Now, what Google has done with version 69 onwards, is automatically sign you into Chrome whenever you log in to any Google service. Given the criticism that the search and advertising giant has faced over the years for tracking user data and burrowing its way into every part of our lives, that has been a valid concern for many people. You used to be able to safely ignore the little user profile icon if you didn't want Google vacuuming up your browser history and other potentially sensitive information. Although most people would use the same Google account to sign in to Chrome as they would for Gmail or YouTube, one did not require the other. The line had always been pretty clear - the browser is only a way to look at content on the Web it takes you there but doesn't invite itself to the party. This was completely independent of whether or not you were signed in to any of Google's services such as Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, and Google MapsВ within the browser - or even used them at all. Previously, you could associate a Google account with Chrome in order to store your browser history, passwords, settings, and payment details in the cloud, and have them available and synchronised across multiple PCs and other devices. Version 69 of Chrome was released earlier this month to much fanfare around its overhauled design, but it also quietly changed how users' credentials are handled. Now, however, the search and advertising giant is blurring the lines. All of them trust Chrome, and it's fair to say, assume it can be used independently of Google's many Web services. The sheer number of people who use Google's browser throughout each day is astronomical. For perspective, its nearest competitor on smartphones is Safari, and on the desktop is Internet Explorer, both of which come in at between 11 and 15 percent - barely a quarter of what Chrome commands.

Multiple leading analytics firms peg Chrome's market share at between 59 and 67 percent. Google Chrome is by far the most widely used Web browser in the world, across desktop and laptop PCs as well as smartphones.

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