On Prime Day 2019, Amazon quietly paid customers $10 to install something called Amazon Assistant. On its face, Amazon Assistant is a browser extension that -- according to Amazon -- helps consumers compare products and organize wish lists. Yet the extension also harvests oodles of users’ data, including information about what websites they’re browsing and what products they’re looking at while they’re there. Amazon’s browser-based surveillance system monitors searches on competitor sites like Walmart.com or Target.com. But, as a Washington Postreport reveals, other browser bullies are overextending their extensions even further.
Researchers recently discovered that 3.8k extensions -- 2% of the extensions available on Chrome -- leak sensitive personal data. Some leak data accidentally, but others intentionally extract and sell it. At least 4m people have unwittingly installed extensions that track their browsing behavior and then sell their data -- ranging from medical records to flight confirmation numbers to tax information -- to the highest bidder.