Chrome to automatically revoke Permissions for Unused Websites on desktop

Google Chrome is set to automatically remove permission access granted to websites that have not been visited for 2 months or 60 days. The feature is part of the new “Safety Hub” v2, Google is working on for Chrome.

On Android 10 and higher, if apps aren’t used for a long time, to safeguard your device data, Google Play Protect automatically removes permissions granted for unused Apps. This includes sensitive permissions such as camera, microphone, location, contacts, etc.

Safety hub

Similarly, Google is adding a feature with the setting enabled by default in Chrome on the desktop called “Automatically remove permissions from unused sites”.

“To protect your data, remove permissions from sites you haven’t visited in 2 months.” The setting reveals. Chrome assures the new Safety Hub doesn’t stop notifications from those websites.

The feature requires enabling Safety Hub in Chrome, here is how you can do that.

Enable the “Safety Hub” feature in Chrome

1. Visit chrome://flags
2. Find and enable “Safety hub” and restart the browser

   

How to stop Chrome from auto-removing unused website permissions on the desktop

1. Launch Chrome
2. Click on menu> Settings
3. Cick on Privacy and Security> Site Settings
4. Under “Additional content Settings”, Toggle off the “Automatically remove permissions from unused sites” switch.

In addition to the above setting, as we reported earlier, Chrome alerts you to review permissions removed from unused websites when you run a safety check. Google names it a “permission module for unused sites”. You can review those permissions and grant access if you want.

Google is working on Safety Hub v2 for Chrome on the desktop. The above setting is being implemented as part of that.

What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments below.

Final words: Soon, similar to Google Play Protect on Android, Chrome on Windows, Mac, and Linux will automatically remove permissions from unused sites in 60 days. Chrome will allow users to opt out of this automatic behavior through an option under Site Settings.