PSA: Uninstall Steam Inventory Helper browser extension

Discussion in 'Technical Support' started by The Broodwich, Sep 20, 2017.

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  1. The Broodwich

    The Broodwich Tasty and Delicious Staff Member

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    Popular Steam Extension 'Inventory Helper' Spies On Users, Says Report

    If you installed the "Steam Inventory Helper" on your computer, you may want to uninstall it as soon as possible. Recent reports suggest that this extension used to buy and sell digital goods on Steam is spying on its users. Redditor Wartab made a thorough analysis of the tool and reached the following conclusions: The spyware code tracks your every move starting from the moment you visit a website until you leave. It also tracks where you are coming from on the site; Steam Inventory Helper tracks your clicks, including when you are moving your mouse and when you are having focus in an input; When you click a link, it sends the link URL to a background script; Fortunately, the code does not monitor what you type. Apparently, the purpose of this spyware is to collect data about gamers for promotional purposes.
     
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  2. Donald Draper

    Donald Draper Well-Known Forum Member

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    Thanks for the warning. As a paranoid old guy I don't use these newfangled add-ons. I'm a firm believer in the theory that if you don't pay for something you're not the consumer, you're the product. And here the product is your internet history, etc. Google, Apple, and Amazon are bad enough (and nearly impossible to avoid). I try to limit the number of additional trackers on me whenever possible.
     
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  3. Dstraktd

    Dstraktd Adminstigator Staff Member

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    I concur with Don on this one: He is a paranoid old guy.
     
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  4. The Broodwich

    The Broodwich Tasty and Delicious Staff Member

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