Google's Chrome browser may soon start hiding your IP address. Here’s why this is a big deal

Google’s popular web browser, Chrome, is preparing to implement a feature that allows users to conceal their IP addresses from websites, even without the need for a VPN. This move is part of Google’s efforts to minimize cross-site tracking, a form of covert tracking that associates users and their online activities with their IP addresses. The newly proposed feature would effectively establish a proxy IP address, making it more difficult for select websites to identify individual users. The announcement was discovered by BleepingComputer. On Friday, Google’s senior software engineer, Brianna Goldstein, revealed that Google is gearing up for its initial IP protection beta test. This program will be optional, initially covering domains owned by Google, including Google.com, Gmail, and Google Ad Services. Google aims to assess the effectiveness of its IP blockers on these sites, where users’ IP addresses are employed for cross-site tracking. The test will be limited to users based in the United States who are logged in to their Google accounts using Chrome. A select group of users will be granted automatic access to this initial trial. Following the initial test phase, Goldstein explained that IP Protection would move to a two-hop proxy system, which involves an external network running a proxy for the initial proxy. The primary objective of this feature is not to hide users’ IP addresses from every website but to block it specifically for traffic intended for tracking users beyond traditional cookies. Google assures users that the feature is being developed in a way that won’t disrupt legitimate operations reliant on IP addresses. If these tests prove successful, the feature will begin routing more third-party domains through the Google proxy. This approach bears similarities to Apple’s iCloud Private Relay feature available in Safari. It allows network providers and Apple to access users’ IP addresses, but it first encrypts DNS records and then employs a third-party network to create a temporary IP address for accessing a website. Such rerouting can affect connection speed, and Chrome users may experience similar effects if Google decides to expand the nascent feature. Google’s move to enhance privacy options coincides with the rollout of its Privacy Sandbox, a direct response to the challenges posed by third-party cookies. Google’s plan involves disabling cookies by 2024. When combined with IP Protection, this will significantly reduce the options available to third-party sites for tracking users across multiple websites.