacy concerns for users. So to keep yourself safe, you use a proxy that will hide your IP. Google’s proposed solution to be built into Chrome involves building a proxy into the browser that will anonymize IP addresses to third-party websites. Think of it like a regular proxy, except that it’s built right into the browser.
Initially, this feature will be optional, allowing users to control their privacy while enabling Google to monitor behavior trends. The implementation will occur in stages, starting with Google proxying requests to its own domains for testing purposes. An authentication server will distribute access tokens to proxies with user quotas to prevent misuse. Future iterations may employ a 2-hop proxy system to enhance privacy further.
However, potential security concerns exist, such as the difficulty for security services to block attacks and detect invalid traffic if traffic is proxied through Google’s servers. To address this, Google plans to introduce authentication requirements for users, prevent proxies from linking requests to specific accounts, and implement rate-limiting to thwart DDoS attacks.
It’s unclear right now when this will be rolled out to everyone using Chrome. However, knowing that Google is talking about it means that the feature might be ready to at least start testing it internally. We’ll keep an eye over the next few months to see if any kind of public-facing test ever shows up.
Source: Bleeping Computer
