The next version of Chrome for desktops is shaping up to be a much bigger update than usual. In addition to tab grouping and automatically blocking battery-killing ads, the browser is also getting a big set of improvements for security, safety, and privacy.
Chrome is restructuring its Site Settings page. Controls will be grouped into two sections so that it’s easier to find the most sensitive website permissions, like access to your location, camera or microphone. At the top of the Site Settings page, you’ll see “You and Google,” which will allow you to decide which data is stored in your Google account and made available across devices.
Chrome is also making it easier to manage cookies, and in Incognito mode, it will block third-party cookies by default. In its Privacy & Security section, Chrome is bumping the “clear browsing data” option to the top of the page, so you can clear your slate that much faster.
A new safety check tool will, among other things, tell you if a password you’ve asked Chrome to store has been compromised or tell you how and where to remove a malicious extension if it’s installed. A puzzle icon will give you control over the data that extensions can access on sites you visit, and a new section will show your most recent permissions activity.
Google says that Chrome will use a list of encrypted DNS providers that the company maintains to match to your ISP, then fall back to default DNS if it doesn’t have an encrypted option. It will be turned off in Windows if parental controls are turned on, and it’ll also turn it off in cases where it sees enterprise device management policies.
That’s it. But it’s also a lot. Combined with some of the other changes, the next version of Chrome looks like the biggest update in a long while, one that sets the browser up for the bigger changes to cookies and tracking yet to come. The update will roll out just as all of Google’s updates do: over the coming weeks.
