What is chrome.googleechotest.com?

Question

I use chrome (dev channel) on mac osx lion and every now and then it tries to access chrome.googleechotest.com on port 80 (EDIT: and other ports!).

Anybody knows what is the deal with chrome.googleechotest.com ?

Answer 1

Sounds like its an google's echo test for chrome. The whois (below) points back to Google, Inc. It seems that it is used to send back network connectivity stats to a google server for ~0.5% of users..

An echo in this context just means whether if you send a simple message to a remote computer if you hear back. (Similar to ping/ICMP message).

EDIT: See Graham Hill's excellent comment below to disable this feature in chrome (In Settings, Under the Hood, uncheck "Automatically send usage statistics and crash reports to Google" or similar text.)

# whois googleechotest.com

Whois Server Version 2.0

Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.

   Domain Name: GOOGLEECHOTEST.COM
   Registrar: MARKMONITOR INC.
   Whois Server: whois.markmonitor.com
   Referral URL: http://www.markmonitor.com
   Name Server: NS1.GOOGLE.COM
   Name Server: NS2.GOOGLE.COM
   Name Server: NS3.GOOGLE.COM
   Name Server: NS4.GOOGLE.COM
   Status: clientDeleteProhibited
   Status: clientTransferProhibited
   Status: clientUpdateProhibited
   Updated Date: 21-oct-2011
   Creation Date: 21-oct-2011
   Expiration Date: 21-oct-2013
...

Registrant:
        DNS Admin
        Google Inc.
        1600 Amphitheatre Parkway 
         Mountain View CA 94043
        US
        dns-admin@google.com +1.6502530000 Fax: +1.6502530001

    Domain Name: googleechotest.com

        Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
        Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com
        Registrar Homepage: http://www.markmonitor.com

    Administrative Contact:
        DNS Admin
        Google Inc.
        1600 Amphitheatre Parkway 
         Mountain View CA 94043
        US
        dns-admin@google.com +1.6502530000 Fax: +1.6502530001
    Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
        DNS Admin
        Google Inc.
        1600 Amphitheatre Parkway 
         Mountain View CA 94043
        US
        dns-admin@google.com +1.6502530000 Fax: +1.6502530001

    Created on..............: 2011-10-21.
    Expires on..............: 2013-10-21.
    Record last updated on..: 2011-10-21.

    Domain servers in listed order:

    ns1.google.com
    ns2.google.com
    ns4.google.com
    ns3.google.com