Given that in the Knowledge Base section there are already overviews of common operating systems, I think that an overview of ChromeOS could also be added. With recommended configuration as well.
Since many people may have a Chromebook as their device, it would be beneficial for them to know how to use it from a security and privacy point of view.
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Would you have any input for that?
I dont think there really are “many people”. Especially not in our audience but if there is any meaningful option that could improve the situation with such devices we probabaly could add it.
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No, I do not know anything about ChromeOS. But I would like to learn more about it, in particular how it compares to the other desktop operating systems in regards to security and privacy.
Regarding people how may have a Chromebook I was thinking about schools and institutions that provide Chromebook devices to students/workers. And general people who wanted a cheap device and bought a Chromebook.
if you use a configured device the settings will mostly not be changeable and it will be up to the organisation how to configure it. Generally we do not recommend you to use any device owned by an organisation work or educational for private matters.
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While ChromeOS is indeed not a great choice for privacy, I agree that its prevalence warrants discussion. Some thoughts:
The main problem is Chrome and logging in via a Google account. Chrome lacks fingerprinting protections. And Chrome/ChromeOS encourages Google account usage which is a major surveillance threat.
The simplest workaround is using the guest account. Alternatively, developer mode unlocked x86-64 devices can install FydeOS (a de-googled ChromeOS fork) or any other Linux distribution.
Despite ChromeOS’s limitations, one can use browser extensions or DNS filtering to protect against tracking.
AFAIK, you can use any Linux app on ChromeOS, so there is that. It should be noted that they are transitioning to being Android-based rather than Linux based, so there is that (You will still be able to use Linux apps in some way or form because Android still use the Linux kernel).
Honestly, I don’t see any argument in favor of keeping ChromeOS, so I don’t think we should do an overview of it.
Overview of MacOS make sense : MacOS is superior security-wise and most importantly running Linux distros on Mac is hacky (while possible, many will be too afraid).
For Windows, well there are professional reasons, or specific use cases like gamers that play games that ban Linux.
For ChromeOS, I see absolutely no reason. At least until they switch to Android, at which point there might be a valid security argument to make.
There have been advancements in the Linux kernel and Chromebooks covered under the chrultrabook community have a much more complete Linux experience as one option. Definitely a way to secure the device for those w/ the option
ChromeOS is better than macOS in general as far as security goes.
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I disagree, that may be true if you only stay in the default ecosystem, but I doubt it is should you use Linux apps on it.
It depends on how you use it, hence I said “in general”.
Linux apps are well isolated from the host, but not so much from each other. macOS could be more secure than a ChromeOS where the user runs a lot of Linux apps, but I doubt most ChromeOS users do that (if they even know about the Linux environment).
The thing is for any guide, we would have to recommend installing Brave or Firefox instead of Chrome for obvious privacy reasons.
I don’t have a source on hand to back this up, but my understanding is that ChromeOS is the most secure operating system you you can buy for desktop. Prob no better than Qubes, but better than MacOS and everything else.
Now, on the privacy side it loses big time, but if your threat model excluded or minimizes Google, or you are compartmentalizing what you do on that Chromebook and Google account, then the security will protect you well. The common use case I hear is for journalists where you really want to make sure your device is safe.
As to the reason why you may want to add ChromeOS to Privacy Guides, they are extremely affordable. If the most private and accessible desktop OS you can get starts at $1,000, that’s not a great spot to be in. If the person in question is already planning on keeping their Google account, then they’re logged into their account using Windows of a Chromebook anyway. By covering ChromeOS you are at least pointing people to a more secure option than Windows that is still affordable, probably starting at $200.
I would view this as similar to people who are buying a Google Pixel but don’t plan to use GrapheneOS. I personally would not automatically point them to an iPhone just because of that. Similarly, I don’t think we should be ignoring Chromebooks as an option just because you need a Google account to use it.
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But you could install Linux on it, so I don’t believe it is tied to hardware.
You can still bypass the login on Windows, son there is that.
If we can’t not have a Google account on chromeBook, this is a big no-no d’or de-facto normalising it. An account tied to everything you do on the OS is terrible for privacy. Period.
I was just replying to the claim that macOS is more secure than ChromeOS. I didn’t say we should recommend it on Privacy Guides.
Sure, but what about all the people who want to increase their privacy but are not ready to leave the main ecosystem they rely on, whether it’s Google, Microsoft, or Apple? You can communicate the weaknesses of ChromeOS while still presenting it as an option for folks who want something better than what they’re currently using. Providing steps to better privacy is better than telling them to jump to something too far.
I don’t think that ChromeOS should be disqualified for requiring an account when most users in the world default to using an account for their OS anyway. Even the people who are buying Macs for privacy may still be using Apple accounts, so they are by default in the same position as Chromebook users.
Apple has a much better privacy reputation, and is it mandatory on Macs?
Also, this has nothing to do with being ready to leave Google. One can still use Google on Linux, it just that it will not get control and knowledge of your entire system.
Lads this is all going off topic. This isn’t a discussion between different operating systems. If you have anything meaningful that can be changed on ChromeOS that we should recommend then that will be the discussion here.
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I honestly doubt there is much to change in ChromeOS but something like this could be some harm reduction: 7 Essential Privacy Settings for Chrome OS and Google Chrome
But i would highlight that ChromeOS isnt going to get you much privacy.
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I would vote no for this, mainly because ChromeOS is in a transitioning period right now. According to Android Authority:
a source told me that Google is instead working on fully migrating Chrome OS over to Android. While we don’t know what this means for the Chrome OS or Chromebook brands, we did hear that Google wants future “Chromebooks” to ship with the Android OS in the future.
There’s a chance that ChromeOS will be so much like Android in the future that we can cover it in the Android Overview section.
Add: even if it doesn’t, ChromeOS may change rapidly, making our recommendation quickly outdated.