Don’t rush over to the Canary channel for the Privacy Hub, though
We can all appreciate a little bit of privacy here and there. Bought a laptop within the last few years? You might have a little cover that you can slide over your camera. Take a look at that smart speaker and you’ll see a mute switch you can flip to turn off its always-listening microphones. And ChromeOS devices may soon have a dedicated settings page for anything concerning your privacy.
The so-called Privacy Hub, as surfaced on Chrome Canary build 105.0.5121.0 by Chrome Unboxed, is as barebones as can be for something new in a daily release, though, apparently, the feature flag has been around for a couple weeks. All that appears under the hub header in the device settings is a simple toggle for “Camera.” It’ll be a while yet before there’s any meaningful content here — if the Privacy Hub makes it through development — but it shouldn’t take a great leap of imagination to look ahead.
Beyond the obvious software toggles for the webcam (maybe even the exterior camera on applicable devices) and the microphones, there may also be webcam-based privacy features like “snoop detection” to deter shoulder surfers or “lock on leave” if you decide to run to the bathroom without putting the lid down. At the very least, you’d want that feature on if, for goodness knows whatever reason, you have Incognito tabs open while you’re in a public space. We’d also like to see MAC randomization get a spot here, even if it’s duplicative of what’s in the Wi-Fi settings. Get all of the privacy in here.
The current Security & Privacy section contains toggles for authentication methods (PIN or password), guest accounts, and Google’s content suggestions using your data.
Speaking of hubs, if you’re wondering how long this “while” will be before the Privacy Hub gets set for prime time, recall that we’ve been talking about the Personalization Hub since at least November.
