webXray Exposes Hidden Data Tracking
Tim Libert, a former Google Engineer has developed a search engine, webXray, aimed at detecting the tracking of illegal online data tracking.
Libert’s main goal is to tackle challenges that are related to privacy violations. He started his research in 2012, as a graduate student. The outcomes of the research showed the way websites track users and collect their data, then share them with tech companies.
The data includes information from searches made about health, addiction treatment, and other subjects.
How Does It Work?
WebXray is designed to identify and expose privacy violations. Users could use it to search for terms or websites to see what data was being tracked and where.
Explaining the goal behind this latest search engine, Libert told Wired, “I want to give privacy enforcers equal technology as privacy violators.”
It is also worth mentioning that this tool was launched on Wednesday.
Now, speaking of the functionality of webXray, it can go through cookies and scan them, among other tracking technologies that usually gather user data without asking for permission. As an example, in cases where someone is looking for medical information through the web, the search engine can provide users with the sites that are collecting this data and sharing it with third parties, such as Google or advertisers.
In a response to these assumptions Matt Bryant, a spokesperson for Google told Wired that the company gives a very high priority to users ‘privacy, and said, “Respecting user privacy is our top priority, and to claim otherwise is wrong.”
The good news is that with webXray providing such information, users will be able to refer their issues to relevant authorities and hold these companies accountable for their privacy practices.
Assisting Regulators Too
webXray also offers a premium version especially dedicated to regulators and attorneys. This version is designed to document privacy violations, which may lead to legal action against the companies that work against the law.
Libert is looking forward to making this tool an essential one to address legal challenges, expecting it to be used by law offices and government institutions to protect users’ data and enforce laws related to privacy. He told Wired, “I wanna be the Henry Ford of tech lawsuits—turn this into a factory assembly line.”
Libert is optimistic about the impact of webXray, assuming it is going to help accelerate the shift to a more private and secure web. “The problem we had 10 to 15 years ago is that there weren’t any laws. Now lots of countries have passed laws—the vast majority of people on the planet are protected by data privacy laws, but enforcement hasn’t caught up,” he said.
Final Thoughts
Nowadays regulators around the world are doing what it takes to address issues related to privacy and user protection by issuing and working on laws in this field. Yet, as technology advances and is becoming more and more sophisticated, webXray may become a need to empower users about the tracking of their data and to help regulators enforce the laws, leading to a safer digital world.
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