Google and privacy don't always mix, but when they do, it's a pleasant surprise. Such is the case with a new Chrome for Android feature the company is working on: Soon enough, when you share or record your Android phone screen, Chrome will automatically block out sensitive information like passwords and credit card numbers.
The new feature was spotted by X user Leopeva64, who tracks upcoming changes to browsers like Edge and Chrome and found the option as a flag in the Canary version of Chrome for Android. (A flag is an experimental in-testing feature users can manually enable, while Chrome Canary is the version of Chrome Google tests new features on before issuing them to the general public.)
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The flag reads: "When enabled, if sensitive form fields (such as credit cards, passwords) are present on the page, the entire content area is redacted during screen sharing, screen recording, and similar actions. This feature works only on Android V or above." (Android V presumably referring to Android 5.0.) The flag does not describe the technical process for hiding this material, so it's not clear whether Android will blur out these areas or cover them with some sort of block.
Leopeva64 hadn't tested the feature at the time of their post, but MSPowerUser verified the flag appears in the latest beta version of Chrome Canary. It may not be activate at this time, but if you enable the flag now, you'll be able to try out this new security feature when Google rolls it out.
Here's how to set yourself up to try blocking credit card numbers and passwords when you share or record your display on Android:
Download Chrome Canary from the Google Play Store. This version of Chrome is the same as the one already installed on your phone but includes new features Google is currently testing. As such, it is unstable and shouldn't be used as your main browser.
Open Chrome Canary, tap the address bar, and type chrome://flags/.
Once on the Flags page, search for #sensitive-content, which should pull up the "Redact sensitive content during screen sharing, screen recording, and similar actions" flag.
Tap the drop-down menu, and choose Enabled.
As previously stated, this feature might not work at this time, but continue to try it out over the coming weeks. Google will eventually roll it out, and when they do, you'll be able to automatically censor sensitive information whenever Android has access to the contents of your screen.
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