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I am working on a packet analysis application for Android, and I am having difficulties analysing data sent to an HTTP website. I was wondering if this is to do with my application, or does the Google Chrome app encrypt the data in any way?

In essence, does the Google Chrome Application encrypt its data?

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    If the browser encrypted the data, then who would decrypt it? The server? How would the server do that?
    – schroeder ♦
    May 3, 2018 at 22:19
  • Have you hooked up another packet capture to verify?
    – schroeder ♦
    May 3, 2018 at 22:20
  • Sorry, I did mean HTTP and not HTTPS. That makes sense that no one would be able to decrypt it. I tried the same site with Wireshark, and I couldn't find the data I was searching for in that. I think the answer that Peter gave might be the reasoning behind it. I can't think of any other reason
    – user3307598
    May 3, 2018 at 22:49

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Normally, it should not. The websites would not know how to decrypt it, so it couldn't. But Chrome for mobile has a compression thingy that is supposed to save on mobile data and I believe that may be encrypted (so it would be encrypted when it is turned on). In that case, the data saving compression feature may be acting as a sort of VPN, encrypting even HTTP up to Google servers.

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  • Ah, you are talking about this: amp.businessinsider.com/images/… ?
    – Tom K.
    May 4, 2018 at 8:38
  • @TomK. Yes! That is it.
    – Peter Harmann
    May 4, 2018 at 8:40
  • Not too sure when this screenshot was taken (meaning not sure if that is still the case), but take note, that this feature is not enabled when using SSL and Incognito mode.
    – Tom K.
    May 4, 2018 at 8:45
  • @TomK. I still have the feature on my phone (though disabled), so it still exists. And yes, when using SSL, the packets are encrypted for different reason. The question is about why HTTP packets are encrypted. Though user3307598 should try disabling it/using incognito to see whether it helps.
    – Peter Harmann
    May 4, 2018 at 8:47

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