Chrome for Android is developing a feature that automatically blurs sensitive information during screen sharing, recording, and similar activities. A new flag in the Canary version allows users to try this feature out. This means that when sharing your screen personal information, credit card details and passwords will automatically be censored.
If deployed it will be a new feature for users when they are on normal tabs. Already, Google Chrome prevents the capture of any details when sharing your screen in incognito mode. However, incognito mode is not the default mode for the browser and is not always used.
For the regular tab, which is most commonly used, screen sharing or recording exposes sensitive information and form fields to leaks. This presents a privacy issue. The ongoing experiment called “Redact sensitive content during screen sharing, screen recording and similar actions” is part of efforts by the company to address privacy concerns.
“When enabled, if sensitive form fields (such as credit cards, passwords) are present on the page, the entire content area is redacted during screen sharing, screen recording, and similar actions. This feature works only on Android V or above,” was Google’s description of the flag.
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The flag is currently disabled, but it’s designed to protect sensitive form fields by obscuring the entire screen when others might be looking. This feature isn’t available to everyone yet, but you can test it out in the Chrome Canary browser within the next few weeks.
