Many people often forget that Google Chrome and many Chrome-like web browsers cannot exist without a popular open source project called Chromium as part of the potential customizations., many Chromium-based browsers had given users access to product-related features / Google services on the interface.
During a recent audit, the Chromium team discovered this and announced a limitation on the availability of the private API This means that third-party versions of Chromium can no longer offer Google-exclusive features such as Chrome sync and Click to Call. Chromium would restrict access to private Chrome APIs from the 15 mars 2021
“During a recent audit, we discovered that some third-party Chromium-based browsers were able to integrate Google functionality, such as Chrome and Click to Call sync, which are intended for use by Google only”, declared Jochen Eisinger, director of engineering , Google Chrome
“We restrict access to our private Chrome APIs from 15 mars 2021”, added Eisinger
Interesting fact, the Chromium team did not specify the intention of such a move., as the team described the problem, features such as “Synchronisation Chrome” and “Click to call” were meant to be “intended for use by Google only.”
Chromium doesn't want to have any issues allowing third-party versions of Chromium to implement features exclusive to Google Chrome and apps / related services in the right ecosystem The team also added that those using third-party versions of Chromium to access Chrome sync will keep the information locally.
This bold move by Chromium may address other concerns as well For example, using the private API on third-party Chromium-based versions, these third-party companies use Google's servers to store data Similarly, providing said features via a simple API would also reduce their development costs.
Therefore, limiting the availability of the private API may prevent third-party companies from abusing Google's data storage and management systems in the guise of introducing Chrome sync and Click to Call into their web browsers. Google has asked these companies to remove features from their package within the next two months.
Developers and enthusiasts are looking at this development from several angles Some say that Google has tried to reduce the competition by limiting the private API mentioned above Simultaneously, developers are concerned about creating replacement options from scratch, especially for something big like timing
In the middle of it all, many experts believe that Google is doing what it should be doing, because other companies cannot take advantage of Google's infrastructure resources when they claim to use an open source version
Chromium, Google Chrome, Web browser
News – United States – Chromium to prevent third-party services from implementing private APIs
Source: https://news.thewindowsclub.com/chromium-to-restrict-third-party-services-from-implementing-private-apis-104860/