Chrome extension sends browsing information [closed]

Question

When visiting a url in Chrome, I saw in Fiddler, after the responses, calls to:

http://api29.datarating.com/related
http://api29.datarating.com/service2

For example after going to http://www.google.com

I have this in Fiddler: http://api29.datarating.com/service2

with body:

e=Y3oweE56azNKbTFrUFRJeEpuQnBaRDF5VlRselNXeHhVRXBWZEU1bGNWa21jMlZ6Y3oweE9ESTJOakEwT1RNMU16UXdOVGd6TkRBbWMzVmlQV05vY205dFpTWnhQV2gwZEhCekpUTkJMeTkzZDNjdVoyOXZaMnhsTG1SbEx5VXpSbWRtWlY5eVpDVXpSR04wY213bE1qWmxhU1V6UkRZNFNWcFZOV1kwU25OVFdDMUJZbEZ6TkVkUlEwRWxNalpuZDNOZmNtUWxNMFJqY2lad2NtVjJQV2gwZEhCekpUTkJMeTkzZDNjdVoyOXZaMnhsTG1SbEx5WjBiWFk5TkRBd01pNHhKblJ0WmoweEpuTnlQV2gwZEhCekpUTkJMeTkzZDNjdVoyOXZaMnhsTG1OdmJTOD0%3D

which is Base64, decoded to another Base64 string:

cz0xNzk3Jm1kPTIxJnBpZD1yVTlzSWxxUEpVdE5lcVkmc2Vzcz0xODI2NjA0OTM1MzQwNTgzNDAmc3ViPWNocm9tZSZxPWh0dHBzJTNBLy93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmRlLyUzRmdmZV9yZCUzRGN0cmwlMjZlaSUzRDY4SVpVNWY0SnNTWC1BYlFzNEdRQ0ElMjZnd3NfcmQlM0RjciZwcmV2PWh0dHBzJTNBLy93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmRlLyZ0bXY9NDAwMi4xJnRtZj0xJnNyPWh0dHBzJTNBLy93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8=7

which decodes to:

s=1797&md=21&pid=rU9sIlqPJUtNeqY&sess=182660493534058340&sub=chrome&q=https%3A//www.google.de/%3Fgfe_rd%3Dctrl%26ei%3D68IZU5f4JsSX-AbQs4GQCA%26gws_rd%3Dcr&prev=https%3A//www.google.de/&tmv=4002.1&tmf=1&sr=https%3A//www.google.com/;

that obviously contains the URL I just visited.

By enabling and disabling the extensions in Chrome, I found that it was the extension:

SpeakIt! 0.2.91

Web Store Link

**Is this allowed / legal?**

The question should have been Can we block this or are their extensions to check other extensions ? as pointed out.

I see some solutions :

Analyze the code of the extension with https://github.com/Rob--W/crxviewer/

Use an 'Adblock' kind of strategy with disconnect me https://disconnect.me/

Browser privacy modes. etc

Answer 1

For protecting your privacy, you could use another Open Source addon which protects you from the various tracking methods employed in today's method. The link to download is below :-

https://disconnect.me/

I am also currently using this addon, nice tool, save bandwidth, secures wifi, loads pages faster etc.

Also, the main feature that it completely eliminates the trackers so that the bandwidth is also saved. It also very nicely visualizes the blocking it is doing along with detailed information.

Furthermore, you can also protect your privacy by opening the web pages in the Icognito or the Private Browsing mode of your browser as by default in the Private Browsing mode, the addons are disabled and hence no tracking of your web page visiting atleast by the addons.