[Linux] Google Chrome installing plugins without permission

[nickdalzell]

Installed Chrome to my Kubuntu 12.10 system on my laptop. when i opened it today, was browsing this forum and suddenly a tab appeared telling me 'Adblock Plus has been installed'

First of all, i did NOT choose to install Adblock Plus. Secondly, i am not the kind of person who appreciates things installing on my devices without my explicit permission. Now, i have taken great adjustment periods to get used to Android having control over all my apps and which run and which do not (which i still personally desire control over and am a bit uncomfortable with auto-memory management even today) but when apps themselves install things behind my back then tell me i feel violated. is there a setting somewhere to disable this? Chrome has never done this kind of thing on Windows, Android or iOS

 

[mikedt]

Have you got browser syncing turned on via Google? That syncs plugins on your various devices that are using Chrome. Maybe why the ad-blocker appeared to install itself on this system, you've got it on another system with Chrome?

 

[nickdalzell]

all my Android devices run Chrome and i do like having my bookmarks and recent pages synced, but i do not recall ever having installed this extension at all on any device so i doubt that has anything to do with it? if i ever installed Adblock at all it was on an ancient Windows 98 computer running Mozilla Firefox 2.x

 

[9to5cynic]

Hmmm... my guess was going to be the sync that google is offering... but if that's not it I'm not sure.

I'd uninstall it and see if that change keeps. Maybe check a few of your other devices to see if one of those devices also has the change.

 

[nickdalzell]

as i said i have never installed Adblock Plus and it's not in chrome on any of my other devices. i turned off extension sync and removed it fwiw, but we'll see if any more sneak in.

 

[zuben el genub]

Tried using Iron Browser? Based on Chrome.

 

[nickdalzell]

Not a fan of clones, my experience with iceweasel (Firefox clone) wasn't that great.