Google Chrome for Linux Developer Release Privacy Notice

June 4, 2009

PLEASE NOTE: Google Chrome for Linux Developer Release is a very early release version and does not yet have some of the functionality that a full general release version would have. Many of the features still under development affect the privacy behavior of Google Chrome for Linux. The issues marked in bold text below will be resolved prior to releasing Google Chrome for Linux to the beta channel for broader consumer use.

The Google Privacy Policy describes how we treat personal information when you use Google's products and services, including information provided when you use Google Chrome for Linux. In addition, the following describes our privacy practices that are specific to Google Chrome for Linux. We are working hard to implement additional features and will be changing this Privacy Policy to reflect the addition of new features.

Information Google receives when you use Google Chrome

You do not need to provide any personally identifying information in order to download and use Google Chrome. When you download Google Chrome or use it to contact Google’s servers, Google receives only standard log information including your machine’s IP address and one or more cookies. At this time, you can not configure Google Chrome for Linux to not send cookies to Google or other sites. However, cookies can be deleted from the Wrench menu, by selecting Clear browsing data, then check the "cookies" box and duration, to delete.

In addition, some Google Chrome features send limited additional information to Google:

When you type URLs or queries in the address bar, the letters you type are sent to Google so the Suggest feature can automatically recommend terms or URLs you may be looking for. If you choose to share usage statistics with Google and you accept a suggested query or URL, Google Chrome will send that information to Google as well. At this time, you can not disable this feature.
If you navigate to a URL that does not exist, Google Chrome may send the URL to Google so we can help you find the URL you were looking for. At this time, you can not disable this feature.
Google Chrome's SafeBrowsing feature periodically contacts Google's servers to download the most recent list of known phishing and malware sites. In addition, when you visit a site that we think could be a phishing or malware site, your browser will send Google a hashed, partial copy of the site's URL so that we can send more information about the risky URL. Google cannot determine the real URL you are visiting from this information. More information about how this works is here, however at this time you can not disable this feature.
Your copy of Google Chrome includes one or more unique application numbers. These numbers and information about your installation of the browser (e.g., version number, language) will be sent to Google when if you choose to send usage statistics and crash reports to Google, the browser will send us this information along with a unique application number as well. Crash reports can contain information from files, applications and services that were running at the time of a malfunction. We use crash reports to diagnose and try to fix any problems with the browser.
Google Chrome for Linux uses Google as the selected search engine. Selection of other search engines is not currently supported. You may use Google Chrome to access other Google services such as Gmail. The Privacy Policies of Gmail or other services apply when you access them, no matter which browser you use. Using Google Chrome to connect to Google services will not cause Google to receive any special or additional personally identifying information about you.

Information website operators receive when you visit a site using Google Chrome

Sites that you visit using Google Chrome will automatically receive standard log information similar to that received by Google. These sites may also set their own cookies on your machine. At this time Google Chrome for Linux does not provide you the ability to restrict cookies. In incognito mode, Google Chrome is designed to work as follows. If you use Google Chrome for Linux in incognito mode, it is designed to not transmit any pre-existing cookies to sites that you visit. Sites may deposit new cookies on your machine while you are in incognito mode, however. These cookies will be temporarily stored and transmitted to sites while you remain in incognito mode. Google Chrome for Linux is designed so that these cookies will be deleted when you close the browser or return to normal browsing mode. This functionality has not been fully tested in Google Chrome for Linux, however, and you should not rely on incognito mode to not transmit pre-existing cookies or to delete any cookies set when you close the browser or return to normal browsing mode.

Information stored on your computer when you use Google Chrome

Google Chrome records useful information about your browsing history on your own computer. This includes:

Basic browsing history information: the URLs of pages that you visit, a cache file of text from those pages, and a list of some IP addresses linked from pages that you visit.
A searchable index of most pages you visit (except for secure pages with "https" web addresses, such as some bank pages)
Thumbnail-sized screenshots of most pages you visit
Cookies deposited on your machine by websites you visit
A record of downloads you have made from websites

You can delete all or portions of this history at any time as explained in the FAQ.

In incognito mode, Google Chrome is designed to work as follows. Google Chrome for Linux is designed to limit the information Google Chrome saves on your computer by using incognito mode. In this mode, the browser will not store basic browsing history information such as URLs, cached page text, or IP addresses of pages linked from the websites you visit. It will also not store snapshots of pages that you visit or keep a record of your downloads. (This information could still be stored elsewhere on your computer, though.) New cookies received in incognito mode will not be saved after you close your browser or return to normal browsing mode. This functionality has not been fully tested in Google Chrome for Linux, however, and you should not rely on incognito mode to not store basic browsing information, snapshots of pages you visit or records of your downloads or to delete any cookies set when you close the browser or return to normal browsing mode. Google Chrome for Linux does not currently provide any visual indication to distinguish incognito mode windows from normal windows.

When you make changes to your browser configuration, such as by bookmarking a web page or changing your settings, this information is also saved. These changes are not affected by incognito mode.

Uses

Information that Google receives when you use Google Chrome is processed in order to operate and improve Google Chrome and other Google services. Information that other website operators receive is subject to the privacy polices of those websites. Google Chrome stores information on your machine in order to improve the browser’s performance and provide you with features, such the option to review snapshots from pages you have visited.

More information

Google adheres to the US Safe Harbor privacy principles. For more information about the Safe Harbor framework or our registration, see the Department of Commerce's web site.

Further information about Google Chrome is available here.

For more information about our privacy practices, go to the full privacy policy. If you have additional questions, please contact us any time. Or write to us at:

Privacy Matters
c/o Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View CA 94043 (USA)